BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 14, 2024

Kim English

Devin Carter

Jayden Pierre

Josh Oduro

Madison Square Garden

Providence Friars

Postgame Media Conference

Providence 78, Creighton 73

KIM ENGLISH: Good win for our group. This time of the season, so many different resumés and happenings throughout the season, but some teams that are playing for their lives. I got to talk to Jim Calhoun yesterday a few times, and those guys are so wise, and I just reiterated his words to our team. We got 40 minutes.

Ups and downs all season, adverse conditions, less than ideal. Mindset and moments, bad shots, bad plays, bad turnovers, bad responses. We got 40 minutes to be our most locked-in selves. And one of our group's best efforts of the season.

Thought early against Wisconsin, Marquette, our game against Georgia without both of our point guards, this was one of our best efforts of the season, really proud of our group. They deserve all the glory.

Q. Jayden, Creighton took the lead for the first time in the second half with I think about five or six minutes left. You then scored Providence's next seven points. Can you tell me what was going through your head at that point and what you were looking for, how you found success?

JAYDEN PIERRE: Really just are trusting the process. I wasn't thinking. I had to score the points in that situation. Just really being aggressive, taking what the defense was giving me and trusting our offense.

Q. Kim, was that toughness with a capital T?

KIM ENGLISH: Yes. Yes. It was. Toughness, togetherness. And what was my third? Toughness. What was the third thing I said before the game? Toughness, togetherness. No. No. I thought I was teeing you guys up. It was intelligence. No. It was intelligence. It was intelligence. Toughness, togetherness, intelligence. That was another one. Intelligence.

You know, yeah, we're tough. You have to be. Talked about it yesterday. We talked about if you're not prepared in this league, focused, it's like a cannonball going through your chest. If you're not tough in this league, I mean, don't even put -- don't even field a team. So we're tough. We've been tough. You have to be tough to play in this conference.

Q. After you got the tech, your team just woke up.

KIM ENGLISH: I got a tech? Oh, I didn't know that.

Q. Devin just went crazy and started getting steels, basket after basket. What happened in that whole series?

KIM ENGLISH: I thought Devin got a clean block and great play. In a game of this magnitude, I lost my way a little bit, or a lot of bit. But they've had to hold me back a few times this season throughout. And these guys -- Bryce Hopkins was grabbing, pulling on my trousers telling me to calm down. And I did, and I thought our guys responded really well.

Q. Kim, talking about toughness (inaudible) and the way they finished the game.

KIM ENGLISH: It was Michael Jordanesque. Weak side, help block down low, great play. Started with the wall up. I think it was Slim who was playing -- fighting for his life against such a great big. All our guys make plays after plays, especially Devin.

Q. Coach, so you are trending a lot on Black Twitter.

KIM ENGLISH: I'm on Black Twitter?

Q. So they're wanting to know who dis, what his marital status.

MODERATOR: I think that's our first marital status question in tournament history.

Q. The exact question is: Is he single (inaudible)? (Laughs). Girls asked me to ask you.

MODERATOR: You can pass.

KIM ENGLISH: No comment. I'm locked in on this team. I'm locked in on our team right now.

Q. As a basketball fan, if you could put that hat on right now when you watch what Devin does every night, talk about that a little bit.

KIM ENGLISH: He's a warrior. He texted me when Bryce went down that he was going to take his stuff to another level. And he did. He did. Really proud of him. I enjoyed watching him. A few moments throughout the season, I'm just in awe. He's once in a lifetime.

Q. This is for Kim. Kim, talk about Rich Barron and Corey Floyd. Both of them hit big shots at key points for you in different parts of the game.

KIM ENGLISH: Yeah. We give our guys a ton of confidence. When Bryce went down, we didn't ask anyone to be Bryce Hopkins, but we asked everyone to just be the best version of themselves. If our guys are open, we tell them to shoot it. If they're not open, we tell them to pass it. So our stuff hasn't changed.

Q. Josh, we know your marital status. We made that a big deal this year. With your foul trouble can you just talk about balancing that foul trouble and what everyone else did to bail you out.

JOSH ODURO: For sure. Like Coach talked about, this is a game with really high magnitude. And I think I was a little over zealous for a couple of plays and did things that I shouldn't be doing that we talked about. But credit my teammates. They helped me keep my head and make sure I was locked in for the last couple of minutes and we came out with the W.

Q. Are you thinking about the NCAA tournament?

JOSH ODURO: For sure. I think that's in all of our minds, but, honestly, the number one thing is about the next 40 minutes we have.

Q. Devin, it had been a while since you took a shot and then you made the shot that gave you guys the lead at the end of the game. What did it mean to you to come through for your team in a must-win game in that moment?

DEVIN CARTER: Yeah. I'm just glad my teammates, they have the confidence in me to make the plays and make the right reads and everything. So just going off of them, I feed off their energy and they gave me the confidence to get the bucket.

Q. Devin, big moment for this entire program. You kind of personify what this team is a little bit about. Can you explain your mindset going into this game. How you walked on the court, what were you thinking?

DEVIN CARTER: You know, I think it was a must-win game. We want to keep our tournament dreams alive and we also want to get a Big East championship. So we knew coming into the game that we had another 40 minutes. And that was just the mindset. Just everybody have great energy and discipline and see where it takes us.

Q. Devin, it appeared you got injured at some point later in the game. You showed physical signs of exhaustion. What was it that kept you motivated?

DEVIN CARTER: Yeah. Just knowing that it was a must-win game. I looked over at Baylor, and Kalkbrenner and I knew they haven't came out the game. So I was like I could do the same thing as well. So it was motivation, seeing them pushing through it and trying to outlast the opponent.

Q. Coach, this could go to the players, too, but discuss the importance of communication and defensive switches, especially with an offensive team like Creighton?

KIM ENGLISH: Yeah, when you're playing Creighton, Marquette, Connecticut, communication is so important. They run such good stuff. They play at your natural instincts and reactions. So communication has to be over the top to guard them.

Our guys did an incredible job to hold this team to 37 percent. Maybe a couple of games in the noncon. UNLV. Colorado State maybe. Those guys guarded well. St. John's a few nights ago. Yeah, communication is critically important.