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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: BIRMINGHAMMarch 20, 2008Matt BauscherGreg GrahamReggie LarryMatt NelsonBIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with questions for the student-athletes. Q. Tyler and Matt can you talk about the 3-point shot and sort of how it changes things out there on the court for everybody and coming to play in a system that values the 3-point shot as much as Coach Graham does. MATT BAUSCHER: I think the 3-point shot kind of opens up our game because these two guys are obviously our main offensive attraction so when we hit our shot, our defender can't leave us which opens it up for them and vice-versa, them opening it up for us. TYLER TIEDEMAN: To go along with what Matt says it's a big part of our offense and I think that it helps everything out. It helps when we make it through 3-pointers, the guys got to shade towards us and then it opens up our drive and opens up their inside game and it's kind of like a double-end sword, you got to pick one to defend and it has been a great asset for us this whole year. Q. Will this be the most physical team you've played this year? They're pretty big up front? MATT NELSON: I would say probably so, the Big East is known for really as a physical conference and we played a few physical teams this year, but these guys, we got to say this is probably going to be the most physical team because they're the biggest team and it's the style of play in the conference. Q. Reggie, you guys were picked to finish fifth in the conference, underdogs in the conference, you won the conference, now you're underdogs again. Is that the kind of role you many embrace? REGGIE LARRY: I won't say I embrace it but, it does make us play stronger. We were picked to finish fifth and we were underdogs now it seems like when you get to the tournament like this when on a you're an underdog a lot of people root for you and that makes you feel a lot better. Besides, when, like in the season wise we were picked there because that's where we basically would be, no one's going to go for that so we just had to prove ourselves. But I think now we got a little bit more people that's after us and wants us to succeed and things like this. So I think the underdog might be a better thing being something like this. Q. For whoever wants to answer, the football program obviously became a national household name with Oklahoma game there and everything that happened in that, could you guys talk about just your opportunity to maybe put the basketball program on the map in the tournament this year. MATT BAUSCHER: The football team obviously year in and year out they're a national powerhouse, not to say we're jealous of them, but when the whole town talks about football 24/7 and it's spring ball, you hold a little bit of a grudge. But the whole town is behind us after this win all we hear is three overtimes on the billboards at the sports bars and all that. Everybody is behind us now and the town of Boise bleeds blue and orange. They have been behind us so hopefully we'll let this ride out. TYLER TIEDEMAN: Yeah, when I first got here, it was known as a football school, and last three years have been tough just because we have been overshadowed by them and it's been nice to get some press and finally prove ourselves and show that the basketball team has the ability to make a big game win and get to a national stage like this. Q. Could you guys explain, you guys were so great on the road all year, you really distinguished yourselves at the beginning of the season and then there was that last game. What makes you guys such a good team on the road? MATT NELSON: I think a big part is that we're a senior-led team and we have been through a lot so we're used to playing on the road and the travel and all that. And it really doesn't phase us as much as most teams. So I think that it goes back to the fact that we're playing as a team and the rest of the guys kind of follow our lead as seniors, and that's a big part of it. Q. If you guys can talk about playing the late game tomorrow. How tough is it going to be watching all day and would you rather be playing early? Does it matter what time you play? MATT BAUSCHER: No, it matters what time we play. When we were in Albany we were in the East Coast Time Zone now we're in the -- I don't know even know what it's called. We played in the Mountain, played on the west coast, played Hawaii time. I mean -- REGGIE LARRY: Central time. MATT BAUSCHER: Central time, there you go. But it doesn't matter. We'll be up for the NCAA tournament, you can count on that. (Laughter.) TYLER TIEDEMAN: I think it helps a little bit especially today and Friday -- with the family back home, they get off work and get to watch it since none of them really get to travel out here and I think that's a big part. It will be nice to have a support group back home at Boise, Idaho and back for me on the west coast that the 8:40 game helps out a lot. Q. What are your impressions of Louisville, what do you have to stop to be able to beat them and get a win tomorrow night? MATT NELSON: For us to compete with them tomorrow we're going to have to handle the pressure, they get out and press you from baseline to baseline all game. And they get a lot of easy buckets that way just from our turnovers, so we need to take care of the basketball and I think we need to match their physical play which is they're a big tough physical team and we're going to have to scrap a little bit because we're undersized. But we faced a lot of physical teams and big teams this year and we have done all right. So we need to go out there and do what we have been doing all year. Q. Tyler, I watched a couple of practices out here from teams, some teams really loose, some teams business like. Running layup lines and things like that. How are you guys approaching the NCAA tournament? TYLER TIEDEMAN: I think that we definitely are a loose team. We approach it with a business attitude, but a loose atmosphere. And everyone knows what we have to do, we're a senior-led team so I think that helps a lot when you're loose and just ready to play. We have really nothing to lose as a team. We're expected to lose in this game and we'll go out there ready to play but with a loose attitude. Q. Reggie, do you feel that since you had such a big WAC Conference Tournament that there's a target on your back coming into the NCAA? Do you think that you're not surprising anybody any more? REGGIE LARRY: I mean, I don't know what they're strategy is, but like I said all year, yeah, I had a great little tournament last week, but I'm not the focus, I'm not the focus on this team. It's, everyone does their job from our five starters to even our bench players. If you, as we have been told this year, stopping one player, it wasn't just us to lose games, so if we did lose games it wasn't because they stopped one main player, there's so many people on this team that can go off any given night. So if you stop one person the other person is just going to do something, so. Q. For Tyler, how much has Coach Graham talked about getting off to a quick start tomorrow and have you guys put any game plan in to do that? TYLER TIEDEMAN: I think that's a key to every game. Getting off to a quick start. But especially here. Because I'm sure they're going to thrive off getting off early and trying to knock us down and try to keep us out of the game. But I think it will be a huge part of it for us just to get out and get the probably the nerves out too, getting off a quick start we'll make a few buckets and that will relax us. I think it will be a big part of our start or the start of the game. Q. Guys, since the school hasn't been here for 14 years would you say that you're more hungry than some of the schools who are here routinely year after year? MATT BAUSCHER: Growing up playing college basketball you always, your ultimate goal is always to get to the NCAA tournament. And year after year when you don't make it you kind of get bitter when you look at that bracket and are not in it. So I think we're definitely not complacent, we are here and we want to make the most out of it. MATT NELSON: I wouldn't say we were more hungry than any other team, I think everyone is going to be hungry because making the NCAA tournament is what it's all about. I think that maybe some of the bigger schools that's been here year in year out might overlook their first round game, occasionally. And we're obviously not going to overlook our first round game. But that's maybe a little difference there. But everyone is hungry, everyone is going to go out there and play as hard as they can because this is the biggest stage on the world for college basketball. So I doubt anyone's going to go easy on anybody. REGGIE LARRY: I was just going to say that we're all college basketball players and this is a dream for everyone to go through. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And I think it's everyone's goal in the beginning of the season when you prepare, and go through all the training to get ready for your season, and hopefully you have a goal to making it into this tournament. We're all here and we're seniors and that's what we all worked hard for to get done, and we are here now so there's no reason to just let-up now just because we are here and all the athletes are on us. We're going to come out here ready to play basketball. THE MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you, guys. We'll have an opening statement from Coach Graham and then take questions. COACH GRAHAM: Well it wasn't as far to get here as everybody said it was going to be. It was kind of a short trip to us, compared to how we're used to traveling. But we're honored to be here, glad to be in the tournament and we're looking forward to it. Our guys did a heck of a job last weekend, won three big ones in a row to earn the right to be here. And I know they're excited and looking forward to tomorrow night. Q. Your players said that they're anxious for their moment in the sun, they have kind of seen the football program with the game over Oklahoma and that put that program on the map. And talk about the opportunity that you have tomorrow night and this whole tournament to make a statement with regards to Boise State basketball. COACH GRAHAM: Well, I think we made a good statement last weekend to start with. It was the first time we won the WAC championship and we did it the hard way. We were the fourth seed so we had to play five, and had to play the favorites and, then had to play the home team. And it was a great weekend for us. Now, I know they're looking forward to taking the next step, which is the tournament. And, as you said, our football team has kind of set apart for the rest of our programs. And Boise State's done very well. We just won two back-to-back women's titles our track team, and tennis teams have won titles, and it's good for us to step into that with the rest of them. And I know our guys are looking forward to playing. And being on the stage and Nellie's kind of talked to them a little bit because he's the only one that's been to the tournament before and what it was going to be like, and we talked about it earlier in the year, and now we are here. I always felt like I should have shown the Hoosier tape a little bit. But they're all excited and looking forward to tomorrow night. Q. This kind of situation for you guys being a sort of a long shot, so to speak, how do you talk to your players about this opportunity? Most of the favorites won today this afternoon, and if I'm not mistaken only a couple of 14 seeds have won since 1999 in the tournament. So what do you tell your kids about the so-called David and Goliath kind of thing? COACH GRAHAM: We breath too much. We just stay away from it kind of. And just talk about what we need to do to win like we have all year and our game plan and what we're going to do to stop them, and things that coach is going to try to do to us, and handle it more from that point versus David and Goliath and all those other things. We have had a good season and there's no reason to sell ourselves short. So we just try to stay with our normal routine as far as travel, practice, scouting reports, the whole thing. And going to attack it just as a normal game, because I think there's enough outside stuff to get them ready for all the other things. Q. What does Louisville present matchup wise with their physicality in the post? COACH GRAHAM: A lot of big headaches. Very good team. When they go big they're six-nine, six-nine, six-eleven across the front, which in our conference we have had some teams that could put two six-eleven guys in there but to get that third guy in there makes a big difference. That's one of the things that we talked about that we have to try to neutralize and at least try and neutralize the paint area, so we don't get beat up on the boards too bad or on second shots. And we had the same matchup on Saturday with New Mexico State who is very big in our conference and we ended up tied 52 a piece on the glass and we need to have the same type of effort tomorrow night. Q. When you were setting out goals for your team this year, goals obviously things like want to win the conference, win the conference tournament, make it to the NCAA, did it open end there or was your goal to win some games in the NCAA? COACH GRAHAM: Our original goal, if you want to say, is I think every year it stays pretty much the same, you want to win the conference and you want to play in the post season. And just kind of leave it at that. We didn't say we want to win two games, three games, how deep you want to go. Our goal was to get here, we haven't been here in 14 years, had never won a WAC title before. So take a little bit at a time and now we are here and we have accomplished that, now anything else we'll just keep going and it will be icing on the cake. Q. A lot of Louisville's offense goes through David Padgett as the center, people tried to double him, how do you defend a guy like that who passes so well? COACH GRAHAM: I don't know if I have a great answer for that one. Because he's awfully good and he really makes them go. I was watching the Notre Dame game again last night and he played 13 minutes in the first half and they had 40 points and he sat out seven and they had two. And he creates a lot of problems. He's, him and Kevin Love I think does the same thing for UCLA, they're two big guys that pass the ball so well that create a lot of problems and we're going to have to try to do some different things with them as far as guarding him and what he tries to do, because he's one of those guys that he may have some deficiencies or whatever for the next level, but he's a guy that makes his teammates better. And those are the kind of guys that you look for. Q. I know a lot of people talk about the size as a disadvantage for you guys, can you address that as a way that you can make that into an advantage for you? COACH GRAHAM: Well, the one thing, you seen us play, we like to get up-and-down the floor. And so we're going to run the floor and they're going to try to slow us and hopefully our big guys can get up and out run some of them and get some he easy baskets for us which has helped us in the past. And they're going to have to chase our little big guys. And so we'll have to see how that shakes out. Q. Reggie Larry, talk about him and not just this year but also what he's meant to the program in terms of building this thing from where it was. COACH GRAHAM: Reggie's been -- he's MVP of the tournament last weekend. He's, he became the all time leading scorer in the season for us and he was only there two years and this year he set the record. He was I think two rebounds short of averaging a double double in the conference. And he is just very, very explosive. He's not, you wouldn't think of him as a great jumper or runner, until all of a sudden he turns it on. And he's one of those big strong kids that is very explosive, can go get things done. And he's very competitive, he turned it on in the championship game went for 31 and 16 against a much bigger team where he knew we had to battle them. And then the surprising thing this year where his game probably picked up the most he ended up shooting about 44 percent from the 3-point line so he added that to his game this summer with a lot of work. So it really opens things up for us and so we can spread the floor a little bit more. If there's something needs to be done he can pretty much do it if he puts his mind to it. But he's been a good one as you said not just for us but for our program and to get us here. Q. Can you talk about your offensive philosophy and sort of how that developed as far as shooting the three and finding guys who maybe are more skilled than they are athletic. COACH GRAHAM: I don't want to say by accident, but I was an assistant with Coach Kent from Oregon down at St. Mary's and we were playing and we kept playing 58-56 and 64-62. And I got to give him the credit, we sat down and talked and I said, I would like to change, but it's easy for assistants to make suggestions. And I don't know if I could change my whole philosophy as a head coach right now, if you come up and said, we want to do this, and, okay, we're going to throw out what we do. And he said, okay, fine, let's do it. He said, let's figure this out and go. We were fortunate at the time, the Warriors worked out at our place. Coach Nelson was there and Coach Popovich was his assistant and they had Hardaway and Mullen and Spree, and they would come over and work with our guys, play with them. And we talked to Nellie and them. And so it kind of, we just kind of got bored of playing the other way. And we changed. And like said, I give Ernie a ton of credit, because I don't know if I could just change my philosophy in midstream. And he did and we developed what we call the speed game. And how we play and if you watch Oregon play you see some similarities with the, between the two of us and I brought it over here to our place kind of. And that's how we both play. And he's made some adjustments and we adjust ours to our personnel, but basically it's the same setup. And so I, it really wasn't by accident but, again I said I don't know if I could just say, okay, we're going to change everything we do and have at it. But we did and it would, we won the tournament that year and, at St. Mary's, and played Wake Forest. And then we went to Oregon and did well. And I've been able to come over here and so it's served us well. Q. Is there any advantage to be gained from the fact that you played New Mexico State three times? Did they do things similar to what Louisville does, coach having been there for two years as an assistant? COACH GRAHAM: I think they do some things similar. You know, not a lot. He was there two years, I -- I felt Reggie did a lot more things than they did before. And, but they, they press and they play the 2-3 zone and some of those type of things and have some big athletes. Seven-one, six-eleven in the middle and six-nine on the power forward spot. So some similarities there. And so the preparation, we had already covered some of the things before, so it was more of a review. But I think Louisville's a little different level and so now we need to do a little bit better doing some things. And they played them earlier in the year, didn't play them too badly, New Mexico State did, and I think the two guys were out from Louisville though, Padgett and Palacios weren't there, so that makes a big difference coming back this time. Q. Rick has been coming to the tournament now for 25 years, I wonder -- COACH GRAHAM: I have been coming for 25 years, just haven't been in it all the time, but I've been coming to it. (Laughter.) Q. I wonder if there's anything significance to the matchup coaching against him, that sort of thing. COACH GRAHAM: Well, you know, probably the thing I admire about coach is, as much as his record and how well he's done, I really look at people who, I don't know if I want to say -- I'm trying to think of the right word. I had it earlier. Invent? Not necessarily invent things, but bring new things to the game. And I think he's done that. He brought the three to the game early when he was at Providence and then at Kentucky he started with all the pressing and different things. And guys who -- innovators, that was the word I was looking for, he's an innovator. And I really admire guys that do that, because I sit and probably think of basketball as much as anybody and I am probably a thief more than I'm an innovator, borrowing ideas from everybody else and trying to put them together what works for us. But guys that are innovative, that come up with things, good or bad, I really looked up to, because it's tough to invent things or change things. And guys who can do that, like I said good or bad you got to look at it and see where it's at and take what you like from it and leave the rest there. But coach has been like that forever. And for me to play against him, we played one time before, I was an assistant at Oregon and we got a chance to play them out in Portland in the Portland Jam. And so that was my first experience with them, but it's an honor to play against him. And like I said, even though he's got a great track record and lots of wins and championships, probably the thing I admire most about him is he's an innovator and he has helped the game of basketball progress. Q. Can you just tell me about the popularity of Boise State basketball, has it risen over this last week or are people coming out of the woodwork now wearing Broncos gear and things like that back home? COACH GRAHAM: Well the big question is are we going to get a blue or orange court to match our football field. But no, it's hit the town big. And unfortunately, our tournament was so far away and this is so far away that a lot of people couldn't come on such short notice. But our school's done very well in our conference, we won a lot of titles here the last few years, and now we moved into the picture, and we're probably not any different than it is in Louisville with the blue and orange being there. And it's nice to finally throw the basketball hat into the ring, where we have had so much football, some other sports, that we're in there now -- and I had a great comment the other day by one of our local media guys, is it nice to have them still talking about basketball and not spring football at this point. So that was kind of a nice thing to hear. Q. Coach Pitino said you all compare favorably to BYU, almost exactly. How would you compare your team to BYU and what do you do differently? COACH GRAHAM: We are very similar, we played them earlier, they're a little bigger in the post than we are. But, no, we play similar. Coach runs a wide-open system and they push it up-and-down the floor and shoot lots of 3-pointers and have a big guy to throw it to inside. And we play similar. We may play a little more zone than they do, but basically the systems, the style's the same, now what we run is different. We both push it, but at the end of his break he runs one thing, we run something else. But for the most part the two programs are probably very similar and that's a real good comparison. Q. For you to put your team in a position to win tomorrow what are some of the things and the keys to the game that you guys are going to have to do successfully? COACH GRAHAM: I think that tomorrow there's three keys to the game. One is we need to handle the pressure; two, we need to neutralize them in the paint with their size; and the third thing, the way we play, we need to hit shots. And that's big for us the way we play. And those would be our things we talk about with our players that we need to handle and take care of. And that will be the key tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach. End of FastScripts |
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