home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: ATLANTA


March 22, 2018


Jordan Caroline

Eric Musselman

Caleb Martin


Atlanta, Georgia

Loyola Chicago - 69, Nevada - 68.

ERIC MUSSELMAN: Yeah, first of all, we'd really like to congratulate Loyola. I thought that they played a fantastic game. They're such a well-coached team. Their players play so hard. They cut hard, they defend. So we'd like to congratulate them on a great game tonight. We wish them luck in the game on Saturday.

You know, and then from our perspective, I thought we played like we have all year. We played our hearts out, came up a basket short or a point short. It's obviously tough for our locker room right now to know that our season is over. You know, we get a stop on that three ball that they hit at the buzzer and maybe we're sitting up here with a win.

But again, we didn't, and so we've got to tip our hat off to Loyola for sure.

Q. You come back in your last two games; what made it so difficult against Loyola to do that again for a third time?
ERIC MUSSELMAN: I mean, we still came back. You know, we were down at one point, I think by 12, and we lost by 1. So we came back. We had a good look in the corner from Hallice Cooke, who's one of our best shooters. We hit that.

So we did, we won the second half. We got the game sped up. We scored 44 points in the second half. It was just -- we lost a game by one point to a good team.

Q. What are you guys going to remember the most from the season?
CALEB MARTIN: I mean, we'll just remember all the work that we had put in. This is something really, really hard to do that people don't really realize that we've been doing with around six or seven people rotation and without a true big, and just how much preparation and behind-the-scenes stuff that we go through all the time to get to a place like that and then come up short.

It's hard, but I'll remember all the relationships and all the work and stuff that we put in and with a lack of depth. It's been a special year.

JORDAN CAROLINE: Just the camaraderie, the chemistry we had as a team, and we had a great group of seniors that are always there and the work we put in in the off-season until now is just -- it's a lifetime experience.

ERIC MUSSELMAN: I think we're all proud of representing our conference the right way. I'm just proud of how these guys never quit. We lost tonight. There's some things that we could have probably done better, but having said that, you know, in life, it's about how hard -- whatever you're doing, and how much enthusiasm you have for it and your effort level. You know, and this team played really, really hard all year, and that's what I'm the most proud of.

Q. I don't know how many teams you've run into this season that played like that, played like Loyola did in the second half, making their first 13 shots, so efficient offensively. What did you see from your vantage point in that?
ERIC MUSSELMAN: I mean, they're a really, really good offensive team. There's no doubt about it. I mean, they couldn't miss. Having said that, we still outscored them by three in the second half. They do a great job cutting. They do a great job with spacing. And that's why they're 31-5.

Q. Coach Musselman already mentioned the three-pointer at the buzzer and how big that was. Could you talk about on the court you were so close to that shot clock running out. What did you see on that shot by Townes?
CALEB MARTIN: I just think that we -- a theme that we kept doing over the course of the game was over-helping. We were trying to force Custer and them every time they drove to make tough twos, and I lost my man. I lost Townes late in the game for the kick-out right there because I was expecting him to backdoor cut that time like he did, I think, the possession or two before, and that time he spaced out more towards the wing that time. I think I recovered pretty well. It's just -- I just should have denied the catch.

Yeah, it's one of those things, I just got lost, and it was costly.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP sports

tech 129
About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297