What Marcus Carr, Brock Cunningham, and Timmy Allen said ahead of Texas' first NCAA Tournament game
The No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns face No. 15 seed Colgate at 6:25 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Longhorns Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, and Brock Cunningham were available to the media on Wednesday. Here’s what they had to say ahead of their first round game.
Q. Timmy, can you give us an update on how you feel? Readiness for tomorrow?
TIMMY ALLEN: 100%, ready to go, no question mark. I’m going full speed.
Q. Marcus, what did you learn about yourself from last year playing in this tournament? Are we going to see another half-court shot or 3/4 shot?
MARCUS CARR: I would just say it’s fun, it’s a real experience, and looking forward to it again. Hopefully there won’t be a need for a 3/4 court shot, but I wouldn’t be opposed to making one at all.
Q. Brock, obviously so much has been made of the job that Rodney has done with you guys this year. If you can take us back to that December 12th day, there was so much uncertainty. What did Rodney do to bring you together and keep you focused on the task at hand that night?
BROCK CUNNINGHAM: He was a calming voice in a weird situation that morning and he did an amazing job. But the older guys did a great job in leading the rest of the team saying there is a task at hand winning games and that’s the most important thing.
Q. You have guys that have been through a lot before how much did it help having your voices for the guys?
BROCK CUNNINGHAM: It helped a lot. We have grown men in this room that have lived life outside of basketball so a situation like that wasn’t anything unheard of. We just knew we had to carry on and keep playing games.
Q. Marcus, how much pressure is there on the higher seeds? A lot of times the fans are rooting for the underdog and you gotta play your way into the tournament. How do you fight nerves?
MARCUS CARR: I wouldn’t say we look at it as pressure. We respect our opponent fully, we understand how good of a team Colgate is and we’re preparing for them just like we would prepare for any Big 12 team. I don’t feel like there is going to be any pressure in terms of that. We don’t take them lightly at all. The tournament is the tournament. Every single team who is here deserves to be here. They’re all good teams so coming into the game, we’re prepared to battle and compete with them at the highest level. I don’t think it’s pressure. We are preparing for this game as we prepared all season long. Yeah, sometimes the crowd does go for the underdog, but it is what it is.
Q. Brock, you were involved in that 3-14 upset a few years ago. You know what the pressure holds being a higher seed. What did you take away from that game moving forward? As an aside, what do you think about the success that Shaka has had at Marquette this year and have you been in touch with him at all?
BROCK CUNNINGHAM: Going back to that game, I have learned a lot. The flow and kind of energy within March Madness and how they will root for the under-seed, especially when Texas is that top seed. And talking about Shaka, I haven’t talked to him but he’s done an awesome job and awesome to see him resurrect that Marquette program and win a bunch of games this season.
Q. Brock, you said after the Big 12 Tournament, you described it as being a terrible loss and you were talking to the team about learning from that, because you experienced it. What are some things you have been telling them leading up to Thursday about lessons you’ve learned since that game?
BROCK CUNNINGHAM: Since that game, we won the Big 12 Tournament that year and then thought we couldn’t be touched, and then this year winning the Big 12 Tournament, that first practice back in Austin, we spoke about the importance of living in the moment. We won the Big 12. We’ll have it for the rest of our lives. We are moving on to something bigger and trying to catch bigger fish. So living where our feet are and preparing for the next game.
Q. Timmy, y’all got a taste of winning in the NCAA Tournament a little bit last year. You’ve got experience coming back. Talk about how how hungry this team is and how y’all kind of always have the big picture in mind, even though you played each game as they came.
TIMMY ALLEN: Going back to last year, just to get our first win and get our feet wet in the tournament was good. Coming back this year, always have big goals in mind, cutting down nets. We have one so far, and we’re not looking to stop. We have big goals in mind and we know that starts with Colgate. Like Marcus said, they’re a great team. We’re not looking past anybody and worrying about any game but our first game and we’re staying locked in and staying focused on the things we can control, our game plan and our preparation and our intent and mindset going into the game. Preparing as best we can, holding each other accountable along the way and being ready for March Madness and being prepared.
Q. Timmy, the last game you played in the tournament last year didn’t go the way you wanted it to go. Personally, how much does that motivate you this year and how much do you think about that, if you got another chance to get to the tournament that you would make the best of it?
TIMMY ALLEN: In life, you don’t always get second chances and I’m here my second time so I’m looking to capitalize. As far as that game, I’ve learned what I needed to learn and taken from it what I needed to take from it, but I would be remiss if I didn’t let it go. I’m looking past that and have new opportunities ahead. I have the greatest teammates in the world. I’m really blessed with great guys and staff around me who build me up and encourage me, especially getting me through that injury, staying positive. They got business done in KC without me, ain’t no problem. So just forgetting, moving on and progressing forward.
Q. Marcus, I know a lot of things have been talked about, the closeness of this team from the situation back in December happening. When I talked to y’all throughout this year, this closeness began in the summer. Can you describe how not only that bond that was created so early but how that’s affected y’all to this point now?
MARCUS CARR: I think a lot of people like to go back to December because of what transpired, but this group and the specialness of our team and our bond did start in the summertime. It started with us working together and getting through whatever we had to get through in the summertime, working through practice mornings, getting through tough early practices where it was about competing against each other and making each other better. I feel like ever since that time in the summertime and everybody established that we’re all working towards the same goal, and once we decided that and had the same mindset as a team, the sky has been the limit for us ever since then.
Q. Timmy, being on the sideline during the Big 12 Tournament, what did you learn and what did you see from your team from a different perspective?
TIMMY ALLEN: I don’t know. Because you could say that I learned that my teammates could go, but I knew that. It’s amazing to watch the camaraderie we have and the selflessness and how we’re be not worried about who gets it done, it’s just about getting it done. I think that’s the big picture for us. I had a thrill being the best cheerleader I could on the sidelines, but I’m more thrilled to be back on the biggest stage. It’s a blessing. I’m blessed with great teammates. They went out there and got it done. Guys like Arterio (Morris, (Dylan Disu) stepping up, Brock, obviously, Marcus going to do what he do, but I’m blessed with great teammates and a great staff around me.
Q. Marcus you had shooting problems down the stretch until the championship game. Was part of that fatigue? So much has been on your shoulders this whole year. Does Colgate’s style remind you of anybody you’ve played this year?
MARCUS CARR: I think anytime you get down toward the end of the season, going through a grueling season, especially like the Big 12, there is no conference like it and playing those games every night, there is wear and tear that comes down on your body. But at the same time it’s basketball. You can’t always control whether the ball goes in the basket and you can say I had a shooting slump or a whatever you want to call it, but at the end of the day I was focused on making sure we got wins and if my shots aren’t falling I’m going to try to be an even better distributor and affect the game more on the defensive end. As far as my teammates, they told me to keep shooting, my coaches kept telling me to keep shooting. They never lacked confidence in me or anything like that so it was good to keep going out there and keep trying to win games.
As far as Colgate, they’re the best shooting team in the country so it’s hard for me to say if there is anybody else like them. In terms of preparation, I think our staff has been doing a great job of letting us know what kind of team they are. We’ve been watching a lot of film and we respect them, we know they’re a great team, obviously, coming out of their league and definitely respect their ability to shoot the ball, and we’re going to have to adjust our defense to that.
Q. Marcus, you know the guards have driven the offense all year long, whether it’s you, Tyrese, Jabari, Arterio, Timmy getting going. How big has the emergence of Dylan Disu been for you guys as a guy who can be a pick-and-roll or pick and pop. How much does that open up the floor for you guys now that he’s really going?
MARCUS CARR: It’s huge. Throughout the Big 12 Tournament, he really came through, but in little moments throughout the year, we have seen that from him. We know what he can do and what he’s capable of, and we’re all just super happy to see that shine through in the Big 12 Tournament and definitely carry that through here. It speaks to the diversity of our team. A lot of different guys can attack you, score the ball and you’re going to have to pick your poison that night. Like he said, I’m blessed with great teammates who are all talented and even better people. Happy to see Dylan get his groove and looking for him to keep it going.
Q. For any of you guys, Chris Beard was introduced as the Ole Miss Head Coach yesterday. You guys have built a relationship with him. What are your thoughts on that?
BROCK CUNNINGHAM: Best of luck to Beard and the University of Mississippi.
MARCUS CARR: Wishing Coach best wishes in his new start and for that program.
TIMMY ALLEN: Likewise.
