NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - LSU VS MICHIGAN

March 22, 2021

Javonte Smart

Lucas Oil Stadium - Unity Court (South)

LSU Tigers

Postgame Media Conference

Michigan 86, LSU 78

THE MODERATOR: We'll begin with questions for Javonte Smart.

Q. Results notwithstanding, how exciting was that game, especially in the first half? Do you feel like the energy you expended in that first half, maybe y'all couldn't sustain it in the second half to pull out the victory?

JAVONTE SMART: Coming into the game, we knew it was a big game, playing against Michigan on one of the biggest stage you want to play in.

I just wanted to give it all to Michigan. They came to fight. We came to fight. But our energy wore off. I thought we should have just kept our energy, kept going. But during the game, energy went off. They just outplayed us at the end.

Q. What point in the second half did the offense really just kind of seem to stagnate? At what point did you feel like maybe it was starting to get away from you a little bit and how did you try to rectify it throughout the end of that game?

JAVONTE SMART: Yeah, during the middle of the second half we felt like we was doing a lot of one-on-one ball. All year that's what we've been doing all year. So we just tried to pass the ball to each other, play as a team, continue to play as a team. Hit some shots, but they hit some big shots. They hit a couple big shots. We was just trying to get some stops really on the defensive end, trying to get stops, because we knew they was going to score the ball. We just needed to get stops.

Q. It seemed like in the middle of the second half, I think they had 9 out of 10 shots. Y'all started missing. Did you start pressing? Did you hit a rut there?

JAVONTE SMART: Yeah, you know, we wanted to press them. In the Big Ten they wasn't pressing that much. Coach told us we was going to start out pressing.

They hit some big shots, like I said. We wanted to speed the game up. They were still hitting some big shots. We came down and missed a few shots.

But that happens in the game. We just wanted to keep fighting hard. The outcome, we took an L.

Q. You came back for a reason this season. Clearly you showed tonight you're capable of leading a team. Big picture for a moment, talk about what this season has meant to you, playing through all the difficulties to get to this point. Do you feel like you made the right decision in hindsight now?

JAVONTE SMART: Yeah, I feel like coming back, talking to my mom, coaches, I felt like coming back would be the best thing for me, just learning more. I feel like this year helped me learn a lot more about myself and about just growing up as a man.

I think this year was one of the biggest years you can ask for. Pandemic, COVID. It was hard. I had to sit out a few games. There was just a lot going on. I think it helped me for further on.

I think it was a really good year. I'm proud of our guys, our younger guys, and even Trendon and Days. Like I said, it was a big year for us. I was looking forward to winning it all, but we fell short to Michigan. Like I said, I want to give it all to them. But I felt like I learned a lot this year.

Q. When you look back on what you and Trendon and Darius, Cam, have accomplished together, how close are you guys? How have you grown together since you've been on campus?

JAVONTE SMART: Yeah, me and Days came in together. Me and Trendon, we always together. You know, that's my guy. We're roommates. We was always working out together. But Cam came along. Cam was kind of quiet. He's not as friendly as other guys. But Cam came along and started interacting with the guys. All four of us are roommates. We really have no choice but to interact with each other.

Q. How difficult was it going in the second half to get your shot inside? Seemed like their height started to affect y'all's shot selection at some point.

JAVONTE SMART: Say that again.

Q. It seemed like they were able to redirect your offense. You had to look for outside shots. Was their height a significant factor because of that in the second half or was that the looks you were getting?

JAVONTE SMART: Yeah, I think that was just the shots we was getting. With all the guys, we have a lot of shot makers. I think the open shots was there. We take them because we make them most of the time. But they just wasn't falling.

I think we started attacking a little bit, and started to open everything up for the three-point line and the inside.

Q. When the first cancellations happened during the season, did you question that the season would continue?

JAVONTE SMART: Yeah, I did because I didn't know how the season would go. I didn't know how the season would go with all the COVID things. Because I had COVID during the season. I had to sit out. I didn't know how it was going to continue.

But I want to give it all to the NCAA for being able to have this.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time.

JAVONTE SMART: No problem. Thank you.