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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: LITTLE ROCK

March 20, 2008

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

THE MODERATOR: Good morning. We'd like to welcome everybody on behalf of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the cities of North Little Rock and Little Rock. We appreciate everyone being here. We hope your stay in Central Arkansas is a very pleasant one. This a very exciting time for our community.
Our guests at the head table, from Saint Mary's, their head coach, Randy Bennett; players, guards Patrick Mills and Todd Golden and center, Omar Samhan.
We will start, first of all, if we may, Coach Bennett, if you'd like to break the ice with a few comments.
COACH BENNETT: First of all, I'd just like to thank the City of Little Rock. Everybody we've come across so far, the hospitality has been unbelievable.
It's exciting to be in the tournament. We're honored to be in the tournament and, on top of it, to feel so welcome and for them to make it such an important deal is special to our players.
We -- about the game, we have a tough game. I think pretty -- two pretty well-matched teams. Should be a good game. All we know is what we've seen from the University of Miami on film. So we really didn't have much of a feel for them up until last Sunday, and now we watched enough film that we have a pretty good feel we're going against a pretty good basketball team, kind of similar to some of the teams we played on our schedule. One of them being the University of San Diego. Their personnel and their style of play.
THE MODERATOR: Let's go with Patrick. If you'd like to make a comment or two, please.
PATRICK MILLS: I just think that this is very exciting moment personally and also for the team, you know. Being a freshman and this being my first year and coming to -- having a year as the team has and making it this far, you know, it really pays off how much hard work we had put in prior to the season and during the season.
So, you know, it's not that surprisingly how hard we've worked to get here, but, you know, it's kind of a relief. But knowing that we've got this far, you know, I think I talked for everybody in saying that we're not satisfied with getting here, you know, we're here to compete, and if we perform to the best of our ability, you know, we can be very strong.
THE MODERATOR: Todd?
TODD GOLDEN: You know, I just think this is a great opportunity for our team. We've had a great season up to this point. We've won 25 games and like Patty said, all this hard work that we put in in the off-season, in the summer and the fall is really starting to pay off. We feel like we belong here in the tournament, and we feel like if we play well, we can do some things.
THE MODERATOR: Omar?
OMAR SAMHAN: Well, these guys did a good job summing up. It's exciting time, especially for a young college athlete, you know. You grow up watching March madness (Mark) an et cetera just an unbelievable feeling to be a part of it. It's going to be a great feeling to get out there Friday and compete at a very high level. That's what we work hard for. It's great that we've got an opportunity to do it.
THE MODERATOR: Those of you in the media know the process. We have a microphone on each side of the room. If you would, if you have a question for players or coaches, if you don't mind holding your hand and waiting until microphone is there. If you would identify yourself as to what publication you're with, what radio or television station you might be with. Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel nerves for both teams will play a role early in the game, and do you feel that the team that gets over the nervousness first will have an advantage?
THE MODERATOR: Question is for --

Q. Just for maybe Todd and for Omar, as well.
TODD GOLDEN: It will definitely play a role just because, you know, we aren't used to playing obviously on this type of stage in terms of being in the tournament, but we've played games on our schedule this year that have definitely prepared us for playing just Oregon at home and Gonzaga at home, playing in the Wooden Classic. Lot of similar type atmosphere. We're definitely ready for it, and I think we should be able to overcome those nerves pretty quickly early on.
OMAR SAMHAN: I agree with what Todd said. You're going to have butterflies, but there's a difference between being excited and having some nerves and being scared, and I don't think anybody on our team is scared. I think we're all looking forward to the challenge and, you know, might be a little rocky at first, there might be some runs, but, you know, as long as we bear down defensively and work hard, we should weather the storm.

Q. I'll direct this one to take Patrick. I heard Coach talk about what he thinks of Miami. Just want to know if you could talk a little bit about what you saw from them on film and also the fact that you know nothing about a team that's 4,000 miles away before you get selected. How much of an impact is that going to have on the way you guys play?
PATRICK MILLS: Yeah, I guess it has some sort of affect, but it's similar to the non-conference schedule, not knowing too much about everyone, but, you know, I think that's the good thing about the tournament, you know. Just like Coach B said before, it's a team that, you know, we're kind of similar that we've seen before in San Diego.
So, you know, they're very athletic. Watching film on them, they like to get up and down the court and really rebound and use the most of their athleticism.
So, you know, for us nothing -- I don't think nothing is going to change that much in terms of, you know, taking care of the ball offensively. Knuckling down on the defensive end and really going to the boards strong, making sure that we box out on them. But it's like I said, we're sort of familiar with a team like this. So, you know, let's make sure we get the little things right. We really got to bring our best foot forward, everyone of us.

Q. Patty, you have played a lot of basketball over the past nine months. The U-19 team, tough tournament in Serbia, the Olympic qualifying tournament against New Zealand where you played with the Boomers against the senior national team of New Zealand and a very intense season here at Saint Mary's.
What's the strategy for making sure that you have the legs at the end of the game when the team really needs you to take you over, you know, over where you need to be?
PATRICK MILLS: To be honest, I don't think it's the legs that determines a game at the end of the game. I think it comes down to the trust and belief that everyone has in each other. It's really, I guess, the effect of knowing who you're playing for and what you're playing for that really, you know -- as I said, determines what the result is in the game. And I'm sure that when a game comes down to a decision like that at the end, you know, there's no doubt that everyone believes in everyone's ability. And as I said before, this team -- and I've said that, you know, I haven't really been on a team that's this close, and the camaraderie that everyone has formed in this team is unbelievable and one that, you know, I haven't really been involved in before.
When it comes down to a stretch in the game like that, you know, everyone has got everyone's back. I'm sure that, you know, as I said, we're all put our best foot forward.

Q. For Patrick as well. Just curious being a freshman from Australia, I'm curious as to how much you followed the NCAA tournament growing up. Did you watch any games? Did people fill out brackets down there?
PATRICK MILLS: To be honest, I had no idea what the NCAA Tournament was until a couple years ago when Saint Mary's actually made the tournament. So I'm still kind of learning the rules and regulations of what happens in the tournament. So, yeah, it's very, very new to me.
I don't understand why there's so many teams in tournaments, you know, right across the country, but, you know, I'm just going along with the ride.
THE MODERATOR: Any other questions?

Q. Patty, can you just talk about your international experience and how this will play a role in this kind stage. Even though it's your first time around, you played in big crowds before, in front of big crowds before, so if you just talk about how much that's going to play a role this time around.
PATRICK MILLS: Yeah. I guess in a way it does. In terms of playing in front of crowds, playing at a high level, playing for the Boomers overseas against a national team in Turkey and have 24,000 Turks s screaming at you the whole game.
I feel that's not a whole lot different in that sense. But then again, this is the NCAA Tournament, and it's one of the, you know, biggest events in the world as I've come to learn.
But in terms of experience, yeah, in a way I guess I can bring some sort of experience to the team, and that's what I felt my job was at the beginning of the season, you know, to bring towards the boys. But, you know, this is the NCAA Tournament, and although there's many experiences that I've had before, this is going to be one of the highlights that I've had in my career so far.

Q. This is for Todd and Omar. After they answer, I'd like Coach Bennett to dress this as well. But the people that have been talking about this game are expecting, I think, a high scoring, pretty up tempo, fast-paced affair. Is that what you guys expect? If so, is that the kind of game you want to play?
TODD GOLDEN: Yeah, we're definitely willing to play up tempo. We think that one of our biggest strengths is just being able to score the ball in our transition offense and if they want to run, we're definitely ready to run and get it up and down and see what happens.
OMAR SAMHAN: Yeah. I agree with Todd. It's what's going to happen. They're an athletic team that likes to run. We have some really good athletes on our team that like to run as well. We played fast pace all year long. Coach Bennett always talks about it's one of our strengths. We enjoy that tempo and do very well in it.
COACH BENNETT: I'm not sure how this game is going to play out. Both teams play with three guards, and at least half the time and I think that leads to a more open court game.
I don't know that -- NCAA Tournament games a lot of times become half-court games, though. I think this time of year a lot of games become half-court.
I think both teams are built to run and, I've seen them run-in some of their games against Virginia. They prefer to play that way, also, as do we, but I'm not sure -- I have a hunch it will end up being a half-court game.

Q. If I can ask one more, question. Coach Bennett, I noticed you started the same five guys all 31 games this season. I don't know how many teams in the country started the same starting lineup every single became. I wonder if you could talk about your starters and cohesion they built and why you felt it was the best thing to do.
COACH BENNETT: First of all to start, all five guys, 31 games, we've been fortuneate to stay healthy. None of them get nicked up at some point. It doesn't happen very often.
Our team was, you know -- we returned these guys so last year we were jumping around with starting lineups, we had so many different starting lineups. I really don't like to go that way. I felt comfortable with these five, these five. These five play very well together. They get us off to good starts. They start halves well. If it's not broke, don't don't fix it. It hasn't been broke all year, so we go with that. Also gives guys coming off the bench a comfort level and what their role is. I think guys need to get used to doing, having the same role every night, and fortunately we were able to pick the right lineup early in the season. We just rolled with it.

Q. This question is for Todd and for Randy as well. Can you guys -- you guys showed when you played San Diego at home that you don't necessarily have to hit a lot of throws in order to win. How important will that be to make shots from the perimeter? What do you make of Miami's defense on the outside?
TODD GOLDEN: Yeah. We're able to hit 3's. That will definitely give us an early advantage. Whether we hit 3's or not goes -- by no means dictates whether we're going to win or lose. I think we're really confident in our defense and the way we rebound the ball and pressure defensively. We give ourselves a chance to win every night no matter how we play or shoot it every night.

Q. This is really for any of the players. I noticed you guys are playing in the early game on Friday which starts at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time. What are you guys usually doing at that hour on a Friday morning?
TODD GOLDEN: This week we were pretty smart and prepared for it. The day before we came down here we practiced at 9:30 our time just so we could get our body clocks ready for the game and trying to get to bed early just so we're ready to go. Because when we went to Oklahoma City my freshman year and played Southern Illinois, we kind had a slow start. We don't want to have that happen again. We want to be ready to go from the get-go and give ourselves the best chance we have to win.
THE MODERATOR: Excuse the players. You gentlemen are welcome to go ahead and leave, and we'll wrap up with some comments from Coach Bennett. Thank you guys. Appreciate it very much. Questions for Coach Bennett.

Q. You guys are the first to participate in the open practice out here. Obviously you're not going to show anything, but what do you plan to do? I know they're kind of a little bit of crowd starting to form out there.
COACH BENNETT: That's a tough call because you get 40 minutes. Do you get them all sweaty and go and then go to another gym and do your other stuff or -- so we thought about it a lot. We're going to go with our regular practice and just go 40 minutes because normally day before a game, we're trying to keep it normal routine. There's enough distractions, there's enough anxiety to throw you off. We don't need to add any more to it, and so we're going to go -- we're going to go our normal routine and pretty much go up and down, and then we'll go to another gym and cover the scout and maybe shoot some free throws. That's kind our game plan. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but we'll find out tomorrow.
THE MODERATOR: Anything else? Coach Bennett, best of luck to you. Thank you very much for taking time.
COACH BENNETT: Thanks a lot. We appreciate it.

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