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NCAA MEN'S 2ND & 3RD ROUNDS: CHICAGO

March 17, 2011

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

GREG GREENWELL: I have the Texas A&M student-athletes here. With us from Texas A&M today, we have B.J. Holmes, Nathan Walkup, and Dash Harris.

Q. Nathan, does Florida State remind you of any teams you've played this year? Talk specifically about what makes them so good defensively.
NATHAN WALKUP: They're a real long team. They swarm to the ball on defense and keep you out of paint and force you to make jump shots. We're just going to have to attack them and attack their defense and attack them on the glass.

Q. Do they remind you of anybody else you've played?
NATHAN WALKUP: Kind of ourselves. We have kind of the same defensive principle, like to keep the ball out of the paint. Oh, yeah, they have a lot of length like Temple had. Earlier in the year, we played them in the Old Spice Classic. So kind of us and Temple.

Q. Nathan, also, Florida State's players talked about you guys' physicality. Just talk about that, and is that kind of day one building block of what you guys do?
NATHAN WALKUP: Yeah, you've got to play physical to play in these major conferences. We have a lot of size, a lot of strength. We prize ourselves on playing physical and rebounding really hard. I think Florida State does that too with their size. Should be a fun physical game down low.

Q. B.J., was there one game maybe in November or December where you said, okay, this could be a pretty good team? Was it Arkansas or Washington, when you beat them?
B.J. HOLMES: I think we all thought that at the beginning of the year. The season goes up and down roller coaster for us. We never doubted our talent or our will to win. Coach has put us in the right positions to win games. We were fortunately able to do that down the stretch.

Q. Dash, could you talk about Derwin Kitchen or B.J. also. Derwin Kitchen, their point guard. Seems like when he plays well, they play well, and his ability to attack. Just talk about him as an offensive player.
DASH HARRIS: I haven't watched much on Florida State as a team. We did a scouting report today. So I haven't seen much aside from highlights. He's 6'4", big guard. Seems like he's aggressive in getting to the rack. Looks like he's the heart of their team.
Like he said, when he goes, they go. I'm definitely going to look to get him out of a rhythm early, and hopefully that disturbs their offense.

Q. This is for all three. If you get through here, you're going to San Antonio. Possibly Houston beyond that. Has that Texas angle been -- is that something that you've talked about? Is that something your coach has brought up?
B.J. HOLMES: We're focused on Florida State right now, but, you know, it's run through our minds about going back home and having almost a home game in San Antonio and Houston.
So we know, if we can get past Chicago, we're going to have basically a home game.
NATHAN WALKUP: Yeah, it's kind of in the back of your mind, use it as motivation. Obviously, you can't look past your first or your second game. So that's our main focus. But in the back of your mind, hey, if we can come out of Chicago with two wins going back home to Texas, two hours away from campus, it would just be an awesome place to play.
DASH HARRIS: Just like Nate says, just incentive for us. We'll just go out there and really want to get these games knowing that we're going back to Texas. Like he said, it's just motivation for us.

Q. Dash, do you know Singleton personally?
DASH HARRIS: Yeah, I do.

Q. Could you talk about that and how you know him and your relationship.
DASH HARRIS: We went to a lot of camps together, high school. You know, he was at the Adidas Derby Classic, which is an all-star game, Adidas All-Star game our senior year. So we're real close. We keep in touch often.
I played him one time in high school, and I beat him in that little matchup. So I'm looking to go 2-0 hopefully.

Q. Did you tell you if he's playing? He won't tell us.
DASH HARRIS: He told me. But if he didn't tell you, I don't think I should tell you either.

Q. Dash, kind of talk about the importance of getting David Loubeau going down low. Seems like, when he gets going, your team really -- your offense really gets started.
DASH HARRIS: Yeah, that's our game plan against a lot of teams is to go inside out. The inside starts with guys like David and then guys off the bench like Kourtney or Ray. We definitely look to get him going early. Once he's in a rhythm, that's why we're so tough to guard because you have to pay so much attention to him on the block it just leaves the guards open, and we can make plays once he throws them out to us.
Just looking to get easy buckets. He's not hard to get going once he gets going. He's a good post player. All he needs is space and opportunity.

Q. B.J., wanted to ask you about Khris Middleton and how he handled the pressure. Have you all designated him as the go-to guy early this season?
B.J. HOLMES: I think he's handled it well. We tend to get on him a lot, and we tend to forget he's only a sophomore. Khris is our offensive scorer. We give the ball to him when it's a late clock situation or need a basket. Khris would take on the role of being our go-to guy early in the season, and I think he's kept doing a great job of that through the whole year.

Q. I doubt this was asked, but Dash and Nate, can you talk about B.J. shot at Colorado? When all this is over can you talk about how big that shot was?
DASH HARRIS: I knew he was going to make it when the coach drew the play up for him. He makes shots like that all the time in practice. When we need him, I know he's there to step up. After he hit it, Coach came to the sideline, and he told him I knew you were going to make it. So all he needed was a little room. It was about getting him open. We weren't worried about the shot. He's a great shooter. Once the ball was in his hands, I was pretty confident.
That was almost like a turnaround in conference. With that road win, it gave us the confidence to finish out the conference, beating a good Colorado team at home. It just got us back on the right track.
NATHAN WALKUP: I thought it was a great pass. No, like Dash said, it started a momentum build for to us get a few wins there, started him on the road. It was just a great play. Great play design and great execution. Started a roll.

Q. B.J., you had lost 4 out of 5, I believe, maybe three in a row. Is that the point in time where you could take a break and say finally, I think we're back in the tournament.
B.J. HOLMES: I think it's been like that the past four years. Every year has been a roller coaster. At that point in the season, it happens. We just go on a losing streak. About the same time, we start picking it back up. I think that was the changing point in the season for us, that Colorado game. And we're trying to go further this year in the tournament.
NATHAN WALKUP: Talk about the pass.
B.J. HOLMES: Great pass too.
NATHAN WALKUP: Appreciate it.
GREG GREENWELL: We have head coach Mark Turgeon from Texas A&M. Coach, you want to start with a statement, please.
COACH TURGEON: Just watched a great game. Butler just went at the buzzer. About .2 to go. So didn't see that. We're happy to be here.
Not a lot of people expected us to be here when the season started, and this team has worked hard and gotten better. I know we expected to be here. So we're excited. We're excited about playing Florida State. Excited about being in Chicago, a great town. Hopefully, we can have a lot of fun this weekend.

Q. Coach, what has impressed you the most about your guys this year? I mean, nobody expected them to be this good really.
COACH TURGEON: I just think our seniors have impressed me. Their leadership has been great. Their desire in practice every day. It's been a battle. Each guy individually has kind of grown up. We've come a long ways really since the Baylor game at home, we've come a long ways and gotten better.
I think that buying in defensively is what they had to do and probably is what has impressed me the most.

Q. Everyone talks about matchups. It's this time of year. How do you feel you match up against Florida State?
COACH TURGEON: Well, that's exactly what it is. It's all about matchups. We kind of mirror each other. They're a lot bigger than we are, obviously, across the board, 6'4", 6'5" guards. I think the one place we have height on them is at the three with Khris, unless Singleton starts at the three.
So it's a concern of mine. You think about the games we've lost and who's beaten us this year, it's been big strong and lengthy teams. Now we've gotten better against those teams as years have gone on, whether it was at Kansas or playing Texas in the semis of the Big 12. So it's a concern. They have tremendous size and length. But we've gotten used to it, and we've got some pretty good speed and quickness. Hopefully, we can utilize that and be successful.

Q. Just to follow up, how important is it to get the ball going down low.
COACH TURGEON: It's important for all 6 us to get going. We need all of our guys to play well for us offensively to be successful. It would be nice to get David going. Helps everybody else out. We've won without David getting going. So for him, you know, I hope he plays well. We just want to get everybody going, get our system going, be good defensively and rebounding. And executing at the other end. That's really all we think about. If David gets going while we're doing that, that would be great.

Q. Watching film of Florida State with Singleton and without him, is there anything different? Do you have to approach things differently whether or not he plays?
COACH TURGEON: Well, yeah. They get more depth when he's in, obviously. They're even deeper. He can score in so many ways. Scoring the block. He's got the turning face from 15, and he can shoot threes. If he's at the three, it gives them even more size and length. And he's a really good rebounder and a really good -- gets a lot of hands on balls and steals. I think he was first team ACC defensively. So it's hard to make their team better defensively than they already are. They might even be a little bit better defensively with his length.
And they score a little bit easier. They have a guy, if Singleton's in the game, score's tied with a minute to go, you know where the ball's going. Now it's probably standing in the guard's hands without him. So that's the difference.
We prepared for him, and we prepared if he doesn't play. He's a heck of a player. For him, I hope he plays. Kids work their whole life to be part of a game like this. I hope he plays.

Q. With so much to talk about Singleton and rightfully so, but what have you seen on tape from Kitchen? Seems like a guy who can do it in a lot of different areas.
COACH TURGEON: He's really good. He can shoot it and get high, capable of making two or three threes a game. He can really get it to the basket. He's great at pitching the ball ahead. He really pitches the ball ahead.
He's got great hands, gets his hands on a lot of balls. Really good defensively, anticipates well. Just a good player. He was a great player coming out of high school and took a different route. Now he's at Florida State. He's good.
I've been impressed with him, and his size gives him the ability to shoot over our guards too a little bit. So we're going to really have to do a good job on him.

Q. You said early on that you weren't sure you could win five, six games. What game or practices turned that in your opinion?
COACH TURGEON: I said five or six for the league or for the year? Depends which Lou Holtz act I had going.
We got humbled a couple of times. Earlier in the year we got humbled against Boston College in Orlando, and I had their attention. Then we just kept winning. We weren't playing as well. I knew I was kind of losing them. When we lost at home those back to back games, it just changed everybody. It changed everybody's approach, every coach's approach, every player's approach.
You know, I was begging them all year to be more committed and more disciplined and do the things, the little things you have to do. It just started to happen really after the Texas game when we just got embarrassed on national TV on big Mondays when everything changed for all of us. Now, it didn't transpire until about a week later.
And then the shot B.J. made at Colorado changed our year because we weren't playing with a lot of confidence at the time, and that kind of -- we could have lost that game very easily. We lost that game twice really. And the seven-point play about did us in. To win that game, I think, turned everything around for us.

Q. Wanted to ask you, you've got a lot of veterans on this team, and they all have NCAA Tournament experience. How much does that count this time of year?
COACH TURGEON: I think it really helps. I really do. Our coaches are used to being here. You know, when you first get into tournament, you're worried about when does the flight leave? You know, we don't know yet, Coach.
When you're younger and first term, you worry about that. Now we just say, you know it's going to happen. You know you're going to get to the city you're going to. So the coaches all know our part.
Our players really seem relaxed and a part of this. You know, they're hungry. They're excited, all that kind of stuff. It's just kind of routine for them, which is good. It's good to get the young guys, the freshmen, to see it too. I'm sure they're a little wide-eyed.
Our old veterans have been through it. It just feels like another game at this point, to be honest with you. Tomorrow it won't when we wake up and see NCAA Tournament game. But right now the guys are just relaxed and focused and trying to figure out a way to beat Florida state.

Q. What makes Florida State so tough defensively, and how can you try to attack them?
COACH TURGEON: They're so good defensively because they're well-coached defensively. Leonard does a great job, always has. They've got tremendous size and length, and they use it. They gap you. They got 15 fouls with three 7-foot guys in there 6'10", whatever.
Their guards are really good defensively, and they're just a really sound team defensively and all work together. This guy rotates here and just drags this guy to his spot. So they're just extremely well-coached.
I don't -- you know, we're just going to run our stuff and see if it works. It's too late in the year to change what you do for one time and just -- obviously, you've got to make a few jump shots against them because they make you beat you from the outside.
You get in the paint, there's five Florida State shirts around you. So you have to make a few jump shots to beat them and try to loosen them up a little bit.

Q. At a previous stop, you played Florida State and had a great game, Wichita State with them. Could you talk about that game and what you remember about that game.
COACH TURGEON: I was trying to forget it. Were you there?

Q. Yeah.
COACH TURGEON: It was a great game. It was our first home postseason game at Wichita State, and I don't know how many years. I think the thing sold out in about two hours. It was one of those crowds where it wasn't your normal crowd all season. That was the most electric building I've ever been in in my life. I've been in. Played at Kansas and different places.
Up until about the two-minute mark, it was a heck of a game. Or four-minute mark. We were up 10 or 12 most of the second half playing our tails off. And Von Wafer hit unbelievable threes with guys draped on them, and they whipped up pretty good in overtime. It was a big time game and big time atmosphere.
Every time I see Leonard, we talk about that game. What a crowd. The crowd never sat down the whole game. I wish we would have won, but we didn't. It was a big time game.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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