NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - ARKANSAS VS TEXAS TECH

March 26, 2025

JT Toppin

Darrion Williams

Chance McMillian

Chase Center

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Sweet 16 Pregame Media Conference

Q. Chance, what's it like for you, a Vallejo kid to be back here in the Bay?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: Feels good. I went to school up until high school in San Francisco, so I have a lot of people from San Francisco expecting to the come to the game. Feels good to be back home because this is my first game in Northern California, too, so I have a lot of people excited to watch this.

Q. Darrion, you and Chance, two Nor Cal guys over in Texas, what's it like?

DARRION WILLIAMS: It's special, obviously we knew each other going into it so it made the transition a little easier. But it's a blessing to come back and play in front of a bunch of family and friends.

Q. Chance, first you said you grew up in the city. Where did you go to elementary school or middle school?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: Went to (indiscernible) and I went to St. Thomas Apostle in middle school.

Q. The question has been for the last couple of weeks, how is your health? Do you think you can play? How is your health, do you think you can play?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: I'm getting better day-by-day. Been in the training room, doing a lot of pool workouts and breathing workouts because I strained my oblique pretty bad. But my goal is to play tomorrow.

Q. I'm curious how much, you're in the home of the Warriors, how much of the Warriors you watched growing up. And are you a fan of Steph Curry?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: I'm definitely a Warriors fan. What's funny, me and Darrion came here this past Christmas to watch that game. I'm going exactly where I sat at the last game and go sit there.

Q. Have you guys had an excess amount of ticket requests being that you guys are back in California?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: Yes.

DARRION WILLIAMS: Yes.

Q. Is it hard to divvy those up when you only get a certain allotment for that?

DARRION WILLIAMS: I just try to focus on giving my family and close friends tickets.

Q. What did you learn about Arkansas watching film and getting ready for this game tomorrow night?

DARRION WILLIAMS: They're a good time. Getting healthier, too, kind of like us. They had a lot of guys out towards the end of the year. They're a pretty long team, they block a lot of shots, and they play hard. Obviously they have a really good coach. They'll be hard to play against.

Q. How did you guys win two NCAA games with Chance on the bench? And how was he on the bench -- demonstrative, not demonstrative, and how was he handling not being able to play and trying to support you guys?

JT TOPPIN: We have a lot of good players. Obviously the next man up and they're always ready, so that's a good part of it. And Chance is amazing on the bench, supportive. He's going to help even if he's not in the game. It's great to have that support.

DARRION WILLIAMS: He wants to play. He shows that every day. He's trying to get there. But I think, everybody, like he said, next man up, and he's always good on the bench, making sure everybody was locked in.

Q. JT, Arkansas has a little more length than what you guys have seen. How does your mindset flip when there's a little bit more size going against you as opposed to, like, Drake when you guys had the size advantage?

JT TOPPIN: Really the same mindset, just stay physical. It's going to be a physical game. The people who is more physical, I think, is going to come out with the win. Just really staying physical.

Q. Darrion, Chance, you guys remember last year against NC State, the disappointment from that. What's it like for you guys to decide to come back, do this again and get to this spot now?

DARRION WILLIAMS: It was great. One of the goals we talked about was at least getting past the first weekend because neither of us won a game in the tournament before. It's nice. But we didn't come here to make the Sweet 16; we came here to win it.

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: Just what he said.

Q. Chance, obviously I think a lot of the kids growing up watched you with your mix tapes. What do you remember most about playing at Bethel and Saint Patrick's, Saint Vincent's and Lakeshore?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: I would just say I feel like right now I'm another role model, how, like, Trevor Dunbar and Jabari Bird was for me. I feel like I'm carrying on that role model status for the younger generation right now, especially Lakeshore and all those kids. I'm that person that they can look up to.

Q. Probably went through it last weekend. I know you want to play, but I also know you don't want to jeopardize yourself or put your teammates in a bad spot if you're not healthy enough to play. How do you make that decision? I'm sure with the doctors, but what goes into making the can I do it or not?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: That's a good question. But really it's just a question I ask myself, trust in God and just go from there.

But I'm really just taking it one step at a time, making sure I'm right mentally and physically.

Q. After looking at film, what are your biggest concerns from what you see in Arkansas and as you get ready for tomorrow's game?

JT TOPPIN: As we watched film we seen the guards have a good dribble pull-up and they're downhill guards. They like to shoot shots off the dribble. That's been an important focus for us.

DARRION WILLIAMS: Just guarding the ball and rebounding and being more physical than them because they're obviously taller and longer than us, so just being able to guard the ball, I think, is the biggest thing.

Q. JT, some of the other teams were talking about trying In-N-Out. Have Chance and Darrion put you on In-N-Out? Is there anything in Bay Area you've done that's cool?

JT TOPPIN: Chance gave me a quesadilla. It was smooth. But I've always had In-N-Out I because was born by LA, like, 45 minutes away. I've been part of this lifestyle.

Q. Chance how has this team's mindset changed from the beginning of the season to today? And why are the Red Raiders a dangerous team?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: Our mindset didn't change at all from the start of the season. As we were going throughout the season, like, we realized we were a pretty tough team and everyone on our team can hoop. It's just a matter of who is going to step up on that given night.

What was the second part of the question?

Q. Why are the Red Raiders a dangerous team?

CHANCE MCMILLIAN: We're a dangerous team because we have all the pieces. We can shoot. We can play inside. And we're unselfish. That's really what makes us dangerous, we're unselfish.