BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 10, 2021

D.J. Carton

Marquette Golden Eagles

Madison Square Garden

Postgame Media Conference

Georgetown - 68, Marquette - 49

Q. D.J., you guys came out cold shooting. Got into a big hole early. Why do you think you guys came out so flat today?

D.J. CARTON: I don't really know the answer behind that. But I mean I think a lot of it had to do with effort. I think our offense wasn't going our way and our shots weren't falling down, which is going to happen. And it translated to the defensive side of the game.

And that affected our effort. And we didn't do a very good job of staying and playing the whole 40 minutes with everything we can, especially with what's on the line. So that hurt us and that showed tonight.

Q. Obviously Theo, Jamal and Koby didn't have the best games tonight. But talk about what they meant to you on the leadership end?

D.J. CARTON: Those guys are huge. I struggle a lot coming in here just from being off so long and trying to find my way back in the game and stuff. They always, you know, I'm very hard on myself, so they always keep my head up and have kept me going along through this hard journey.

It's been a hard year for all of us. We've all gone through adversity and such. But those guys are really special to me and this program in ways because they set great examples for everybody.

And they really care. I mean, it's hard not being able to play with those guys on the court again because it's just that relationship we have and we've been doing it every day for the past seven, eight months.

It's going to be different, but I'm wishing those guys the best ahead of their careers. And I know what great people they are on and off the court. And I know they're going to be just fine.

Q. You guys faced this team earlier this year in January. You've been playing different since then. They've been playing different since then. What did you expect coming into this game?

D.J. CARTON: I mean, we expected them to do what they do and be very physical, score a lot in transition, and they're also very good 3-point shooting team as well. They shoot the ball really well percentage-wise. We knew we had to be able to get our hands up on shots and also be able to guard the ball one-on-one.

But I think the effort really was lacking in the first half and that set us back and set the mood for the game and that hurt us. And I also think that we had to be more physical with Wahab. I think the offensive rebounds killed us. That set the tempo for the game and put us back on our heels a little bit at the beginning of the game.

Q. You guys had an up-and-down season. You had some big wins early. Some struggles here and there. And you mentioned the craziness overall of the season. As you think back to your first season at Marquette, how do you think you're going to view it, are you going to view it as a disappointment or how are you going to look at it?

D.J. CARTON: No, I'm very proud of this year and very proud of the guys I've played with and this whole team. A lot of people don't understand this was not easy. There's a lot of things that go into this on a day-to-day basis that people have to, you know, work harder for. And a lot of people went through adversity during these times and a lot of people grew mentally and physically and stuff, and I got close with my guys. I built relationships throughout this.

So definitely something I'm going to look back forward on and look at as a year in my life where something I fought adversity all year long but I was with a group of guys that kept my head up and had me fighting for something. And that's the way we should go out and go. And I'm proud of those guys for that.