MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 11, 2005

Andrew Bogut

Ray Giacoletti

Marc Jackson

Bryant Markson

COACH GIACOLETTI: Got off to a good start. We lost our composure a little bit. Vegas, to their credit, hit some shots in transition that got them back in momentum and feeling comfortable. We had a tough time trying to guard them off the bounce, went zone for three possessions. Was fortunate to get them to miss some shots and get them to rebound out of the zone. It will never be easy. So we played well in stretches. Again, we had nine turnovers -- 11 turnovers in the first half. If we take better care of the basketball and be stronger with it, I think it is one area that we can clean up after the last two games. This time of year it don't matter how pretty it is, just so you have one more point on the scoreboard than the other team does.

ANDREW BOGUT: They started hitting some tough shots. Beck lit a couple of threes there in a row that helped them out. They kind of crept back in; they didn't get fifteen points in a row. We weren't getting the shots that we needed. We weren't getting the looks that we wanted to get. I say pretty much just Beck got pretty much on fire.

MARC JACKSON: I mean, that full court press, you know it did a little bit, kind of hurried us up in some situations. We actually converted for layups sometimes. We took care of it; we were stronger with the ball. That is what a full court pressure does to you try to speed you up. We made some mistakes, but for the most part, I thought we did good with it.

BRYANT MARKSON: We got in foul trouble a bit early in the second half. Me and Hawkins seen some good openings and tried to take them. And it worked to our advantage. We got a whole bunch of ones in and got the win.

ANDREW BOGUT: I am fine, 100 percent. We got off to a good start in the first half. The media got on us about our first halves. We did it for you. In our second half, I think we relaxed and they came back and hit some tough shots. We got under ten all of a sudden. They were on a run. Beck was feeling it and needed more threes. We just had to scramble for that win at the end.

COACH GIACOLETTI: We had to do something. We were swinging one through five. I mean, they are very athletic and very dangerous off the dribble and like shooting. We got to do something here to make them hit a jump shot instead of taking it off the bounce. They've done that like five straight times. The last time they went five out it was impossible to get matched up. We said we have got to go back to man. They spotted five guys along the perimeter in a two-three zone. We can't get matched up to all five. We were lucky they missed some shots. There is a guy back in Salt Lake who has been all over me about playing more zones. Maybe he is happy tonight. It is a joke.

COACH GIACOLETTI: I was going to try to.

COACH GIACOLETTI: When we have got a lead, we try to spread the floor a little bit and try to gain from the block to the high post, either on a ball screen or zipper shot. When the ball goes through him, he tries to basket cut someone, and they come up and screen for him. Sometimes people route him off the block so far, we try to get him to the block from the high post through ball screens and through the zipper cut. The other things it does, it takes 30 seconds off the clock. We give him a rest and blow up there. He is like a traffic cop. He watches the clock. He does an unbelievable job at it. We actually got a good basket cut. Those are the kinds of things, especially with the lead, it is something that really helped us this year.

COACH GIACOLETTI: You have got to get a feel which guy is going to go off. I mean, obviously it was Beck in the second half and we didn't do a good job in getting matched up with him. When he gets it going, he is as good a shooter as there is in the league. We were going to switch one through four and try to do a good job containing penetration. At the end we were switching one through five to try to get them to shoot a jump shot instead of penetrating. Then we fouled the one 3-point shooter, which you shoot yourself in the foot when you do something like that. We were going to get a foul for which guy it was that was going to have the hot hand. Any three or four or five guys can get it going on that team and be very dangerous.

COACH GIACOLETTI: Justin did a much better job getting to a jump shot. We were just jumping off two feet. I told them to get themselves up in the air, try to reward yourself by going to the free throw line. I think the other key tonight that came in was that we needed someone to come in and give Anderson looks. We needed somebody to be able to knock down a three. Jonas did. I think that changed the first half.

COACH GIACOLETTI: We haven't had -- sounds crazy but we haven't had to be in that situation a whole heck of a lot. In Vegas we were. I can't remember; it may have been early up in Alaska of a third game where it was tight like that, it was clock management. We had to do a good job in taking care of the basketball. It was a position we haven't been in very often. I would say we were grading it a C. We need to be able to catch a face and be strong with it. You can throw over that pressure but they can get up under you. They do a great job of doubling you. We were able to find a way to get it done and put the ball in the hands of guys that can knock free throws down.

COACH GIACOLETTI: Yes, it is really hard to simulate those type of things in a practice setting. We try to have a situation after each practice, something different. Unless you are going through it with that type of pressure you need to experience it, I think, first. Hopefully it will help us down the road.