Q. For all of you playing a Big Ten team in the NCAA Tournament probably not something you guys were necessarily expecting. How is the prep different? How do you guys expect the game to go considering it's a team that you're more familiar with?
NICK WARD: To be honest, we played them earlier this year. So we do know a little bit about them and of course they're a Big Ten team. So it will be a little bit of a challenge, so we have to come out and play hard.
CASSIUS WINSTON: Like Nick said, we played them before. So we probably know their tendencies a little bit better and they probably know ours better and it's not going to come down to X's and O's. It's going to come down to who plays the hardest.
MATT McQUAID: Playing each other earlier in the season they're a different team now and they're good. We just gotta be ready.
Q. Nick, curious how you're conditioning? How do you feel it's coming along? Do you feel like you're making progress? Secondly, how are you doing in terms of catching entry passes? Has that part been an adjustment in your recovery?
NICK WARD: My condition has come along. I've made great strides. Last week wasn't the best. This week I'm starting to feel normal and stuff like that. As far as catching the ball it is a bit of a challenge. Catching hard entry passes was my thing for a while, but since it's on my left hand it has made it challenging. But it's something I have to get used to.
Q. Nick, for you personally and also for Kenny and X, going up against Jordan Murphy and Daniel Oturu, how do you think you match-up against their bigs?
NICK WARD: Well, you know, their bigs are very talented and rebound and work hard. That's something we all do. And we just the got to know their tendencies at the end of the day and box out. That's a big part of our game plan, you know. In order for us to win we're going to have to contain them on the boards and contain them as best we can.
Q. Matt and Cassius, Amir Coffey has been playing more of the point the last few games since you guys have played each other and he's put together a string of games where he's really put the team on his back and carried Minnesota to the tournament. From a defense standpoint, how do you make adjustments on a guy who has suddenly gotten hot or has become a lot more successful at finding his game?
CASSIUS WINSTON: I think this is a better question for Matt and those guys, the stoppers. Like I said, he's been playing really, really well and doing a lot for that team. You've got to watch the film, watch his tendency and just try to make it as uncomfortable as possible for him. He's a good player, so he's going to make things happen. But if you put him in uncomfortable situations you got a better chance.
MATT McQUAID: He's a big reason why they're playing so well and watching the film and executing the coach's game plan is the main thing in stopping a player like that and trusting each other on the court and having each other's back.
Q. Cassius, your coach yesterday was praising your leadership more than your play. He was saying it was as well as you've ever led. Can you talk about holding players accountable and being a buffer between the players and your coach?
CASSIUS WINSTON: Yes, I've grown a lot in that area, being more comfortable, being vocal, and like I said, my teammates, they trust me. So I wouldn't steer them the wrong way. Took a while to gain their trust and things like that. So I wouldn't steer my teammates the wrong way and Coach trusts me, too, to give 'em that message and stuff like that.
Q. You probably have heard the reaction that Coach got nationally for the moment yesterday on the floor with his passion coming out. Everybody who plays for him comes out and just says that he's one of the best leaders that you could possibly have. Explain to us why Coach Izzo's style works for you as a basketball player as you try to lead and grow in yourself?
NICK WARD: Well, you know, Coach, him yelling yesterday was a sign that he wants the best for you and he wants to push you to be the best you can be on and off court. That's something we harp on in this program and something we build around, just making players into young men.
CASSIUS WINSTON: Coach is filled with passion and emotion and love, you know, those are the main things that make him as great as he is. When he's getting after you or when he's yelling it's never out of harm. It's never out of hate. It's literally him wanting the best for you and him challenging you and pushing you the best you can be and it's worked for years and years and years. He's a great coach and even a better person. Him yelling, he is the first one to yell and he will be the first one to cry when something bad or good happens. It's all emotion and it's all him caring for you.
MATT McQUAID: Like they said, it's a lot of love and you feel that when you get here and talk to him. He's got a passion that's crazy for this game and we all had the same goal and that was to win the game yesterday and you could feel that in the huddle. We just wanted to win.
Q. Guys, question for all three of you, Cassius you spoke yesterday about needing to settle into the tournament, the confidence and the nerves and everything that comes along with this tournament. Talk about where are you now compared to where you were 26 hours ago, nerveswise.
NICK WARD: I feel like this isn't our first rodeo. We know what to expect, you know, and we're experienced guys, you know. We got two juniors and a senior up here. I feel like our mindset was just to win the game yesterday. That's the whole mindset of the tournament is to survive and advance.
CASSIUS WINSTON: Like I said, the first game is always going to be difficult, just the rhythm of it, the pace of it, the referees, all the type of stuff you've got to adjust to and I feel like now we got that out of the way we can focus on the game of basketball, focus on our opponent at hand.
MATT McQUAID: We had to take it one game at a time; and like Cassius said, everything is important and now we just got to get ready for a good Minnesota team.
