QUESTION:

Armando and RJ, your thoughts about overtime seemed like you guys had nothing left at the end of regulation and then somehow found what you did in overtime. What was that got you through?

RJ DAVIS:

I didn’t want to go home. I mean, there was no time to be tired. I knew it was at stake and we all wanted to win. We wanted to get to the next round. So, you know, at that point I wasn’t even tired at mindset of just gathering my teammates together and regrouping and telling him to contain composure and let’s get this win.

ARMANDO BACOT:

Yeah. to build on what RJ said, none of us wanted to go home. We don’t want to leave. It was a tough last five minutes and overtime and I mean, all year we just been hearing about different things about us, how we’re a soft team, how we don’t like to fight. I think we really showed that we can fight and just to persevere in a moment like that and just come together. I’m just so proud and glad we won.

QUESTION:

This is for Justin and Dontrez, you guys hadn’t really been in a position this season where you were asked to close out a game. How did you go into the overtime? Like what was your mentality in terms of what you needed to do to help get over to hump?

DONTREZ STYLES:

I would say just trust my work, I put in a lot of work. Like I could practice before practices really trusted that I think coach Davis would trust me to go out there and perform.

JUSTIN McKOY:

I would also say coach Davis. He told us in the huddle, and he told us, I’d say a thousand times in practice that we’re going to be in big moments, and we need to be ready. We practiced that we’ve drilled it. And so just being ready to step up, in their support all season, just in my ear, having me ready. It made it easy to step up.

QUESTION:

These questions for, Hubert Davis, you talk all season about opportunity and how you never know when it’s going to come, but it will come. Has that ever felt truer than today?

HUBERT DAVIS:

Well, today was a great example of that. It really was. And, I always say that you will always get an opportunity with me. The thing that I can’t guarantee is when, where, how in the manner in which it’ll come, the only thing that you are required to do is that opportunity comes to be ready, and Justin and Dontrez were ready. And in a big time moment, big time situations, they stepped up on both ends of the floor. But again, the thing that brings me such great joy is the thing that I’ve desperately wanted for all of these guys, the entire season is for them to have their own stories and testimonies and memories of playing in big time games and coming up big and in that Carolina uniform, and they just continue to have those stories and those memories and to see their smiles and how happy they are, to enjoy that they are having being together, brings me great joy as a coach

QUESTION:

The game seemed to be interestingly officiated, from where you were sitting, how did you feel that the way the game was called influenced just how the game was played in general?

HUBERT DAVIS:

Both teams were very physical, both teams, attacked the basket through post or penetration, and none of us wanted to go home. And so, it’s a highly competitive game. Baylor’s defending champions, they were a number one seed, and they are absolutely unbelievable. And you just had two teams that were fighting and scratching and kicking and clawing on every pass, every rebound, every cut, every shot, every free throw. And when that happens, at times physicality happens, but it was a very competitive game, physical game. And, two great teams played today,

QUESTION:

This is really for all the players. Brady has to go to the locker room with 10 minutes to go in the second half. What was kind of the message amongst yourself on the court? And what was it like to kind of get back with him at the end of this game and see him in the locker room afterwards,

JUSTIN McKOY:

We just wanted to do it for him. I mean, it’s his last year. I don’t want to be his last game. I want to see him out there again. And so, I was like, let’s go win this for him.

RJ DAVIS:

I would agree what the rest of the guy said., when we got back into the locker room, we all gave him a big help hug, um, just to be happy for him. You just wanted to do it for him. We got it done.

QUESTION:

What did Baylor do down 25 that allowed them to get back in this game? Or maybe what did you guys do to yourself up 25 that allowed them to get back into this game?

HUBERT DAVIS:

Well, they consistently started to press us and that bothered us. It did two things to us. One, it sped us up and made us make uncharacteristic plays. And the other thing it made us turn the ball over and we knew that Baylor is so good defensively. And one of the things defensively is big for of them is taking care of the basketball. And so up to the, probably the 10-minute mark, we did a really good job of taking care of the basketball, but I also felt at times in pressure situations, we lost our composure. And so, in certain situations, I feel like we helped them, but Baylor’s a great team. They’re defending national champions and they did not want to go home., They stepped up their effort and, but we stepped up our effort as well. And we were able to make the plays that we needed to win the game.

QUESTION:

Armando, just wondering if you could speak to the level of anxiety out there. As March madness in full, like what was the feeling like as they were coming back, and you guys were trying to hold them off?

ARMANDO BACOT:

It was just crazy cause I mean they were turning us over a lot and then we weren’t making free throws. So, it was a lot of pressure in those moments, but it was just a next play mentality and we just really had to dig in and just keep pushing and just keep a level ahead. And luckily, we came out with a win

QUESTION:

Armando kind of piggybacking off that with the officiating, with the comeback. What is this rank? As you know, everybody who’s been saying how crazy this game was, what is this rank as you know, on the level of crazy games that you participated in while you’re here at Carolina?

ARMANDO BACOT:

We’ve had some crazy games this year.

QUESTION:

What was said to in, in the huddle as you go to overtime, this whole crowd, here’s basically a Baylor crowd. And how did you guys bring this one home? Because it just seemed like all the momentum had gone over there

RJ DAVIS:

Just to stay together, make plays, and not get too rattled. I think that’s what, we were able to do, in overtime. So, it was more about staying together, gathering the rebounds and just make plays towards the end of the stretch. Dontrez made the big three. Justin came in big rebounds and free throws at the end, and Leaky. I could go down the line, but everyone came in. Did the role and came out with the win today.

QUESTION:

Next question is for you, RJ, coming into this game, was there anything you saw film or in the preparation for Baylor, that let you know you were going to have a big game, or you would have the opportunity to have as big a scoring game as you had today?

RJ DAVIS:

I know they like to switch on ball screens, and I was able to get a rhythm first half. I just took what the defense gave me, and I was able to make big time shots.

QUESTION:

For RJ, at the end there, it looked like your left hand, maybe got rolled over on that jump ball. What happened and how’s it feeling,

RJ DAVIS:

The guy rolled on my thumb. I’m fine. So, I’m good.

QUESTION:

This is for Armando and coach as well. Armando, considering you had four fouls and the chippiness with Sochan. How was it for you to still play your game down the stretch with the intensity of the game?

ARMANDO BACOT:

I just had to be so smart than not pick up any silly, offensive, foul setting screens or doing anything like that. And also, on the defensive end too, I just had to try to keep my body away from their guards at the end, we switched a lot. So usually that’s a chance. I mean, that’s an opportunity where I get a lot of fouls, so just had to play smart and contain. At that point we didn’t have Brady and Caleb and we needed as many bodies that play a lot in the game as possible. So yeah, I’m just glad I got out there without getting a fifth foul.

QUESTION:

RJ, your dad actually got a mention during the game. We talked about what he did at Mercy, his career. Could you talk about what he did to help you, coming up and you have any stories you want to  share, any intense one-on-one games, anything like that?

RJ DAVIS:

My dad, he was a big time scorer in college. They call him the rocket, he’d like to hunt his shots more than me. I think I’m all-around point guard, true point guard at that. He just always stayed on me, even when I had good games or bad games, it was always good criticism just to get me to this position where I’m at now and I give credit to him, just for, everything he’s done for me, from workouts to AAU, him spazzing on me in the car rides. Shouts to Big Rob,

QUESTION:

Hubert, RJ yesterday, 12 assists, but couldn’t really find the basket himself today. Career had the 30 points. Just what did, what did you see out of him? And did you say anything to him once Caleb came out with, with five fouls?

HUBERT DAVIS:

The first game against Marquette, he could find the basket. He just threw the ball to the people, close to the basket. There are many different ways to find the basket. And that’s why RJs is one of the better guards in the country. His ability to understand and when to pass and when to shoot has been absolutely fantastic.  The runs our team. He gets the ball to his teammates at the right moment and at the right time where they can do something with it on the offensive end, does an excellent job of taking care of the basketball. And he’s a big time shot maker, not only his ability to be able to not only from three, but also, that drive and overtime to be able to be able to finish in the lane. Those are things that RJ has done consistently throughout the entire season. He was able to do that on the biggest stage today, but that’s something that RJ has done consistently out to season.

QUESTION:

It’s for Leaky and RJ, you guys had a lot of trouble there for a while getting the ball and bounds and getting it out the court, but you had a little bit more success in the overtime. What was working a little bit different for you?

LEAKY BLACK:

Pretty much when overtime started, we were just trying to get our guys to realize that it was zero, zero, new game just have to relax and we just have to step up, regardless. So that just pretty much it.

RJ DAVIS:

I would say that press gave us a little bit of trouble. It was just more about having different outlets, to get the ball in. I think Justin, Armondo did a good job of creating space to get open.

 

Transcript edited for formatting.

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