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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: BUFFALO

March 20, 2010

BUFFALO, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to day three of the NCAA Regional here in Buffalo, New York. We're joined by West Virginia student athletes, from your right to left, Darryl Bryant, Da'Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks, Kevin Jones, Wellington Smith at the far end. We'll go ahead and open it up to questions.

Q. Devin and actually anybody else that wants to address it, BIG EAST came in with eight teams. You guys are down to four. A lot of people back in Big 12 country think they've got the best league. Can you make a case for your league being the best in the country?
DEVIN EBANKS: I still think we're the best league in the country. Just because we haven't done so well in this tournament doesn't except the fact that we've done poorly. We are a good conference. We have 16 teams that are very strong, play against each other every night. There's no team in the conference that you can sleep on. It's still the best conference to me. I think the best teams are still in the tournament.

Q. How about you, Da'Sean? What's your take?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: How many of the Big 12 got in?

Q. Seven.
DA'SEAN BUTLER: One short. I still think we are the best conference by far. We have very good -- we have a very good select talent in our conference as players and different teams that are probably ranked eighth in our conference at the time. But they can probably finish top 2 in any other conference. That's how tough I think our league is. That's all I have to say about that.

Q. Da'Sean, on that, there's always a theory that the BIG EAST is so competitive that you guys beat each other up and come NCAA tournament time, that's why some teams drop out early. Do you think there's any water in that glass?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: Not really. I think we had pretty much like two teams in the Final Four last year. So every year is different. You can't really go and judge us basically off maybe one year that we didn't -- we have four teams fall out after probably one day. It happens. It's basketball.

Q. Da'Sean, a lot was made after yesterday's slow start about how concerns about how slow-starting West Virginia is and has been of late and just those concerns. What do you see out of Missouri, and how much does that motivate you guys to know you can't sleep on these guys considering the way they play?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: They're a very fast-paced team. They press. They're a pressure team. They do what they have to do defensively and make everybody pick up their pace to play to their pace, you know, which is extremely, you know, chaos in a way. It's chaos.
For us to come out successful, we can't fall into that. We need to take care of the ball and just do what we do. Play defense, rebound and win the game.

Q. Da'Sean, so many big shots this year at the end of games. When you get in a close game, can you talk to us about the mentality you have about making the play, when a lot of times guys shy away from that kind of play. What has made you so successful in those key moments?
DA'SEAN BUTLER: Oh, child. Honestly, I have no choice in the matter. It's pretty much I know it's coming, the ball is going to be coming to me. My team trusts me to take that big shot. It's something I practice and do every day as far as just taking shots and just working at it. And it comes to the end of the games. My teammates they trust me to make the play. When I go to get the ball, before I get the ball, I just worry about the correct footwork and what I have to do during that play so I can get the ball and execute. But, you know, other than that, it's just motion. I can't really tell you that I'm thinking exactly at that time because I'm just playing.

Q. Darryl, can you talk a little -- they're a pressing team, they're a frenetic team. How prepared are you guys for this? From what I gather earlier in the season you saw something like that from Cleveland State. You guys have been working on it ever since; is that correct?
DARRYL BRYANT: We played against Louisville. A pressing team. It's the same thing. I have to take care of the ball, me and Da'Sean and Devin. That's who is taking care of the ball.
We have to try to play a half-court game and try to slow the game down.

Q. Can you talk about -- have you guys put in more time than that on breaking the press, on getting the ball than you have in the past?
DARRYL BRYANT: Definitely. That was a major emphasis today in walk-through. So it's just something that we have to do tomorrow come game time.

Q. For Kevin, Darryl and Devin, how well did you guys know each other during the recruitment process? And have you become like really good friends being from New York and being in school in West Virginia together?
KEVIN JONES: I played against Darryl in high school. He beat us unfortunately, but I knew him from playing with him and against him and I didn't really know Devin that well. I got to get to know him during our stay here so far. They are like brothers to me now. Everybody up here is like a brother to me now. And I'm just glad to be on the same team with them.
DEVIN EBANKS: Yeah, it's like Kevin said. I heard about him obviously being from the New York area but we never got to meet up. I've been beating up on Truck in high school. So that's really -- I knew him for a while. That's pretty much it.
DARRYL BRYANT: It's fortunate for me I got to play against both of them in high school. We lost to Devin and beat Kevin. I kind of knew them from New York. Never hung out with them but we were good friends. That's just how it is in basketball in New York City. We play basketball, you are all together. We got here and we just -- now we live together and we are like best friends.

Q. Did that influence any of you guys as far as knowing there was a possibility others would be going there, as far as your decisions to go there?
DARRYL BRYANT: Definitely. When you see somebody else from New York that you heard about and that you know about and you know they're a good player, of course you want to play with them. That just brings other people together. Now other New York guys are going to want to come here now. Knowing we're here and we're family.

Q. For Darryl, you said you just need to control the tempo, kind of turn this into more of a half-court game tomorrow. How difficult is it to do this against a team that likes to run up and down the floor the way they do?
DARRYL BRYANT: It's probably going to be difficult but it won't be that difficult because we're going to play the way we want to play them. We won't let them alter our game. We're going to make it a half-court game instead of running and playing helter-skelter with them.

Q. For Darryl but also for everybody else. Is preparing for the press on short turn-around like this any more difficult than preparing for anything else, any other kind of defense or any other kind of strategy?
DARRYL BRYANT: It's very difficult, honestly. Play against Louisville. They press. Missouri is in a different league, different conference. It's kind of different. You really know what you're practicing but you don't know what to expect. Tomorrow come game time we have to make the adjustments.

Q. Anybody else got thoughts on that?
WELLINGTON SMITH: Didn't know if my mic was on or not. Yeah, we played against so many people, so many teams. There's just something that it's just another team we have to get by. Ever since Cleveland State and before then, we've been -- every team watches tape and watches us not struggle but kind of have a hard time against the press. And ever since then, everybody has been trying to press us. So we're kind of used to it.
Missouri is going to have a little something different for us. I know it. Something we have to try to get through.

Q. Wellington, you're not going to get away without answering to the smiles when they were asking about Mr. Big shot here. You guys are used to this. What's your reaction to that question?
WELLINGTON SMITH: I mean, he's just always ready to play. No matter what, he's always ready to take the big shot. We have confidence in him to take that big shot. And we have confidence. When your teammates have confidence in you, when your coach has confidence in you and you have confidence in yourself because of those factors, what else is stopping you? When he has an opportunity to take the big shot, he's going to take it. We're not going to fault him for that. He's that player for us. So he fits that role.

Q. Darryl, you sounded like almost arrogant about it's not going to be about the press. We're going to play our game. We're going to stop them. Do you have to have that to succeed at a high level in the NCAA?
DARRYL BRYANT: Definitely. You have to have a niche confidence. You have to be confident. We're confident right now. We're like on a seven-game winning streak. Really just ready to play. Can't wait till tomorrow.

Q. This is for really anybody. What do you guys make of the hype in regard to their fastest 40 minutes of basketball and they come in with this big reputation, they actually have a motto that they've hung around themselves. Is that kind of cool or does -- what do you guys think of that? Anybody?
DARRYL BRYANT: I think it's cool because we are used to the press all game. I think it's kind of fun and kind of cool to get after it. They're a tough team. I'm not taking nothing from them. We just have to come ready to play tomorrow.

Q. When you say we have to get after it, what do you mean by that, to affect that reputation or to kind of knock that reputation off?
DARRYL BRYANT: We're not trying to knock nobody's reputation off. We're trying to go out there and play 40 minutes and win the game.

Q. Another question about the press, if you guys don't mind. You guys are getting bombarded by this. Is there anything specifically different about the way Missouri does it or the personnel they use or anything like that as opposed to how Louisville does it or Cleveland State does it or are all the presses as far as you are concerned, all kind of the same?
DARRYL BRYANT: Well, I say it's different, because they're first in the country at forcing turnovers. That's definitely different from Louisville. Louisville might be up there. They're first in the NCAA. It's going to be tough.

Q. A follow-up. You guys are all going to be involved in helping break this. I know Wellington spoke about it. What do you guys see when Missouri does what they do that you guys can do something different than most other teams have been able to do?
KEVIN JONES: I guess the whole thing about their press is to kind of like wear you down throughout the game and just get you to make mental mistakes. I think as long as we -- it's more about being mentally prepared than physically prepared. As long as we don't make a lot of mental mistakes, you're going to make mistakes throughout the game, but we have to cut down on them and I think I think we'll be just fine.
THE MODERATOR: All right. Gentlemen, thanks for your time. Best of luck tomorrow. Okay, joined by West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins. Team now 28-6, as you know, number two seed. We'll open it up for questions for Coach Huggins.

Q. Coach, I know you've talked about how a lot of this tournament is about matchups. Are there any common characteristics of your teams that have advanced far in this tournament versus the ones that haven't made as long a run?
BOB HUGGINS: I think matchups have a lot to do with it. I think if you can play against people who don't exploit your weaknesses, we all have weaknesses, and if you can play against the people who don't exploit those weaknesses, I think that's to your advantage. And then you have to make shots too.
You look at all the upsets, those people that upset the people they probably weren't supposed to make open shots when they had opportunities.

Q. Bob, what about preparing for this press in such a tight window? Do you worry that you, disproportionately worry about that and other things sort of suffer in your prep time, I guess?
BOB HUGGINS: You have an hour and a half. What's going to suffer? No. We worked against the press on -- what is today? Saturday? When did we practice? Wednesday. Wednesday. We worked against the press on Wednesday. We generally work against the press every two or three days anyways. Because that's what I said the other day. Because we figured we were going to be ahead in some games and people are going to have to press us and we have to be able to handle that. So we've continually worked on it.

Q. How different kind of from the X's and O's standpoint is this one from Louisville, from Cleveland State, from the ones that you've seen from other people?
BOB HUGGINS: Not that much drastically different. I mean, they change it. They put a guy over the ball. They take a guy off the ball. They play some 2-2-1. They play some 2-1-2. The whole scheme is about ball pressure like most presses are.

Q. Can you talk about Joe Mazzulla? The last couple of games where you have had pressing teams, he's played on a different level. He's healthy. How much can he help in this game tomorrow?
BOB HUGGINS: We're going to need everybody to help. We pressed for a long time when I was at Cincinnati. And I think what we try to do was have ten better guys than the other team had ten. We may not have five better, but we had ten better. I think Mike does a lot of that. They use their bench. We're going to have to use our bench. We understand that. But, you know, I think the other thing that happens in all honesty is time-outs in this tournament are about an hour and a half. So you have a lot of time to catch your breath.

Q. Bob, does the fact that out of eight teams in the BIG EAST, four of them are already gone, does that alter your opinion of how good the BIG EAST is this year, or not?
BOB HUGGINS: Absolutely not. I feel bad for Georgetown. We probably got done with that game at 11:30, maybe Saturday night and then turn around and play on Tuesday. It's hard. Particularly a gut-wrenching loss. It's hard to bounce back. Notre Dame had to bus back from New York. I don't know how long that is, but it's a long way. Their planes weren't flying out of there. That was big, big winds in New York. So there's a lot of things.
You know, that being said, at the end of the day you still have to go play. Our plane didn't show up last year. We didn't get in until 4 o'clock in the morning. They're not going to cancel the game. You still have to go play. Is that ideal? No. And I think there are a lot of different variables that come into play.

Q. There are a lot of people in the conference that you've coached in the Big 12 that maintain that's the best conference.
BOB HUGGINS: When I was in it, I probably would have said that too. But now I'm not. So, I mean -- I think you have to experience the BIG EAST to appreciate what it is. And you have to experience -- and I've told this story a bunch for those of you of that heard it, I apologize. A year ago we played three freshmen in our top six. We're scrambling, trying to win enough games to get an NCAA tournament bid. We go to Georgetown, who at that time was 13th, 14th in the country, somewhere in there. We get a big win in Georgetown. I'm usually not all that jovial but I was pretty happy. I get out and get on the bus, might have a Jimmy John's sandwich sitting there. Again, I can't wait to eat my Jimmy John's and watch a replay of the game on the bus on the way home. And one of those guys in the back back there walks up and drops like seven to ten DVD's on my chair on the bus. I said what's this? They said, "Come on, Huggs, we have Pitt on Monday," who happened to be number two in the country at that time. We have had four in the top ten. Other leagues don't do that. If other leagues did that they would hail themselves as the greatest league of all time. We were in a down year, allegedly, a down year. It's brutal. And it's 18 games, takes a toll.

Q. Bob, can you talk about Truck and how he's handled the press throughout the year and where he's at now?
BOB HUGGINS: Yeah. Truck has gotten significantly better. But you're going to get significantly better when you practice it a lot. And we've spent a lot of time on it. We just don't work against the press, we break everything down. You know, I think the hard thing is when to go and when not to go. When do you push the action, when do you not push the action. And I think he's gotten a lot better in that regard in his decision-making.

Q. I was just talking to Erik Martin in the locker room. He said even his mom marvels at how much calmer you are than when he was playing for you in Cincinnati. Can you just talk about what -- how you've managed to change your style a little bit and yet maintain the same success?
BOB HUGGINS: Did Mrs. Martin mention that Erik may have been part of the cause of that? (Laughter) You get older, you know? You get older -- I was 30 I think when I got the Akron job. I was 35 when I think I got the Cincinnati job. I think that's where the term "youthful exuberance" came from. You are a little more excitable.

Q. The players were saying that Missouri's press sort of distinguishes itself, it takes a toll mentally as much or more than it does physically. What do you think of your team's mental toughness, the way that they've maintained a mental toughness over the course of this season, not just in those situations but in all situations?
BOB HUGGINS: I think we've gotten better as the season has gone along. You know, everybody thought we had all this experience. And the reality was we had three sophomores starting with two seniors. We really only have two seniors on our team. So we're not as old and experienced as what people have a tendency to act like we are. That being said, I think going through two years of the BIG EAST, I think if that doesn't toughen you up, then you're playing the first day in the BIG EAST. Which nobody really wants to do.
So, we're better, we're tougher. But I think, you know, we understand things better too. I can make more adjustments now than what I could make before, because they have a better background. They have a better understanding of what I'm trying to tell them to do.

Q. Forgive me if this has been asked already. Devin's production has been so much better since the start of the BIG EAST schedule. What was said to him and what has been the difference in him from January on this season?
BOB HUGGINS: I don't think we said a lot to him in all honesty. It was the same way a year ago. I think if you go look at his stats from a year ago, he did the same thing a year ago.

Q. What's been the difference in him? What do you see differently he's doing now that he wasn't doing earlier in the season?
BOB HUGGINS: I mean, he had games earlier in the season where he really was very, very good. And he had some other games where he wasn't. Devin was hurt for -- I don't want to give you bad information, but it seems to me he was hurt for eight or ten games. He played through it, he had a really bad sprained hand and played with a wrap on it and didn't play as well than as what he's played later on.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about all the great players you had at Cincinnati, guys have to want to take the big shot in the big moment. What has made Butler that kind of guy? What is different about his mentality that he wants to be that person when other players may not necessarily want to take that shot?
BOB HUGGINS: I think it's pretty simple. Da'Sean wants to win. I remember he kind of liked playing with Joe Alexander because Joe got all the attention. And then Joe decided to declare early, and coming back next year, Da'Sean was our best player. I think he got -- I don't know what he got, 36, 38 something like that in our first exhibition game. He apologized all night. Apologized to his teammates, he apologized to the media, he apologized to the coaches. I'm like, "What's wrong with you, man?" He said, "Coach, I don't want to hog the ball." I said, "Get used to it because we're going to throw it to you because you're our best player."
I think we went through that with Alexander to a degree. But not near as much as Da'Sean.
You can be too nice a guy, be too good a guy. And I think if Da'Sean has maybe a fault, he may be too nice a guy, too good a guy. But I think above and beyond that, he really wants to win. And I think that he's gotten -- it's like anything else, you get more comfortable the more you do things. He's had the ball in his hands a bunch this year. So he's become much more comfortable with it.

Q. Bob, I've sat through tons of these press conferences over the years. I don't think I've ever seen a team giggle on the podium as much as we just saw your guys do the last few minutes. In general, are they a loose bunch? Do they have to be loose to deal with you? Can you give us an insight into their personality a little?
BOB HUGGINS: What do you mean by that? No, I mean, I want them to have fun and enjoy the experience.
I think in '92 we went to the Final Four, I brought seven of them in. They were hilarious. Everybody had the biggest time in the world. They were entertaining and engaging and funny and everything that you can think about. And I want these guys to enjoy themselves. I want them to have a good time. They will be very quick to tell you now when it's time to do business, then we do business. But what's wrong with enjoying the experience and soaking it all up and having some fun? There isn't any doubt when it comes time to do business, they will do business. They understand that.

Q. Bob, everybody is talking about Missouri's press. But there's obviously got to be some areas where Missouri is going to have problems with your team. Other than rebounding, what is that?
BOB HUGGINS: We guard, Jack. We have been, I think, for the last three years, in the top five in the BIG EAST in scoring defense. I think we were one, we may have fallen to two now. But we were one for a while. It's generally us and Pitt. We're going to guard. That's kind of what we've hung our hat on is we guard pretty good and we rebound the ball. I don't think that's a secret. I don't think I'm letting anything out of the bag. I think Mike probably already figured that out.

Q. Just to follow-up on that. You mentioned earlier in your career in Cincinnati you pressed a lot and trapped a lot. What's the key to maintaining that same kind of defensive success while basically changing the style?
BOB HUGGINS: Well, I mean honestly what happened is we didn't have as much foot speed as what we had before. You know, you look at Missouri and there are two guys -- their two bigs are very mobile. They're very mobile, they're very long. They can run, they're quick. And then you have guys that can guard the ball. And they have guys that can guard the ball. Mike has done a great job of recruiting guys to his style. We had some guys -- honestly, let me tell you the truth, when we recruited Danny Fortson, he wasn't going to press. Danny got mad when somebody beat him. So he fouled him hard. So now I have my best players sitting on the bench with three fouls in the first five minutes of the game. Didn't make any sense to me. So we stopped pressing. But he was a two-time Consensus First Team All-American as a sophomore and junior before he left. We might have done the right thing.

Q. When you were out of this for a year, did you miss this, the NCAA tournament? What's this tournament, just in general, mean to you?
BOB HUGGINS: I really missed the media, Jack. No, I had a good time. It's kind of fun to watch all the games. I had never been able to do that. And then what happens is when you -- when you're young, when I was at my first NCAA tournament I was at Akron. We lost to Michigan by four. And then you're saying, how do you ever like advance in this thing? Everybody is so good. And then in '92 we went to the Final Four. '93 we got beat in the Elite Eight in overtime. Then you're mad. Then you don't want to watch anything. Then you're mad because you think you should be playing. It screws you up, Jack.
If we lose -- when we lose I'll be mad. I won't want to watch. It's kind of fun that you're out. I can sit there and you can watch all those games and enjoy it, kind of have fun. Call my buddies on the phone, and enjoy them being miserable instead of me. It's good.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach. Good luck tomorrow.
BOB HUGGINS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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