NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL FINAL: USC VS GONZAGA

March 30, 2021

Evan Mobley

Lucas Oil Stadium - Equality Court (North)

USC Trojans

Elite 8 Postgame Media Conference

Gonzaga - 85, USC - 66

Q. Evan, I know it's hard after this game, but how do you weigh just what this team accomplished and the disappointment going home after this tournament run?

EVAN MOBLEY: I mean, we did great. A lot of predictions before the season. Didn't predict us to go anywhere this far. We were picked like sixth in the Pac-12. We're one of the top teams. We're in the top eight teams in America. I'm just happy we came this far, and we left it all out there on the floor.

Q. Evan, it seemed like they came out really quickly, and you guys looked a little overwhelmed, especially defensively. What were those first ten minutes like just in general?

EVAN MOBLEY: They got into transition a lot. We didn't get back enough. We tried to put emphasis on that, but we didn't get back fast enough or run back hard enough, and that's when they got a lot of free buckets, easy layups, and that's when they went up in the beginning.

Q. Was there a common thing with the turnovers early on? You guys were getting your pocket picked, a couple passes going wrong. Was there anything you could put your finger on as to why the turnovers were such a problem early and put you in such an early hole?

EVAN MOBLEY: No, but they were denying the wings a lot. So a lot of our plays involve a lot of movement and swinging the ball, but we couldn't swing the ball because our wings weren't open necessarily. So it would cause the guard to go one-on-one or so, and sometimes it would cause a turnover.

Q. Hey, Evan, congratulations on a great season. If this were to be it for you at USC, what will you remember from your time there at USC?

EVAN MOBLEY: Just a great atmosphere, a great team, just the whole entire experience was great. I'm glad we came before. We fell a little short, but I'm glad we made it this far.

Q. Evan, did anything about Gonzaga surprise you? I mean, were they better than you even could tell on film?

EVAN MOBLEY: No. I feel like their transition is probably one of the best in the country.

Because they really got out and ran, like where most of their buckets came from. But that would probably be the only thing I really like noticed that was a little bit more than I expected.

Q. What is it going to take to beat them, do you think?

EVAN MOBLEY: Just team defense and limiting their shots because they can get a lot of shots up, and they get out really quick. So probably defense and stopping their shooting because a lot of their points came in the paint tonight, and we couldn't really stop that.

Q. Evan, the matchup with Drew Timme, what was he doing to be able to score like he did tonight?

EVAN MOBLEY: We started out in zone, and our zone principles are, when people are in the middle, not to really rush up because we'd rather have them shoot the contested midrange and stuff like that. But they kept getting it to the middle, and then it would just cause miscommunications and stuff. That's where he got most of his buckets, in the middle of the paint.

Q. What was so impressive about the way that Jalen Suggs kind of commanded the floor? Almost had a triple double. What did you see from him leading their offense tonight?

EVAN MOBLEY: Yeah, he's a great player. He had a great pace to his game, and he was just attacking whatever he could. That's where most of his points and assists came from because he would help, and he would kick out at the right times and stuff like that.

Q. Evan, how important was Isaiah's play in the NCAA Tournament to help you guys get to the Elite Eight?

EVAN MOBLEY: It was very important. Any time -- I said this before. Any time any player does good, it helps the team out no matter what you look at. So he was a great help this entire tournament. Every game he came out and played his heart out. Congrats to him and props to him.