MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 14, 2024

Nelly Junior Joseph

Richard Pitino

JT Toppin

Thomas & Mack Center

New Mexico Lobos

Postgame Press Conference

New Mexico 74, Colorado State 61

THE MODERATOR: We have student-athletes JT Toppin, Nelly Junior Joseph, Coach Richard Pitino. Coach, your thoughts on tonight's game?

RICHARD PITINO: Another great win. I've loved how we have turned into a terrific defensive team this tournament. It's gotten better and better every single game. Colorado State is a team that doesn't turn the ball over a lot and shoots a high percentage. We were able to do both.

An awesome win. Proud of our guys, and we get a chance to go against a great team tomorrow to play for a championship.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Coach just mentioned it, the defense. You forced 22 turnovers. Or I guess 14 turnovers and scored 22 points off of them. What was the game plan, the mindset to kind of make them uncomfortable and force turnovers?

NELLY JUNIOR JOSEPH: The mindset was yesterday we play against Boise, and we want to be aggressive and stay in the lane. He with try to bring the same mindset to today's game as we did.

Q. Obviously, you guys are a team that feeds off of energy. What's an 11-0 start do for you?

JT TOPPIN: It did a lot. We knew we was going to come out -- come out really strong, and we did just that. And we knew we were going to have to execute on the offensive and defensive end.

Q. JT, Coach mentioned we've become a defensive team. What's changed? What's changed from the regular season?

JT TOPPIN: We wanted to get that tournament. We really wanted to get that tournament, and we just knew we had to play together, and we couldn't let nobody get no easy dunks, easy layups. Had to stay in the lanes, help, and just scramble on defense.

Q. For both of you guys. You both are two of the quietest guys on the court out there, and you got Jaelen House doing what he is doing. I'm curious with the high energy guy like that and the high energy when you get out and running like that on defense, everybody seems to be going crazy, and you are two of the calmest guys out there. Are you feeling any emotion out there when everyone else seems to be excited?

NELLY JUNIOR JOSEPH: We're feeding off their energy. We're pumped up like to play defense and get stop, and just like (indiscernible) all the time, trying to be like cool.

JT TOPPIN: Yeah, locked in. We definitely feed off their energy. They hype us up for sure.

Q. Joe Scott the Air Force coach said of you the other day, JT, said you're mature and he did one of these. He said you're never high, you're never low. He can't ever tell when you're excited or when you're not. You're always about business and always doing your job. Have you always been that way?

JT TOPPIN: Always. Yeah, I always been like that. Just chill and just really locked in.

Q. And then the other thing, Boise State last night, you guys hold to under 30% shooting, but it was two weeks ago when the word that kept getting thrown around a little bit was they bullied you guys. They out-rebounded you guys really badly in a couple of games, and they were just big and physical. Did you two take that personally a little bit the way the Boise State game in the regular season played out?

NELLY JUNIOR JOSEPH: Yeah, because once you beat a team twice, like you learn your lesson. I mean, you can't let it come back and kick your ass the same way again, so you got to be like, play aggressive just like them.

JT TOPPIN: Can't lose three times. Got to stay aggressive, and I think we executed that very well.

Q. Nobody has ever won this tournament coming off of the first round, and you get an opportunity to do that tomorrow. Teams that have played three games in three days say it's the third day that they start to feel it. You're talking about the energy. Jaelen talked yesterday, we just don't want to go home yesterday. Did you feel any fatigue today? It's a quick turnaround tomorrow. You didn't look like a team that was playing a third game in three days. Did you guys feel any fatigue?

NELLY JUNIOR JOSEPH: Not at all because during December we came to Vegas. We played just like this. We played like three games like back-to-back, so we're used to it.

JT TOPPIN: Yeah, we didn't feel no fatigue. We're not trying to go home. Huh-uh.

Q. For both of you guys, you guys both are in your first year in Albuquerque. JT, you're a freshman coming in, and Nelly, you transferred in from Iona. In your first year here, what would it mean to you to deliver a championship to Albuquerque?

JT TOPPIN: It would mean the most because our fans are really supportive, and it would be amazing to bring it back for them. Yeah.

NELLY JUNIOR JOSEPH: I think it will mean more for the city because they love basketball like this, support us. For me it means a lot for them. We're excited for tomorrow.

Q. It looks like you guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now. Can you speak to the momentum that you guys are just playing with right now that you have the confidence that you are playing with right now?

JT TOPPIN: We just come really locked in. In practice we're locked in. No days off. No, it's not over. We're going to celebrate, but next day we're locked in for the next game, and that really just helped us.

Q. Can you just talk about this next matchup? Obviously San Diego State a team that's very tough. A lot of history with these two teams. How are you feeling about this matchup? Are?

JT TOPPIN: Really good. We're just going to have to play aggressive. They're a little bigger than us, but if we play aggressive, we're going to win.

NELLY JUNIOR JOSEPH: We played them before. We played them at home. We win by 20 or so. I think we're going to be ready, so we just have to play hard and play together as a team and get some stops.

THE MODERATOR: We'll dismiss the student-athletes at this time. Questions for Coach.

Q. They cut it to seven with about five minutes to go. What's the message in that time-out?

RICHARD PITINO: We were turning the ball over a little bit I thought. We got Jaelen with the ball. Donovan was battling the flu. I think he may have gotten what Mash has. He showed unbelievable heart because he was really struggling, really struggling. Hopefully we can get him some IVs and get him better for tomorrow.

We put the ball in House's hands and he delivered. We were able to get some rebounds, key rebounds. They were shooting a lot of threes, and we had to get some long rebounds and did a great job there.

Q. I'm curious if you think now you guys are a lock for the NCAA Tournament?

RICHARD PITINO: You know, I don't understand how we wouldn't be. I just don't get it. I think Joe Lunardi is in his jammies right now. I don't think he is awake watching Mountain West basketball, so I don't know if he is playing attention, but we're, like, 22 or 23 in the NET. We're 27 in KenPom. We have 25 wins.

It boggles my mind. We've beaten several teams who are NCAA Tournament teams, but you can't worry about it. There's a lot of -- you just don't know, right? The biggest thing we're trying to do is control what we can control.

But as I said last night, I would be very surprised if we didn't make it. Obviously we just got another Quad 1 win. I would be even more surprised.

Q. I asked them about the defense and Nelly gave his nice answer about not wanting to -- he learned his lesson from the Boise State game. I'm curious if you look to a point in the season or maybe even in the last few weeks when the defense did sort of kind of start playing with a little bit different effort or urgency maybe?

RICHARD PITINO: I think the Air Force game was an eye-opener for everybody. That was a devastating loss. It was disappointing.

We had to do some soul-searching as a coaching staff, players. We were not ready to go. I think our guys came back, dug themselves out of a big hole that we created, and credit to them. I think they understand if you don't defend, if you don't rebound, you're not going to win in this league. This league is too good, and there's a lot of really, really good defensive teams.

I think it was a humbling moment, and credit to our guys to kind of pull themselves out of it.

Q. The one aspect of your team that maybe more than anything has been on full display this tournament is just how much speed the entire line-up has and how hard it is to defend. Game plan-wise is there anything that you tell guys like Jaelen and Donovan and Jamal to do, or do you just let them run wild and create havoc?

RICHARD PITINO: Run wild is probably -- I'm not sure that's what we do, but I do think you've got let them play. They all can play the point, so you essentially have three scoring point guards on the court at all times.

I think the personnel allows them to be able to get out and run.

I still think we can actually play faster, but all of them can make plays. Jaelen was ready to go today. Donovan fought through obviously pretty rough illness. Yeah, our whole goal -- you can't run if you don't get stops, and the defense the last -- and even Air Force the last three games has been terrific. That's allowed us to run.

Q. You know what it takes to beat a San Diego State team, but tomorrow is a different animal, right? It's the championship game. What are some of your concerns, and what are your keys? What do you need to do to win tomorrow?

RICHARD PITINO: Well, obviously you have a high, high level of respect for their program. The level of consistency that they have built over 30 years. Obviously from Coach Fisher to Coach Dutch and the staff. They just do a great job of being true to what they are.

We've talked about toughness. Boise was certainly that. Colorado State. It's going to be ramped up even more. You're playing on Saturday for a championship, so I think both teams are going to compete their butts off. I know both fan bases. I was told today every flight coming from Albuquerque to here was sold out on southwest Is. That's how special our fan base is. It's going to be a fun afternoon.

Q. You came into town. Your team knew they had to win games. They played with incredible poise and composure. Somebody told me there's a rule if you keep winning, they can't keep you out of the big tournament. You have an opportunity tomorrow. What have you learned about your team in the last three days?

RICHARD PITINO: They've been ready for the moment. There's a lot of pressure that goes on you to play in a win-or-go-home tournament, to obviously be on the bubble. It's a privilege, though. It really is.

I mean, there's a lot of teams that are not even thinking about that. We're proud of where we're at, and they've delivered. They really have. They've played great basketball. They've let their play do the talking. They just have stacked up two really, really quality Quad 1 wins on back-to-back days and obviously got a great opportunity tomorrow.

Q. Have you ever coached a team that has had to play four games in less than 70 hours? Where does it affect the team most? What is it you are concerned about, just legs or fatigue or mentally? What is it?

RICHARD PITINO: Well, in my illustrious Hall of Fame career I've not been to many championship conference games. I believe this is -- no. FIU, year one. I think we had a bye, though.

So I don't think I've ever had four games in four days. Fatigue is the biggest thing. Now, I think Air Force we were able to play a lot of guys. Even the last two games we were kind of able to get guys in and out. There's no time to be tired. There's no time to be tired.

You just mentally and physically have to fight through it. We're fortunate to have amazing fans who certainly create an environment where that can get us going as well. We just have to get some rest.

Obviously the hard part, what I don't love, I'm not going to complain about the Mountain West, but playing a late game and then you have to come back. I know that's kind of standard because of TV. If I win, I'll get it changed because I'll have some power. That's obviously going to be hard. That will be hard for San Diego State too. We have to get some rest and mentally and physically just fight through.