NCAA MEN'S FINAL FOUR

March 26, 1999

Mateen Cleaves

Antonio Smith

ANTONIO SMITH: That's a very difficult task. He's very quick, you know, for his size. And if you let him get the ball around that basket, he's going to score. So you really have to minimize that.

MATEEN CLEAVES: No, he was right. Every team did that this year. There was no game you could go in this year and guarantee a win before the game. We knew every game we played would be a battle. We knew every game we had to be ready to play or we could lose in the Big Ten.

ANTONIO SMITH: There were different teams there. The teams that were lower, the bottom part of the conference, they were the tougher teams to beat. So a lot of teams really we came prepared for.

MATEEN CLEAVES: I remember we lost at the last second shot. I knew it was a tough battle. All I remember about the game is the last second shot, they hit on the last second of the game.

MATEEN CLEAVES: I went down the court, made a layup to tie it up and they came right back. They had to hit the shot to beat us.

ANTONIO SMITH: I feel Coach is more like a football coach. He has that mentality of go out there and play as hard as you can, as physically as you can. But just go out and try to play aggressive and have all the confidence.

MATEEN CLEAVES: I think he's just a hard worker. We see how hard he works and he believes that hard work pays off. And sometimes he comes to practice and the whole practice he's getting on guys. So he's just a very down-to-earth guy, but just, you know, an old-fashioned hard working guy.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, the last game in December, he did a good job. I think he gave a better job that night of running his team, you know. He set guys up, played good defense and that night he did a better job of running his team. But the matchup between me and him, he has a lot of -- he can do a lot of things. I like his game because he's kind of -- he can shoot off, dribble it, shoot up. He does a good job of finding the guys. So it will be a tough matchup.

MATEEN CLEAVES: I guess it's just a trademark. Other teams really don't talk to us about it. But we do have a lot of guys who play football. I think, you know, that helped us out being a physical team. I think that's why we're kind of physical. All the guys kind of play football, we've been through the role with football, Coach Izzo is an ex-football player. So the guys, we have a lot in common with the football players.

MATEEN CLEAVES: I think the most important role in this tournament would be just to run your team. Don't get caught up in the hype, don't get caught up in the scoring or the fancy pass. The most important point is to go out and do the best job you can do at running a team.

ANTONIO SMITH: I think it gives us a lot of confidence. We play in every situation that's possible. So if you ever come in that situation, you can do anything. We have confidence in ourselves.

MATEEN CLEAVES: I've played against a lot of players in college, just a lot of players period. In Flint, I've played against guys just as tough as the guys you grow up with. It's a different situation, open-gym style. But I played against a couple of players in Flint. Playing against those guys and old guys as a kid, that gives you confidence. I always respect the opponent.

ANTONIO SMITH: Ignoring all the hype. I feel like this team doesn't need anything to motivate it. Just having the opportunity is enough for us. We just want to give 110 percent.

ANTONIO SMITH: At the time, he was, you know, we were starting together. He said he wanted to turn the program around and before I leave hoped we would have a powerhouse and a shot at the National Championship. We continued to work every day, that was our work and now the work has really paid off for us.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, I think they are a good team. You know, I've seen a lot of teams from watching basketball as a kid. I think they are one of the greatest teams of all time. After all the hoopla and all the hype, you still have to go out there and play 40 minutes of basketball, I think that's why we have to concentrate on going out there and trying to play basketball.

MATEEN CLEAVES: First of all, I think you have to know how to take constructive criticism. You have to not be afraid to point the finger at yourself if the job's not getting done. Then I think you have to have a good personality, but you have to know everyone else's personality on the team. I have to know what words I can say to Antonio to get him going. I have to know what words to say to get Charlie Bell going. I have to know how to get to the guys on the team. I have to know who, when, how, where to give the person the ball, where he's best at. I think you have to have a good personality and not be afraid to point the finger at yourself, but you also have to know everyone else's personality on your team.

ANTONIO SMITH: Every day in practice. It seems like he has the same amount of energy. He just goes out there, forcing us to get noticed. We want to improve every day.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, I don't remember the game, but it was a close game. I forget, somebody hit a shot or something, and he was talking about where he's from in Michigan that there ain't nobody can jump or nobody can dunk or whatever. Somebody hit a shot or made a good play and I was running down the court and looked over at Coach Izzo. He jumped up in the air, was hanging up there like Michael Jordan style. He jumped so high, was so excited. I always tease him about that. I talk about you can't jump where you're from, but he showed it at that time.

ANTONIO SMITH: Really try to force him off the blocks and try to deny him the ball, you know. We feel like if he gets the ball, down there closer, remember he's going to score. So we really just try to keep the ball out of his hands and hopefully the guards can pressure their guards, so they don't have a pass to him.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Well, really, I don't even think about the last game. I try to get that game out of my head, forget about it. You know, it's not -- I'm really not going out there to play for no payback or that I have to prove to somebody that I can shoot better against Duke. My thing is I have to concentrate on doing a better job for my team. I didn't do a good job with my team then, my shooting, I don't want to get caught up on shooting. I don't want the shooting to dictate my game. But this time I have to do a better job of running my team.

ANTONIO SMITH: I feel it is. It seems like our bench players come to practice every day, they didn't have the opportunity to play each game but they give 110 percent each time they're out there. I think it helped Morris. He comes off the bench and gives us some offense. But on defense he shut down some of the other team's best players. It just helps the team out. When some of the starters can't do it, he gives us time to relax.

MATEEN CLEAVES: Basically, what I think right now, we depend on our bench players. I think other teams, they hope that their bench can come in and pick them up. We depend on that. We look for A.J. Granger and Morris to come in, especially scoring, doing a great job of that. Our bench has been the backbone of our team. They deserve a lot of credit for us to even make it here. A.J. and Morris come out here, Doug Davis have come in and played key roles for us.

ANTONIO SMITH: I think that's one of the keys for any team to win. We feel like if we can minimize Elton Brand to at least ten points, you know, hopefully we can have a shot and win the game. So we really just have to concentrate on the downloads, keep those big guys off the board.

ANTONIO SMITH: Some of those games have been very difficult. It shows that we'll never give up and we'll continue fighting to the end. It seems like a lot of guys are really gaining a lot of confidence in those 22 games. They have an attitude now that we can't lose and every time we're out there on the court we're just playing to win.