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NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS & FINALS: SALT LAKE CITYMarch 24, 2010Jordan CrawfordTerrell HollowayJason LoveChris MackJamel McLeanSALT LAKE CITY, UTAH THE MODERATOR: We welcome Xavier represents. We'll go ahead and take questions for Coach Mack first. Q. A lot of time has passed since you played Kansas State before. Can you talk about how your team has changed, what their strengths are coming into this game. COACH MACK: Well, I think we've obviously improved tremendously since we played them the first time. Kansas State had a lot to do with the defeat we suffered in Manhattan, Kansas. They're a very physical team. It was our first true road test of the season. We certainly didn't pass it. But I thought it made our kids and our team a lot stronger and a lot better because of it. I think we've gotten better on both ends of the basketball since that time. We certainly improved offensively. I think we've been a team that has had that inside-outside balance that you need. I think defensively we've continued to progress from day one. We didn't play necessarily a bad game defensively against Kansas State, we just had no answer for them on the backboard against Kansas State. That's something causes a lot of opponents problems with Kansas State. Q. It's rare to have a rematch like this at this stage. Are you glad to have played them when you did, to have that experience? COACH MACK: I don't know if 'glad' would be the right word. Certainly there's a familiarity for both programs. We know Kansas State's personnel, they know ours. This is the fourth time we've played them in the last four years. There's a lot of familiarity. Hopefully we're able to draw from the experience of playing them the first time. We've improved, like I said before in the last question. Hopefully that manifests itself in us playing well Thursday evening. Q. When you look at your two teams, do you see some similarities in the team? COACH MACK: I think there are some similarities. I think both of us don't mind playing a fast game. We both average close to 80 points a game. But defensively I think there are two different philosophies. While we pride ourselves in being aggressive, we're not out in passing lanes, trying to disrupt everything. Our philosophy is try to take a contested shot, make sure it's one and done on the defensive end, where I think Kansas State tries to take you out of everything you run offensively. They've got a very good team. When you reach this point in the season, you're not going to play a push-over; you're going to play a team that's earned it. We have a healthy respect for those guys. Q. The guy to your right puts up some really good numbers for you. The last time you played K State, Jordan went 5-13. Talk about what Kansas State may have done against Jordan or keyed on him or whatnot, just how he's flourished since that first meeting. COACH MACK: I think the beauty of Kansas State's philosophy is they don't necessarily key on one guy. They just make it tough on every player on the floor for your team. You generally don't get a lot of ball reversal because they pressure passing lanes, they jump into centers when they have the ball in the perimeter. While they made it tough on Jordan, I'll also add they made it tough on the other four kids that we were trying to score. I don't think they clued in on him. Certainly he draws a lot of attention, he's a terrific player. Our team is more than just Jordan. I think he and our team has realized that as the season has gone on. We all play miserably on offense, including the coaches, going into that game. We've improved since. Q. When you look at Kansas State's personnel, obviously they have great guard play. What is it that you are going to have to do tomorrow if you are going to limit them somewhat? COACH MACK: Well, they're really good players. I think number one, you have to do as good of a job as you can of keeping those two out of transition. Easier said than done. They're both very fast. Clément is as fast of a point guard. We played Smith earlier in the year from Wake Forest, a similar comparison. Really pushes the ball. I think limiting those two in transition is important. I think when the shot goes up, that's where Kansas State is at their best. They're a terrific offensive rebounding team. They're more than just Pullen and Clément. I think that's the key to the game. Q. I know coaches never like losses, but you've only lost one game in overtime by a couple points since you got beat pretty bad at Dayton. Did that do anything to refocus your club? COACH MACK: Well, I think the Dayton game was an aberration. They played awfully well that day. They played lousy. You know, big fellow down there, Jason Love, was out of the game when it was 0-0 still. We didn't play well. But I think ever since that game, our kids have come ready to play, they've been locked in. We've competed. I think that game's an anomaly. We've moved beyond that one. Q. I know Xavier/Kansas State, isn't Duke/Carolina, but there have been a couple little things I've read about where the K State players were high-fiving all their fans after the last game, a little bit of jawing. Is this a nice little sort of unexpected rivalry, do you think? COACH MACK: Again, there's familiarity. They should have been excited. We had beaten them the two previous times in Cincinnati. They were loaded for bear. They gave it to us good. You can't put it, I don't think, in the same perspective as a rival that maybe we have in our conference or a Duke/Carolina, like you mentioned. It's a team that we're familiar with; they're familiar with us. You know, be a great game on Thursday night. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach. We'll continue with questions for the student-athletes. Q. Terrell, I know you played AAU basketball with Curtis Kelly. What is your relationship like with him right now? What was he like back then? TERRELL HOLLOWAY: Actually, I didn't play with Curtis Kelly. We both played for the New York Gauchos organization, but we wasn't on the same team together. I'm friends with Coach Kelly. I talk to him when I see him. That's where it ends. Q. Jordan, could you talk about going back to that initial meeting against Kansas State, what you saw from them defensively, how you adjusted to that. JORDAN CRAWFORD: They do a good job of denying all five players on the court. If we can just handle the pressure, get into our offense, execute, I think we can do a good job. They do a good job of taking teams off they offense. Once they get you like that, they get down with a transition and get easy buckets. Q. Jason, you have made a lot of strides in the front court since you played them the first time. Rebounding has been such a big key to this game. Can you talk about what happened the first time and your emphasis on that tomorrow, what it's going to take to battle with them on the boards. JASON LOVE: You know, I just think that's something they take great pride in, as far as rebounding the ball, both offensively and defensively. They got a lot of size coming off the bench. Curtis Kelly, Colon in there starting out. They just get deeper when you get down to the bench as far as their bigs. We just got to be ready on the glass. I think that's where the game is going to be either won or lost for us. It's a big factor. As far as how we're playing now, I really think we definitely picked it up as far as rebounding, myself and Jamel over here, along with Kenny and Andrew Taylor, along with our guards. But I think we're a different team, like Coach Mack said, from when we played them the first time. It should be a good game on Thursday. Q. Coach talked about you learning how to play together with Jordan. Obviously he practiced with you last year. Was there an adjustment period for the guy who scores a lot of points? JASON LOVE: I mean, I think it was just an adjustment for everybody on the team. I mean, just getting used to each other, getting the camaraderie on the court, knowing what guys like to do, where they like the ball. I don't think it was just with Jordan. I think it was everybody learning each other. I think we just definitely learned from that game and we've kind of taken off ever since. TERRELL HOLLOWAY: All last year, we practiced with Jordan. It wasn't too difficult learning to play with him. With all the guys on the team, Jordan is a great player, but we're all able to do things, so we play off each other and give each other space on the court. Q. I know coach answered this question already, but it was a tough loss this year to Kansas State. Y'all handled it really well a few years ago. Do you think this is a nice little rivalry developed? JAMEL McLEAN: Like Coach Mack said, I don't think it's a real rivalry, like us and UC, Dayton game. I mean, we played the past couple years. I think it's a team we have a series with. We've got them, they got us. I wouldn't necessarily say it's like a rivalry. We're about to go out there and rally up and knock each other's heads off. I think our coaches did a good job in scheduling a great opponent and it was a good series. Q. The trip out there, I heard there was like a blizzard or something. Does anybody remember any part of that trip? JAMEL McLEAN: Yeah, it was a nice little blizzard out there (laughter). Q. Did you worry you were going to go off the side of the road? JAMEL McLEAN: It wasn't that bad. The airport was close to the hotel. We were able to get to the hotel safely. It wasn't like a blizzard where cars were flipping over. You know, it was decent (smiling). Q. Jordan, could you talk about how maybe your life has changed starting with the dunk last summer and then the success you've had this year. JORDAN CRAWFORD: I think this year has been good for us and the team. We started off shaky. Actually got it together. We playing well. We made a nice run during February. I think we're playing good right at the right time. I hope we can keep it going. Q. Jordan, there aren't too many players left playing right now in college basketball that have strung together as many 20-point games as you've been able to. What has been the secret to your success? JORDAN CRAWFORD: I think my team makes me do a good job, finding me in my comfort zone. Got point guards Holloway and Cheeks that love to get assists and passes, got bigs that screening for me. It's not just me, you know, being able to make shots , my teammates are doing a good job of getting me open. Q. Jason, I was wondering, the regular season game with Kansas State, a ton of free throws, fouls. Are you expecting an equally physical game this time in the rematch? JASON LOVE: Yeah, they're a really physical team. Kelly and Colon starting off. Their bench is full of bigs. They play physical. I think it really comes from their coach. He seems like a real intense guy, and their team takes great pride in being physical, attacking the glass. That's something we definitely got to be ready for. Q. Jordan, obviously you got a lot of attention for the dunk. These guys had to hear that. Do they try harder to dunk on you in practice, say anything about it? JORDAN CRAWFORD: We just go hard in practice every day trying to get better as a team. Hopefully practicing hard can help us win some games. I think we did a good job all year practicing, coming in every day, working. That's what lead us to the Sweet 16. Hopefully we can take it further. Q. You talked about K State's pressure. What's the best way, when you have five guys defending the way they defend, to release or relieve that pressure? What's the simplest way to beat it? TERRELL HOLLOWAY: Like I say, being strong with the ball is probably the most important thing. If you're out there scared or weak with the ball, teams can sometimes take advantage of you. So just the main thing, being strong with the ball, having a plan not only just on the court, just running. Don't have a method to your madness or anything, just have a plan. JORDAN CRAWFORD: The key is spreading all five of our guys on the floor, allowing if they up in our chest, we can go past 'em. They flock to the ball real good when you drive, so make good passes and kick, dunk down to the bigs. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. End of FastScripts |
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