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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 10, 2016

Steve Wojciechowski

New York, New York

Marquette - 72, Xavier - 90

STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: First and foremost, I've said it every time we've played them, but I have had the really good fortune to be around some terrific teams. Xavier is the real deal. They're really talented and they're really well coached, and those kids played their butts off. And I admire the team they have. They were so potent offensively. And we couldn't -- I didn't feel like we played as hard as we could. And that's the most disappointing thing for me in regards to our team, because I feel like we could have made it harder on them. But it's a very difficult team to guard, because they score the ball, man. And they can score inside. They can score outside.

Disappointing, but right now they're better than us. At the end of the day, they're better than us. And we've got to get better to be able to beat them.

Q. Coach, do you think the effort was tied into playing two games in two days and having a little fatigue as well?
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: Yeah, I don't know. Again, I don't want to make excuses. You know, we did finish after midnight last night. Our best player was in foul trouble, for a lot. And we could have done a lot better than we did.

Q. Kind of building off that, how was your preparation different this year than the first year of the team?
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: Well, you know, we have a much better team this year. I mean, we -- and I thought our guys last year gave us what they could. But I mean, we're light years ahead of where we were last year, and we have 20 wins. We have eight wins against top-100 opponents. We have two top-50 road wins. We're a lot better.

And in conference in the Big East we've played freshmen half our minutes. And this is not a league that is kind to young players. This is a veteran's league. This is a man's league, and we have to grow into men.

Q. What has Henry meant to the program in I guess the six or so months he's been there both in terms of since he got on campus and even back when he committed to Marquette? What's he done for the program?
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: When you say what has he meant, I feel like we can still play whether it's not in the NCAA or NIT, I think we've earned that.

But obviously Henry first and foremost he's a very talented player. He's a kid who loves the game. He showed up -- we've put a lot of pressure on him and the other young guys. And for the most part they've delivered. And that's not easy. I mean, I think we've given him more responsibility than any freshman in America. I think we've given him a ton of responsibility. And by and large he's delivered.

Q. Coach, Xavier wasn't ranked in any pre-season ranking, wasn't predicted to make a run in the tournament or be a Final Four team or anything like that. Chris has him in the top five. They're going to be a 2 seed at least. Why do you think he's not Coach of the Year?
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: I said it in my last press conference, maybe yesterday, he's National Coach of the Year. I don't know why he's not voted Coach of the Year.

Q. Did you vote for him?
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: I'm not going to answer who I voted for.

Q. Okay.
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: Whether it's All-Tournament or whatever, he's a National Coach of the Year. He's done a hell of a job with this team.

Because they're not ranked in the pre-season doesn't mean those rankings are right. Doesn't mean those rankings are right. They're two deep at every position. They have multiple pros. And they score like crazy. I mean, they are bringing Macura and Farr off the bench. Those kids, I'm not sure what teams they wouldn't start for.

Q. So it's talent, not coaching?
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: No.

Q. I'm just asking. You didn't win. You guys didn't vote for him.
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: I'm not sure how much more clear I can make it. I just said I think he's a National Coach of the Year.

Q. But not in the Big East?
THE MODERATOR: The Big East Coach of the Year is an accumulation of votes. So it's not Coach's responsibility to respond on why he wouldn't be Big East Coach of the Year.

STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: I think it's a combination of both. Like most great teams, it's a combination of outstanding coaching and outstanding talent. You don't win a lot of games without talent. And you don't win the number of games they've won without outstanding coaching. And so, I can't be more emphatic in my praise of Chris Mack.

Q. Coach, Duane and Henry and had a lot of trouble finishing around the basket. That's been their bread and butter all season. Is that attributed to Xavier's size around the net?
STEVE WOJCIECHOWSKI: They're big and they're physical. They're big and they're physical. Again, you know, they came out and tried to throw a knockout punch. I thought our guys responded. And we cut it to five. I thought we panicked offensively. And when you panic offensively against them and take bad shots, they score.

They're as good a transition team as there is in the country.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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