MODERATOR: Questions for the Iowa State student-athletes, please.
Q. For Dishon and Brandton, how excited -- is that the right word to use? -- do you get for a matchup you know it's going to be super physical, a lot of maybe bruises coming out of this one?
BRANDTON CHATFIELD: Very excited. Really pumped up. Just excited to get back on the court and play another game.
DISHON JACKSON: I think it's really exciting just to know that we're in another game. A lot of teams had to go home, and it's just a blessing to still be playing.
Q. Y'all probably hadn't watched a lot yet, but what has stood out about this Ole Miss team that y'all have seen so far?
NATE HEISE: Yeah. I would say that they're big and physical, like they mentioned, but they also play unique defense. They switch all five. They rebound well.
So, yeah, I would just say they're a big, physical team, and it's a big contrast from Lipscomb in terms of like height and weight and stuff.
BRANDTON CHATFIELD: Yeah, I mean, they switch up their defenses a lot, like Heise said. Going from 1-3-1, 2-3, a lot of different zones and stuff. So just gotta always be ready to attack the basket at any point really.
DISHON JACKSON: Yeah. With the switching we know we're going to have a couple of advantages inside. So that's something we're looking to take advantage of.
Q. For Dishon or Brandton, I know that Nate and Cade have become known for their trash talk in practice. Can either of you take me into some of the jabs that they've given either of you guys, particularly Nate over the last few weeks, as he's maybe gained some confidence?
DISHON JACKSON: That's an answer for Brandton for sure.
BRANDTON CHATFIELD: I mean, there's a lot of expletives that I can't really say here. But Heise can get really juiced a lot and so can Kelderman. He's always tripping from either the sideline or when he's in. It's a lot of fun to play against him.
Q. How have you seen his confidence specifically transfer from the practice floor over to the game floor over the last couple of weeks as he started to see his shots go in a little bit more?
BRANDTON CHATFIELD: Oh it's great. No other way to put it. But he's become so much better. Yeah, I mean, I don't know what else to say.
Q. Nate, you had your first NCAA Tournament experience last game. What was that like? Were you nervous? What were you feeling in that moment and do you think it'll be any different with your second NCAA Tournament game?
NATE HEISE: I would say at the beginning leading up the game, warmups and stuff, a little bit of nerves because it's obviously much different than a regular season game. But I think going into the second one, once you've done it once, then I think the nerves will be gone in terms of it being the first time, not knowing what to expect, because now you kind of know what's going to happen. And it's a different challenge, but I'm more excited than nervous.
Q. Dishon and Brandton, I'm wondering what perception you guys had of Iowa State when you started college not growing up in the area and how it's changed being part of the program now for a season?
DISHON JACKSON: To be honest, like I'm from the West Coast. So like I always -- like I really only looked at like a couple of schools like Cal and Stanford and UCLA, USC. So that's all I really knew at the time. Going in high school, I'd seen Iowa State a little bit. I'd seen their defense. I'd seen Tyrese. I was seeing a little bit of George when I was younger, but I didn't really know much.
But my perception has changed. I would say the hard work that they put in every day, the community, how they've rallied behind us every game. Hilton magic is a real thing.
BRANDTON CHATFIELD: I mean, same thing with Dishon. West Coast, just watching kind of West Coast teams as well. But our teammate Aljaz Kunc when he first came over, that's when I really started noticing Iowa State. Just seeing the level of defense they play is just crazy. So being a part of that has just been awesome and amazing.
Q. For all three of you guys, you all were transfers into the program. T.J. has obviously had a lot of success in getting guys adapted pretty quickly. I guess from your perspective, are there things that he does or the program does that makes it a relatively smooth transition into a new situation?
DISHON JACKSON: I think it's the whole program. Like the guys are welcoming. The coaching staff is welcoming. Like everybody just embraces you and like they take you on as if you're one of their own already.
BRANDTON CHATFIELD: I agree completely with that and just kind of the regimen that we have and the schedule that they give us, it works very well for me. And I think it worked well for all three of us, too, just coming into the program.
NATE HEISE: Yeah. I would say the biggest part was the guys and the coaches. It felt like I went from one team to the next and it was pretty smooth, because all the guys off the court even were great, too.
And I just think the other big thing is doing everything together, which we did in the summer. We spent I would say more time together than the average team does and I think that was helpful, too.
MODERATOR: Any other questions? All right, guys. Thank you. Good luck tomorrow.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports