SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 11, 2026

Porter Moser

Nijel Pack

Derrion Reid

Bridgestone Arena

Oklahoma Sooners

Postgame Press Conference

Oklahoma 86, South Carolina 74

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Oklahoma. We'll go straight to questions for the players.

Q. Nijel, you played for the Big 12 for a couple of years, three-year stint in the ACC. How does the SEC compare?

NIJEL PACK: Respectively, they're all great leagues. It was great to see competition in each. It's great to play in this league. The athleticism, all the great blue blood schools that are in here that you get to play against. Just competing every night.

This league is loaded from top to bottom. It's a great feeling as a competitor to be able to compete against guys like that.

Q. (No microphone.)

NIJEL PACK: I just think we played more in our rhythm. They came out on fire. We stayed calm. They played a hell of a first half. We went in there, we got motivated. We knew what we had to do. We came out. We know we had to get some stops. On the offensive end we shared the ball really well. I think everybody kind of got going. Once we got rolling, we didn't look back.

Q. (No microphone.)

DERRION REID: I feel like we just got more on the screen honestly. We knew what we had to do to get us this far. Defense led to offense. So it worked out.

Q. How important is it to get a chance to get A&M again?

NIJEL PACK: It's huge. It's huge for us. We know what situation we're in right now. We're playing for our season. We're going to continue to survive and advance. That's the advantage of March. We're going to take it one game at a time.

But A&M got us twice. We get a third time opportunity. It's a blessing. We're just blessed to be here. Whatever it takes for us to continue to play, we're going to give it the hardest shot.

Q. Nijel, you took a couple of shots tonight. Are you okay?

NIJEL PACK: I feel good. We have a good supporting staff and things like that. Make sure we're going to get ready for tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, you're excused. We'll continue with questions for Coach Moser.

Q. What do you feel your team needs to do tomorrow to reach the quarterfinal?

PORTER MOSER: You got to handle their pressure. They're going to press you the whole game. You have to have your transition D on, the way they're going to play really, really fast.

I think Agee is terrific. He's hurt us in both games. We got to do a better job on him. But we're going to have to get back at some recovery because we know the pace of the game tomorrow. It's going to be pressing, fast paced. We've got to get everybody ready for that transition D and be able to handle their press.

Q. With the quick turnaround of tournament, do you start game planning for Arkansas?

PORTER MOSER: You know, what all have assistants. We have assistants doing the advance stuff. All our focus is really truly been on the one right in front of us, which is South Carolina. It will shift to Texas A&M. I know you're from Arkansas, so I'll say this. Preparing for Texas. I did watch the Arkansas-Texas game. I don't know if the Thunder could have beat Arkansas that night. That's how good Arkansas looked. Cal has them playing so hard.

Q. When you come in and your team is on the NCAA tournament bubble, how do you make sure your team stays focused on the game right in front of you and doesn't start looking ahead?

PORTER MOSER: Well, we've had this mantra, even when we had lost nine in a row. We just felt there was a path. We got to keep believing and staying with each other. We've been taking one game at a time.

Our prep, you don't change it. You don't change it because circumstances are different. The circumstances are different because of what we were doing. We want to keep doing that. Staying together, defending better, blocking out everything and believing.

We talked about it. It's amazing when you get a group of people all believing in a path, even when other people don't see the path. That's life, man.

More of the message was not about anything different other than let's keep getting better, what's right in front of us, the urgency and everything.

Q. Talk about Jadon Jones.

PORTER MOSER: He's had such an emotional impact with the gravity of his voice. He's a senior. He had some really, really high energy defensive plays, that transition dunk. They had to call timeout. He gets so many deflections. He makes his energy contagious. That's a special gift as a player, when you can make your energy.

For him to find that his senior year, to find his voice and his impact on this team with energy, man, it's a big part of why our arrow is going up.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you.

PORTER MOSER: Thank you, guys.