March is about one shining moment, but it’s also about the soundbites along the way. The jaw-dropping, can-you-believe-it utterances that seem to define wins and losses.
Here is a look at some juicy quotes heading into the South Regional.
No. 1 Arizona
Who said it? Guard Bennedict Mathurin, after winning the Pac-12 Tournament:
“Everybody is ready to sacrifice themselves for the team. We’re going to go back to Tucson, to practice on things we could have done better at the games. And it’s all about winning it all. We won the Pac-12 regular season, Pac-12 championship. Now we’re going for the big thing. Like I said, we’re grateful but not satisfied. We’ve got to keep on going.”
No. 2 Villanova
Who said it? Coach Jay Wright, after winning the Big East Tournament:
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“(Playing in Madison Square Garden) is an out-of-body experience. Last night, when they were playing the national anthem, the trumpet player, and I’m looking up and the place is packed and listening to that music. And the lights. I’ve always come here as a kid, as an assistant coach to watch the Knicks, to watch the Holiday Festival and now you’re down here on the court. You take a second to think about that every now and then, and it is a surreal experience. You can’t believe you’re a part of it.”
No. 3 Tennessee
Who said it? Guard Josiah-Jordan James, after winning the SEC Tournament:
“I’ve said it since the summertime early in the season that this is the closest team that I’ve had since I’ve been here. That’s not a knock on any other team, but it’s a praise to this team about how much we care about each other on and off the court. Last year was tough because of COVID. I think that this year we came into a role where we really didn’t want to take anything for granted, so we started doing things — doing more things on and off the court just to build our chemistry, just to hang out more, and we truly do like each other. We really do. The brotherhood that we have in this locker room, I wouldn’t want any other guys in our locker room. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”
No. 4 Illinois
Who said it? Forward Coleman Hawkins, after losing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament:
“We’ve got to look ahead. Like coach was saying, just get some rest, get back to work and change our mindset to the NCAA Tournament and what’s next to come for us. It’s not going to be a Big Ten team, it’s going to be a team in a different conference, at a different venue, so we’ve got to brace ourselves for that and just move on from this. We can’t change anything about this.”
No. 5 Houston
Who said it? Coach Kelvin Sampson, after winning the AAC Tournament championship:
“I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference in the top 13 seeds. I mean, I remember being a 13 seed and beating Arizona when they had Jason Terry and Richard Jefferson (in 1999). We were a 13 seed and beat them, so everybody said it was a huge upset. Not really. … If you look at the teams on paper, if you look what people say — perception — perception is what creates upsets. Reality is that everybody’s good. I saw that we’re playing UAB. Their best player — or one of their best players — played at Tulane last year. The Walker kid. He had 46 the other night. The kid, we couldn’t guard him last year. I don’t know how we’re going to guard him this year.”
No. 6 Colorado State
Who said it? Coach Niko Medved, after losing in the Mountain West Tournament semifinals:
“This was our vision. Our vision was to build a great program that could compete at the top of the Mountain West and have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament. And we’ve been able do that. I think now we want to celebrate this moment, but I agree with you, how do we build on that? How do we continue to grow as a program and do that and give ourselves an opportunity to compete at this level year in, year out? It’s very difficult to do. People don’t realize how hard it is and the work that you put in and the level you have to play at consistently over the course of the season.”
No. 7 Ohio State
Who said it? Guard Cedric Russell, after losing to Penn State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament:
“Next week is going to be a very tough and talented team, so just go back, you know, go back home and get ready. Like I said, we’ve got to adjust things that we need to adjust. We did some stuff very well tonight and like I say, one thing is you keep — we were playing, just being tough on the ball. So just go back, be prepared for that and hang our hat on maybe the defensive side of the ball.”
No. 8 Seton Hall
Who said it? Coach Kevin Willard, after losing to UConn in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals:
“(Kadary Richmond) has been phenomenal. You know going into the year, we were really looking for someone that could be a multidimensional point guard, a guy who could score, a guy that can get guys involved. And he’s exceeded my expectations as the year has gone on. He’s battled a really tough thumb injury for most of the season, too. I think he’s made tremendous progress, and I think we were actually talking about it the other day, about what he needs to do to get to the next level. He’s a hard worker. He’s got a great attitude. He’s got a very good knowledge for the game. And I think you’re just starting to see, he’s scratching the surface of what kind of player he’s going to be.”
No. 9 TCU
Who said it? Forward Chuck O’Bannon Jr., after losing to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals:
“Throughout the season, we’re in the best conference in the country and we have been playing some of the best teams in the country, so we feel when we get to this tournament, it’s going to be the same thing. We have to come out and be prepared to play the best teams on the biggest stage. Hopefully come out the way we believe we can.”
No. 10 Loyola-Chicago
Who said it? Coach Drew Valentine, to the Chicago Tribune in advance of the Ramblers matchup with Ohio State:
“I’m completely invested in this one game. I just feel like you’ve got to stay consistent and stay the same (with preparation). I know it’s boring coach-speak, and I hate to do that. It’s totally not me. I’m in joggers with a hat on and I’ve got (Nike) Dunks on. I’m trying not to be boring, but drawing back from my preparation with Coach (Tom) Izzo and obviously my preparation with Coach (Porter) Moser is you go one game at a time. You don’t worry, you don’t look too far ahead.”
No. 11 Michigan
Who said it? Coach Juwan Howard, after losing to Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament:
“I wasn’t direct earlier, but it starts with me. I take full accountability. I’m never the one that’s going to deflect or point the finger. It starts with me here, going back and as we take — whether it’s tonight, I’m sure it’s going to be tonight. I’m going to watch film and there’s going to be a lot of sleeping moments where I have a lot of disturbance in my sleep because I’m going to be playing every play, after every play on how I could have done better and putting them in a position, what I could have done better to secure this victory for us. What did I do wrong, you know, I’m going to look at myself in the mirror first.”
No. 12 UAB
Who said it? Guard Jordan Walker, to ESPN after leading UAB to the Conference USA Tournament championship:
“I’ve said it before, we not scared of nobody. We got across our chest that say, ‘No quit.’ It don’t matter who you are. It don’t matter what’s across your chest, we’re coming at you. We’re coming at you.”
No. 13 Chattanooga
Who said it? Coach Lamont Paris, after winning the Southern Conference Tournament:
“(Cutting down) the net is a byproduct of getting all those other things right: The right kids, the right culture, the right everything, the city into it, the community on top of it. If you get all those things like we have, nets can’t help but happen at some point.”
No. 14 Longwood
Who said it?: Coach Griff Aldrich, a former lawyer and businessman, on his path to coaching:
“You got a lot of reps at doing deals and you really sharpened your skills at team building and deal management and project management. At the same time, you’re also really getting to observe your clients and you’re getting to observe how different organizations operate, how they run, how the CEOs and CFOs and general counsel you engage with interact with you and the other service providers and their own team. Those values are certainly transferrable to building an organization in college athletics and a college basketball program.”
No. 15 Delaware
Who said it?: Former longtime NBA guard Jameer Nelson Sr., to ESPN on his son, Fightin’ Blue Hens guard Jameer Nelson Jr.:
“Junior has been through a lot, in terms of the transfer — one team not wanting or needing him — and put into a situation to be in a lot of uncertainty transferring to Delaware. The work he put in, the one thing that stood out about the moment, it was like it finally happened. Things took longer than expected, but I give a lot of credit to him, his teammates, coaching staff for allowing him to be himself and more importantly believing in him.”
No. 16 Wright State
Who said it? Head coach Scott Nagy, on celebrating the NCAA Tournament after team members lost several family members this season:
“There’s some sadness if I’m being honest. My dad not being here, Grant (Basile)’s grandpa, Tanner (Holden)’s grandpa, AJ (Braun)’s dad, my son’s grandpa, and James (Manns’) grandpa. People that were so instrumental in our lives that we didn’t get to share this with in a physical sense.”
