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PAC-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 8, 2018Dana AltmanMiKyle McIntoshElijah BrownLas Vegas, Nevada Oregon - 68, Utah - 66 DANA ALTMAN: I was really happy that the guys stayed with it down 11 with 9:30 to go. The guys battled back. We got some stops. I thought MiKyle did a great job of taking the ball at the basket. Elijah hit some big threes. We had some good penetration kicks there to him, and he hit some big shots. But, again, we had to get some stops down 11. And I thought we had some communication breakdowns which allowed them to get that big lead. I thought we shored some things up after that. Q. Two nights in a row, now, you've played from behind, it seems like, for most of the game, and then you find a way. DANA ALTMAN: Well, that's credit to the guys. They didn't give into it. We did trail most of the night and found a way to come back late. It was really a tribute to their competitiveness and willingness to stay with it. Q. How do you look at your match-up against USC? DANA ALTMAN: Well, we lost to them twice, two very close ball games at our place and their place. Both of them went down to the last possession. So we're going to have to do a better job, obviously. They're a very gifted team, very athletic. We're going to have to play as good or better than we did tonight. Q. Elijah's had kind of an up-and-down season, but how good was he in that second half? DANA ALTMAN: Well, those five threes he hit, you know, were really good. Transitioned a couple of them. Paul kicked one out of the post to him. We ran a little set for him there, and he got one. So I really feel good for him. He has been up and down a little bit, but to have a night like that, I feel good for both of our seniors. This is a time of year where seniors have to make plays, and you could see the sense of urgency with their seniors. They've got a great core of seniors there that are very good players, and I've really enjoyed watching them this year. But I thought our seniors MiKyle and Elijah, 21 and 18. But they made the big plays down the stretch. MiKyle had three assists. So if he had hit some free throws, he would have had a heck of a night. So it was a big win for us. Q. What does a Pac-12 Tournament semifinal pertain to you for postseason? Do you have any idea? DANA ALTMAN: Oh, I don't know. We're just going to worry about USC. We came in the tournament just -- we wanted to play and hopefully play for a long time. I enjoy working with the guys. They test my patience all the time. But I do like being around them, so we just wanted to play. Q. MiKyle, what was your mindset when you guys got down 11 in the second half? Looked like you tried to stay aggressive and really attack the basket. MIKYLE MCINTOSH: Just not to give up. You can always get back in the game. The game of basketball is about runs, and I think our team stayed together. And we decided to get some stops, get rebounds and just keep attacking and getting the best shot we can for each other. Some shots went down, and that's when the game kind of turned around for us. Q. Two nights in a row now Kenny comes up with a big defensive play at the buzzer. How important was that? DANA ALTMAN: Well, it was obviously a big play. They don't have him for any blocks here. Oh, they've got him for one. He waits until the last minute to get his one block. Last night he had two, and they were at the last minute, and he had one tonight and in the last minute. So, no, it was a big play. He got away from us on the baseline and was going to get a pretty good look, and Kenny got it. Big play. Q. MiKyle, at the end of the game Paul White was not as fired up as everyone. He was kind of walking around the guys telling everyone to calm down and seemed really cool and collected. What was he saying to you guys? MIKYLE MCINTOSH: I have no idea. I don't remember. But knowing Paul, he never gets too high and never gets too low. He was just trying to keep everybody level-headed and ready to go for tomorrow. The game is over, we can celebrate for a little bit, but we've still got a mission. We've still got a game tomorrow to worry about. So that's probably what Paul was talking about, because that's how Paul is. Q. MiKyle, what's it like defensively knowing that Kenny Wooten is behind you? MIKYLE MCINTOSH: You know that if you slip up, he's most likely going to take care of it for us. That's how Kenny has been for us this entire year. Sometimes we rely on him too many times, and that's when he gets in foul trouble. But I think he's been doing a great job staying out of foul trouble, getting blocks for us, and helping us when we get beat off the dribble and stuff like that. Q. Coach, here's a personal question of mine. What's it like to lose Brooks, Boucher, Dorsey, Ennis, Bell, and then have a brand-new team? DANA ALTMAN: Well, I do miss those guys. I loved working with them. Their personalities were fun to be around. But like I said, I like this group also. It's just we haven't been together as long. I was with those guys for two, three years. I've only been with MiKyle eight or nine months, so it's just different. But I do enjoy this team. Last year was last year, and it was great fun, and I do miss those guys. I'm so happy that they're all doing so well. But I want the same things for MiKyle, Elijah. And hopefully we'll keep a group together and be able to build from that. I think we've got some exciting players coming, so kind of looking forward to that. Again, I'm really happy for MiKyle and Elijah, on a big stage and a big ball game for them to come through offensively. And I thought -- defensively I thought they did a good job. So I thought they played a complete ball game. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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