First we'll go with the players: London Perrantes, Jack Salt, and Marial Shayok.
Q. London, four years in a row you guys have made it past the first round in the NCAA Tournament. You've been in every one of those. How hard is it to get past that first round? I know seeding has something to do with it. In three of those four games, you guys have been pushed.
LONDON PERRANTES: First game, obviously, nerves come into play. We've obviously been a higher seed in each of the four games. So obviously, that pressure comes in those games. Obviously, the other team is pretty good, especially last night. The UNC-Wilmington team was a really good team.
It's always those first-game jitters of a big tournament like this. We got those out of the way now.
Q. A question for any of the players: What makes your team so effective defensively in terms of your system and how you guys play?
THE MODERATOR: Marial, let's start with you.
MARIAL SHAYOK: We work on it all year round. We continuously, every practice, try to work on little things to get better defensively in each aspect. It just shows out when we play.
That's our identity. So when we're right, it's very effective.
THE MODERATOR: Jack, your thoughts on the defense.
JACK SALT: Like Marial said, we do it every day at practice. We go over it on film. It's just what we do.
THE MODERATOR: London, anything to add?
LONDON PERRANTES: That's it.
Q. Marial, a question for you: You had a career high in points yesterday. How do you spin that into some more success in the Tournament tomorrow?
MARIAL SHAYOK: Just trying to stay aggressive. Also play within the team. Really not to get too high or obviously not too low. Just try to come out confident and just be aggressive and do what I can to provide on both ends.
Q. London, you guys switched to five guards last night when you had Isaiah out. How much do you expect to rely on that, and how might your game plan change just with this matchup?
LONDON PERRANTES: I don't think we'll see it tomorrow just because of their size and their length. So, yeah, it was definitely needed for this past game, but I don't know how much we'll see until we play another team that creates problems like that.
Obviously, Florida is a lot bigger of a team, and they play with some post players.
Q. London, one more time, you've been up here four years in a row. What do you tell the young guys about just the experience off the court? You mentioned first-game jitters, but having to do stuff like this, telling Jack to scoot up to the microphone so he can talk. Just stuff like that. How much do you talk to guys off the court about what to expect every time you go?
LONDON PERRANTES: I don't really say much unless they ask. I kind of want them to just learn on their own. Everybody has their own ways. I mean, some people may not come up here. Some people may just be doing the media locker room stuff. They kind of learn on their own.
That's how I did it. Obviously, just looked at the older guys and tried to learn from them. So I just want to let them do it. If they have any questions, they can come to me. I'm always open for anything. So just let them do it on their own.
Q. London, Joe Harris and Malcolm used to talk about turning Virginia's program around and re-establishing it as a major player again, and they passed the torch to you. Can you talk about what it's meant to you to kind of be the guy that's carried that on.
LONDON PERRANTES: Yeah, obviously, I want the program to be successful. We had the steppingstones when I first got here, the year before I got here. And my first year is when we started to take off. Obviously, with me being the lone senior, I'm trying to keep it going. And then next year with Marial and all of them, they're going to want to keep it going as well.
I think with this program there's always somebody that's going to be able to step into that role or a couple people to step into that role to keep the program going. I like where the program is heading for sure.
Q. For London and Marial, Florida gets a lot of notice for its team speed. What have you guys seen from Kasey Hill and Chris Chiozza? And what kind of matchup problem does that pose for you guys?
THE MODERATOR: Marial, can you start with that?
MARIAL SHAYOK: We've just got to make a conscious effort of getting back in transition and just relying on our pack and what we do, just staying true to what we've learned all season, what we've been taught by our coaches, and that kind of works out against any type of offense that we really play.
Just trying to play the pack and help each other out.
LONDON PERRANTES: Obviously, with UNC-Wilmington they ran. Obviously, Florida maybe a little bit faster and may not shoot the ball as quick as UNC-Wilmington. So last night's game will definitely help us with that, but we've got to make sure we get back because the guards are so fast at getting into the paint.
But, yeah, it's going to be all five. It's going to be a five-man effort for sure.
Q. Question for Marial: I know you've started games this year, but like yesterday, do you thrive in that sixth-man role or at least coming off the bench as an energy guy, a guy who is capable of doing what you did yesterday?
MARIAL SHAYOK: Just trying to do what I can to provide a spark if we need it. Obviously, I know I can score. So I just have to try to be aggressive and stay as confident as possible. Just do what I can, whatever it is, by scoring or trying to lock down somebody, just trying to do what I can to provide on both ends.
Q. Two questions, for Jack, what's challenging or difficult to handle with Florida's size? It seems like athleticism is a big component there. And for London, you guys are so much known for your defense, but your offense really showed some things last night. What did you guys take away offensively from that first-round game?
JACK SALT: They're a big team. I need to keep them off the glass. They crash hard. I need to do a good job on that, and just getting back in transition. So they don't get anything easy, because they're long and they push the ball fast. So it's going to be a good challenge.
LONDON PERRANTES: Offensively throughout the season, we've been a little streaky. I think it goes with our experience. We have some old guys and some young guys that are really playing right now and throughout this whole season. Experience is a huge thing with that.
Obviously, last night we struggled at the beginning of the game and then kind of got it going. It's all about confidence right now, and I think our confidence is pretty high. We just want to keep it going for tomorrow.
Q. For all three guys, your program is predicated on defense. With that being said, do you take more pride in making somebody else take a ridiculous shot or when you actually make one offensively? Which one stands out most to you?
LONDON PERRANTES: Defense, obviously, for us. Especially when we were playing at home during the regular season, when we get a shot clock violation, like our whole city knows that's what we pride ourselves in. JBJ just goes wild. I think, when we can lock somebody down and make them take a crazy shot, it gets our energy going and gets our spirits going, and I think that's when we're playing our best ball for sure.
THE MODERATOR: Jack, your thoughts on that?
JACK SALT: For sure defense, getting a stop, making them take a tough shot.
MARIAL SHAYOK: Like they said, just trying to feed off our defense and just keep that going and try to get as much stops as possible.
Q. Marial, you heard London talking before about being a senior and kind of carrying the torch and the success of the program. He mentioned you as a guy that could possibly take that torch as well next. Is there certain things you've learned from London as a senior about that?
MARIAL SHAYOK: Definitely. There's things I learned from London, and obviously the guys before them, Malcolm, A.G., and Justin, and all those guys. Just trying to stay within the team and keep each other confident because we're all needed. That's probably the biggest thing I've gotten from these guys.
When I'm a senior, I'm just going to try to keep everyone as confident as possible and make sure they're staying positive and ready to go when you need them.
Q. London, you've been through this before, the transition from the first game to the second game in the Tournament, the one-day turnaround, and you guys played five guards last night, but different team. You have to kind of bring out whatever. Can you just talk about what that's like for you.
LONDON PERRANTES: We actually had a stretch after our four-game losing streak where we played North Carolina on a Monday, NC State on a Saturday. After the game, Coach Bennett talked about us, if we can get into the Tournament and we win our first game, obviously, we're going to play another game in a day or two. So we're going to take this, and we're going to have a learning experience from it.
So we had the same type of practice we did today after the NC State game. So we're just trying to do the same thing, and obviously we came out and had a good game against North Carolina. We're just trying to do the same things to help us for tomorrow.
Q. London, you said five guards is not really an option we'll see with Isaiah out. What do you expect might be different without him tomorrow?
LONDON PERRANTES: We're going to use everybody for sure. Like Marial said, having confidence in everybody on our team is huge because you never know when you're going to get called on. Jarred didn't play at all yesterday, and he's probably going to play a lot tomorrow. So just being ready when you're called on is going to be huge for us tomorrow. Mamadi is going to play a lot. Jack's going to play more. We're going to need bigs because they're pretty big.
Other than that, something different, but we're used to it. We've played with bigs all year. That five guards was something that we've never done before. I think we'll probably go back to our traditional ball, maybe do some four guards. But other than that, I think that's all I could say.
THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you very much. Good luck tomorrow.
Q. London, four years in a row you guys have made it past the first round in the NCAA Tournament. You've been in every one of those. How hard is it to get past that first round? I know seeding has something to do with it. In three of those four games, you guys have been pushed.
LONDON PERRANTES: First game, obviously, nerves come into play. We've obviously been a higher seed in each of the four games. So obviously, that pressure comes in those games. Obviously, the other team is pretty good, especially last night. The UNC-Wilmington team was a really good team.
It's always those first-game jitters of a big tournament like this. We got those out of the way now.
Q. A question for any of the players: What makes your team so effective defensively in terms of your system and how you guys play?
THE MODERATOR: Marial, let's start with you.
MARIAL SHAYOK: We work on it all year round. We continuously, every practice, try to work on little things to get better defensively in each aspect. It just shows out when we play.
That's our identity. So when we're right, it's very effective.
THE MODERATOR: Jack, your thoughts on the defense.
JACK SALT: Like Marial said, we do it every day at practice. We go over it on film. It's just what we do.
THE MODERATOR: London, anything to add?
LONDON PERRANTES: That's it.
Q. Marial, a question for you: You had a career high in points yesterday. How do you spin that into some more success in the Tournament tomorrow?
MARIAL SHAYOK: Just trying to stay aggressive. Also play within the team. Really not to get too high or obviously not too low. Just try to come out confident and just be aggressive and do what I can to provide on both ends.
Q. London, you guys switched to five guards last night when you had Isaiah out. How much do you expect to rely on that, and how might your game plan change just with this matchup?
LONDON PERRANTES: I don't think we'll see it tomorrow just because of their size and their length. So, yeah, it was definitely needed for this past game, but I don't know how much we'll see until we play another team that creates problems like that.
Obviously, Florida is a lot bigger of a team, and they play with some post players.
Q. London, one more time, you've been up here four years in a row. What do you tell the young guys about just the experience off the court? You mentioned first-game jitters, but having to do stuff like this, telling Jack to scoot up to the microphone so he can talk. Just stuff like that. How much do you talk to guys off the court about what to expect every time you go?
LONDON PERRANTES: I don't really say much unless they ask. I kind of want them to just learn on their own. Everybody has their own ways. I mean, some people may not come up here. Some people may just be doing the media locker room stuff. They kind of learn on their own.
That's how I did it. Obviously, just looked at the older guys and tried to learn from them. So I just want to let them do it. If they have any questions, they can come to me. I'm always open for anything. So just let them do it on their own.
Q. London, Joe Harris and Malcolm used to talk about turning Virginia's program around and re-establishing it as a major player again, and they passed the torch to you. Can you talk about what it's meant to you to kind of be the guy that's carried that on.
LONDON PERRANTES: Yeah, obviously, I want the program to be successful. We had the steppingstones when I first got here, the year before I got here. And my first year is when we started to take off. Obviously, with me being the lone senior, I'm trying to keep it going. And then next year with Marial and all of them, they're going to want to keep it going as well.
I think with this program there's always somebody that's going to be able to step into that role or a couple people to step into that role to keep the program going. I like where the program is heading for sure.
Q. For London and Marial, Florida gets a lot of notice for its team speed. What have you guys seen from Kasey Hill and Chris Chiozza? And what kind of matchup problem does that pose for you guys?
THE MODERATOR: Marial, can you start with that?
MARIAL SHAYOK: We've just got to make a conscious effort of getting back in transition and just relying on our pack and what we do, just staying true to what we've learned all season, what we've been taught by our coaches, and that kind of works out against any type of offense that we really play.
Just trying to play the pack and help each other out.
LONDON PERRANTES: Obviously, with UNC-Wilmington they ran. Obviously, Florida maybe a little bit faster and may not shoot the ball as quick as UNC-Wilmington. So last night's game will definitely help us with that, but we've got to make sure we get back because the guards are so fast at getting into the paint.
But, yeah, it's going to be all five. It's going to be a five-man effort for sure.
Q. Question for Marial: I know you've started games this year, but like yesterday, do you thrive in that sixth-man role or at least coming off the bench as an energy guy, a guy who is capable of doing what you did yesterday?
MARIAL SHAYOK: Just trying to do what I can to provide a spark if we need it. Obviously, I know I can score. So I just have to try to be aggressive and stay as confident as possible. Just do what I can, whatever it is, by scoring or trying to lock down somebody, just trying to do what I can to provide on both ends.
Q. Two questions, for Jack, what's challenging or difficult to handle with Florida's size? It seems like athleticism is a big component there. And for London, you guys are so much known for your defense, but your offense really showed some things last night. What did you guys take away offensively from that first-round game?
JACK SALT: They're a big team. I need to keep them off the glass. They crash hard. I need to do a good job on that, and just getting back in transition. So they don't get anything easy, because they're long and they push the ball fast. So it's going to be a good challenge.
LONDON PERRANTES: Offensively throughout the season, we've been a little streaky. I think it goes with our experience. We have some old guys and some young guys that are really playing right now and throughout this whole season. Experience is a huge thing with that.
Obviously, last night we struggled at the beginning of the game and then kind of got it going. It's all about confidence right now, and I think our confidence is pretty high. We just want to keep it going for tomorrow.
Q. For all three guys, your program is predicated on defense. With that being said, do you take more pride in making somebody else take a ridiculous shot or when you actually make one offensively? Which one stands out most to you?
LONDON PERRANTES: Defense, obviously, for us. Especially when we were playing at home during the regular season, when we get a shot clock violation, like our whole city knows that's what we pride ourselves in. JBJ just goes wild. I think, when we can lock somebody down and make them take a crazy shot, it gets our energy going and gets our spirits going, and I think that's when we're playing our best ball for sure.
THE MODERATOR: Jack, your thoughts on that?
JACK SALT: For sure defense, getting a stop, making them take a tough shot.
MARIAL SHAYOK: Like they said, just trying to feed off our defense and just keep that going and try to get as much stops as possible.
Q. Marial, you heard London talking before about being a senior and kind of carrying the torch and the success of the program. He mentioned you as a guy that could possibly take that torch as well next. Is there certain things you've learned from London as a senior about that?
MARIAL SHAYOK: Definitely. There's things I learned from London, and obviously the guys before them, Malcolm, A.G., and Justin, and all those guys. Just trying to stay within the team and keep each other confident because we're all needed. That's probably the biggest thing I've gotten from these guys.
When I'm a senior, I'm just going to try to keep everyone as confident as possible and make sure they're staying positive and ready to go when you need them.
Q. London, you've been through this before, the transition from the first game to the second game in the Tournament, the one-day turnaround, and you guys played five guards last night, but different team. You have to kind of bring out whatever. Can you just talk about what that's like for you.
LONDON PERRANTES: We actually had a stretch after our four-game losing streak where we played North Carolina on a Monday, NC State on a Saturday. After the game, Coach Bennett talked about us, if we can get into the Tournament and we win our first game, obviously, we're going to play another game in a day or two. So we're going to take this, and we're going to have a learning experience from it.
So we had the same type of practice we did today after the NC State game. So we're just trying to do the same thing, and obviously we came out and had a good game against North Carolina. We're just trying to do the same things to help us for tomorrow.
Q. London, you said five guards is not really an option we'll see with Isaiah out. What do you expect might be different without him tomorrow?
LONDON PERRANTES: We're going to use everybody for sure. Like Marial said, having confidence in everybody on our team is huge because you never know when you're going to get called on. Jarred didn't play at all yesterday, and he's probably going to play a lot tomorrow. So just being ready when you're called on is going to be huge for us tomorrow. Mamadi is going to play a lot. Jack's going to play more. We're going to need bigs because they're pretty big.
Other than that, something different, but we're used to it. We've played with bigs all year. That five guards was something that we've never done before. I think we'll probably go back to our traditional ball, maybe do some four guards. But other than that, I think that's all I could say.
THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you very much. Good luck tomorrow.
