THE MODERATOR: All right, we'll get started with some questions for the student-athletes.
Q. Jaden, what's your guys' expectation coming in getting the practice in today and kind of what you guys are anticipating stepping on the floor tomorrow?
JADEN BRADLEY: Just everything's focused on Akron right now. Getting our game plan together. We got a little bit of time trying to put our game plan and trying to do everything we can to execute and come up with that win tomorrow.
Q. For both of you, when you guys look at this Akron offense and just the sheer number of guys that can shoot threes, what do you see and how similar is it to what Texas Tech does, because obviously they're another team in your league that was able to shoot threes from a lot of different positions.
TREY TOWNSEND: Yeah I think it all just comes down to what Jaden was saying for the last question, really honing in on the game plan, to limit those threes, because obviously they can shoot it pretty well. But we played in a really tough conference this year against a lot of teams that could shoot it. So we've experienced it before.
But they're another talented team, obviously everyone in this tournament's super talented. So we're going to try to execute the best we can and limit those threes.
Q. Trey, you obviously were playing in the Tournament last year with a different school, what did you take away from that experience with Oakland that you had last year?
TREY TOWNSEND: Yeah, that was such a special time for me. Growing up always wanted to go to that school and to have that special year it's something I'll cherish forever.
Then coming here it kind of gave me the mindset of really showing that really any team can beat anybody in this tournament. So knowing that Akron feels the same way that I did on that Oakland team last year, it's kind of put me in a more I would say a leadership role for this tournament, just knowing that they're coming in thinking that they can beat us and that's how every team feels.
So we can't take anything lightly because obviously I was on the other side of -- the good side of it last year and definitely don't want to be on the bad side of it this year. So just to make sure everyone's locked in and playing against them. Like it is a 1 seed, everyone is a 1 seed. As our coach has been saying there's no upsets really in this tournament. Everyone's really good and you got to come in and whoever executes the best, has the best energy and just plays its best is going to win. So we're going to try to do that.
Q. How do you express that to your teammates, do you show them a video of you winning last year or how do you get that across to them that upsets can happen in this situation?
TREY TOWNSEND: I mean, yeah, no, it's no surprise that upsets can happen. You see it every single year. Once the month of March started, I'm sure on everyone's social media they were just seeing historic upsets.
It's really something I don't think that needs to be hammered too hard because this group of guys takes things very serious. Obviously we started the season kind of shaky and bounced back from that. So we've gone through adversity a lot this year and this group of guys isn't one to take anybody lightly but it's just sort of, if you might see a guy slacking off or just not taking some small things super serious, just hammering those home. But this group of guys is so determined and excited to be here, I'm sure we're ready for it.
Q. Jaden, how does this offense change when you can get the performances like you got from Trey in the two wins in Kansas City and then K.J. coming off the bench and basically doing a little bit of everything both offensively and defensively? How does this offense change when you get such huge contributions from those two guys specifically?
JADEN BRADLEY: That's what makes our offense so different. We got so many pieces that can come in and just give us different looks. Like you said, Trey can stretch it from the outside, he can go in, dominate smaller defender, K.J. brings that energy. C Love is going to be C Love. We got Delly, we got Carter, we got so many different pieces and at different moments, different times, not knowing whose night it's going to be and I feel like that's what makes our offense so dangerous.
THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you. We'll get started with Coach in a few minutes.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports