NCAA Men's 1st and 2nd Rounds: Columbia Thursday, March 21, 2019 Columbia, South Carolina David Richman VINNIE SHAHID: I think we're doing a good job of Deng Geu hammering the details and staying in the moment. March is a fun time of year, and you can see our guys Tyson Ward are having fun playing the game in the month of March.

Jared Samuelson Q. Tyson, growing up in the southeast, did you watch Duke a lot growing up and one of those kids Vinnie Shahid who always wanted to be a Blue Devil? TYSON WARD: They're always on TV, always a good North Dakota State game to watch. Always have a great competition, great team. Wherever I could go, whoever gave me the THE MODERATOR: We have our student-athletes from opportunity to play was going to be the place where I'd North Dakota State University. We'll introduce the be, and North Dakota State was the place to be. athletes. Tyson Ward, Deng Geu, Jared Samuelson, and Vinnie Shahid. Q. So how do you put that aside and just try to treat them like another team then? Q. Is this now the dream or the nightmare scenario TYSON WARD: Just exactly like you said, just treat for you? them as another team. It's 40 minutes on the clock. VINNIE SHAHID: It's another game. For 40 It's 0-0, ball's tipped, and you just play basketball, do minutes, we're going to compete and plan on winning. something that you've been doing for your whole life.

JARED SAMUELSON: We're really excited for this Q. Tyson, can you speak to Sam Griesel's growth opportunity, obviously, to go out and compete and play this year? True freshman coming in and has another game. improved seemingly throughout the season. Can you talk a little bit to that? DENG GEU: Every opportunity to play March Madness TYSON WARD: He's been big time. You can tell he's is still part of the dream. Just come at it like another been in the gym a lot this year. A couple of the guys basketball game. Just come ready to compete. have taken him into the gym personally and just hammered some things with him. He's willing to listen TYSON WARD: What they said. and get better and do everything it takes to help this team out. It's a true testament to what he's been doing Q. Guys, you're 5-0 in March. What is it about this on and off the court. You can see that it's been month where you seemingly figured it out and are reflecting into this late March, and he's been playing playing such good basketball? real well. TYSON WARD: Every game is a big game, no matter who you're playing against. 40 minutes are up on the Q. Vinnie, can you just take us through your travel clock, and you know you don't want to go home. You the last couple of days? Normal, or has it been a put that in your mind and put it in the game plan, you little bit hectic? don't want to go home. You just set your jaw and get VINNIE SHAHID: It's travel. There were some late ready for a good game. nights. Definitely not an excuse for tomorrow when the ball tips up. It's definitely a little different for us, but DENG GEU: I think it's a win or go home factor. It there's definitely no excuse there. brings out everyone's competitiveness and you play to the best of your ability. Q. Did you get here today or last night? VINNIE SHAHID: Last night. JARED SAMUELSON: We're just playing our best basketball right now, which is obviously what you want in late March. So hopefully, we can keep that up. Q. Deng, how do you try to match up with Williamson, just the sheer size? DENG GEU: I think just come out and compete. Don't

Rev #1 by #181 at 2019-03-21 20:46:00 GMT page 1 of 4 know what's going to happen, but you just come out making our way with Coach Miller and just doing the and play as hard as you can and at the end, see what little things because that's what really keeps us to think happens. about the little things, the things that have gotten us here. Just constantly hammering on us like, hey, Q. This question's for Vinnie. Vinnie, a lot has defense, defense, defense. Just little things. That's been made that not a lot was expected of this team really all I can say is just hammering the little things. going into this season. What was your guys' expectation as a team meeting in fall ball? Was it Q. Jared, what's this team's mentality been like to be here in March Madness? shooting from beyond the arc? Just the ability to VINNIE SHAHID: Definitely. I think we saw this plan at hit three-pointers and being able to get to the rim the beginning of June. When we came together as a and space the floor? How has that been an family, we saw this happening. Through the ups and attribute the last couple games? downs, many people were like, they're too young, they JARED SAMUELSON: Shot selection is big for us on can't do this. But I think our locker room stayed offense. We're confident shooters out there. We've together, and we definitely kept our mind on the goal at been working in the gym and stuff like that. We have stake, was to get here to March Madness, and not only confidence in ourselves, and that's how you become a to get here but to win some games. good shooter. We've been doing a good job of sharing the ball, setting each other up, and just got to rise up Q. I know you guys have said it's just another and knock it down. game. Has there been any talk at all in the locker room or from the coaches? You're going to face Q. Deng, your season, the international experience, Coach Krzyzewski tomorrow, you're going to face can you sum it up a little bit in the last several Duke. Bill Raftery and Jim Nantz are out there months? calling the game. Has there been any talk at all DENG GEU: This summer I got the opportunity to about the bright lights and the focus? compete for the Uganda national team in the FIBA VINNIE SHAHID: We're aware. We're human. World Cup qualifiers. It was a great experience, just Anybody that doesn't think about it or tells you that they going out there, meeting new people, and getting a don't think about it, they're lying to you because we're taste of professional basketball. I think it really helped human and we do think about it. At the end of the day, me this season with confidence and just slowing down like Tyson said earlier, when the ball goes up and it the game. tips, it's something we've all been doing our whole lives, 40 minutes goes on the clock, and it's the Q. Did you face anybody the caliber of what you basketball game. might be seeing tomorrow in the tournament? DENG GEU: Yeah, there was a couple of NBA guys on Q. Tyson, just take us through the experience so the Nigeria team, but obviously, Duke has some really far of going through the Selection Sunday, good talent. So I think so. to Dayton, now here in Columbia. What's the experience been like for you here so far? THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. TYSON WARD: It's every college basketball player's dream. You know you put in a lot of work from when North Dakota State head coach, David Richman. you're a young kid. You fill out your brackets, and Opening statement, and then we'll open the floor for you're like, man, I really want to be on a team to play in questions. the NCAA Tournament and win some games. It's a dream come true. It's just been surreal. Sharing this DAVID RICHMAN: A few more people here than moment with these guys and just being able to live in Dayton the other day. Obviously, we're extremely the moment, it's just been great and a great excited to be here, unbelievable opportunity and opportunity, and I've been blessed -- we've been unbelievable challenge for us tomorrow night. We blessed to share this journey. stressed to the guys along the way, going back to the Thursday before we left for the summer league Q. Tyson, can you speak a little bit to the job that tournament, that make sure you embrace this journey. Coach Richman has done this year. Again, these We talked about that all year, but make sure you stay in guys have touched on the expectations maybe the moment. Enjoy this along the way, but also come weren't high to start the season, but you're playing 7:10 tomorrow night, be ready to compete. your best ball now. What has Coach Richman done to get you to this ? Obviously, against a team that I don't really need to TYSON WARD: Been doing the same thing, just explain. Duke is Duke. Coach K is Coach K, and the getting us better in every practice. Making sure we're success that he's had, a lot of challenges, a lot of just

Rev #1 by #181 at 2019-03-21 20:46:00 GMT page 2 of 4 great opportunities for us. We'll be excited and ready don't have any seniors either. Really, again, I think we to compete tomorrow night. just kind of addressed that in the last question a little bit. I think some of that deer in the headlights, I did see Q. You're a guy that spent almost your entire life in a little bit of that the other night against a really good North Dakota. I think you went to Northern Iowa for North Carolina Central team, and I think some of that's a little bit, and tomorrow night you're going to be gone. We expect a lot of pressure from Duke. We coaching against Coach Krzyzewski on the biggest expect them to come out, teed up, ready to go, like the stage. Can you just put that in perspective, what Number 1 seed would. We'll see. I think it's important, that means for a North Dakota kid? like we've stressed to them all along, the quicker you DAVID RICHMAN: It's obviously really, really cool. I can figure out you're doing something you've done your think at the end of the day, you are who you are entire life, the quicker your chances of success will be. because of your roots. I was raised by two wonderful people. My mom and dad, John and Marsha, and my Q. Coach, whether it's at a shootaround or even sister, great family that really is the core of who I am. having the guys on stage before you came up, Again, hopefully who I am is a guy of tremendous there's a certain chemistry and camaraderie among virtue. the guys. Was that something that was present from the start of the season? Did it develop But to be on this stage tomorrow night, CBS, to coach throughout the season? What was Vinnie's role in against obviously a Hall of Famer, a legend, I don't all of that? know if I could have dreamt this, Mike, a couple years DAVID RICHMAN: I was thinking about that. It really ago. has, and it really went back to about May, early June, when our guys went on an FCS like week long deal in Q. Are you ready for it? the twin cities and really formed a great bond. There DAVID RICHMAN: Absolutely. Ready or not, here it was a great bunch of eight guys that stuck around in comes. With a great challenge comes a great the spring and had a tremendous spring. And then opportunity, and certainly, I'm going to be ready for it, they welcomed and embraced those six new guys with and I know our guys will, as well. open arms. For a guy like Vinnie to come in and to be named captain five, six weeks, maybe a couple months Q. Have you had a chance to talk to Coach into it is pretty darn neat. Krzyzewski? DAVID RICHMAN: I have not had a chance to talk to But you can see his personality. You can see his smile. Coach. You can see his sense for the moment that his guys embrace him, and he embraces them real quick. Q. I'm just curious, when you go up in a matchup like this against a team with future NBA players, a Q. What changes have you seen in Sam Griesel guy like Zion, who's obviously taken over college throughout the year, from the start of the year, true basketball. Do you, as a coach, kind of view this as freshman up until last night, I guess? a stressful, challenging situation or something DAVID RICHMAN: One of the biggest things with Sam you're excited about? How do I scheme against is Vinnie. It makes more sense to me when you're these guys? How do I make this come together? there at 6:00 a.m. in the morning for lifting sessions DAVID RICHMAN: Coach Miles, the guy who I started and just different things, where Vinnie just breeds working with, said when he left college, he got into confidence in everybody, myself included. When we college coaching because of the environment and the were able to get Sam in late May, we knew we had experience of college. I get the narrative about stress something really special. That's a young man that and all this, but this is fun. You think about it. We get looks the part, just attacks his job with great resolve to play college basketball. We get to coach college every day. He's been more invested in the weight room basketball. So I think maybe, if there was any and the diet and those things than I anticipated. pressure, it was the other night, Wednesday night, in Dayton for some of our guys to just experience that, but But I think you could see from the moment we started that's gone away, and we're all excited for the him, that he was going to be pretty good. Then he had opportunity. that injury, and I think it was really telling, when he came back in that Omaha game, that he didn't play Q. Dave, facing Duke, I think Vinnie sort of great, but he didn't play with fear. If you think about it, addressed this, saying we're human. Any fear of sitting there with five, six weeks with a knee injury like deer in the headlights with your guys, a team with that, he could have been hesitant. He's grown. He's no seniors? come out of his shell a little bit socially, been more DAVID RICHMAN: I was just thinking about that. They comfortable, getting outward. I think a big part of that

Rev #1 by #181 at 2019-03-21 20:46:00 GMT page 3 of 4 is Vinnie and his teammates just breathing confidence someone's basketball IQ. From the time you saw into him all the time. Jared at a camp three or four summers ago until today, in a sense, it's really not surprising. He's a guy that we Q. You played Gonzaga as a Number 1 team, in talk about setting our jaw and just competing. Jared Spokane in late November. Do you use that game sets his jaw every day. Not just in games, but in as a template at all coming into this game at least practice and film sessions. He's at the edge of his from a mindset point of view? seat. DAVID RICHMAN: Maybe the first ten minutes. That's it. We had a lot of other extenuating circumstances at And in a kid that we couldn't hide more his first or the time, some tough travel. Sam was out. It's a game second year trying to guard the ball, now he's guarding where Cameron got hurt. But also, I think it showed us the opponents' best perimeter guy. It's a pretty neat that for the first ten minutes, when we were locked in deal. and fresh, so to speak, we can compete. We know that we're a different team. Duke's obviously got more Q. Coach, maybe the biggest game in the history of experience now than they did at that time of the year, North Dakota as far as a sporting event. With so like Gonzaga would this time of year. But there's many eyeballs back home watching on CBS certainly some things I hope we can lean on. tomorrow night, what would be your message to the people back home who are tuning in and Q. Dave, how much did Dayton, the first four game, maybe seeing the Bison for the first time this year? just kind of help get the taste in the mouth of your DAVID RICHMAN: Hopefully, we represent the people team in understanding what an NCAA Tournament back home. North Dakota is a great state, and I like to atmosphere is like? say this, it's a state that for three, four months out of DAVID RICHMAN: I'm hoping it helped a lot. I saw the year gets really cold, but that keeps the riff-raff out, some things that, again, I've said it all along about this and it adds some toughness. I think what you'll see group. This is an experience group. What I mean by tomorrow and I think what you've seen the last back that is you can talk to them about the experience, you end of the year, when we've got some experience on can show them experience, and they don't quite get it these guys, is a blue collar mentality. In Fargo, North until they actually live the experience. Wednesday Dakota, West Fargo, the Red River Valley, Moorhead, night was them living the experience. Hopefully, that the State of North Dakota, there's some tremendous will help us relax, get that deer in the headlights out of people with great resolve and toughness, and hopefully us, so to speak, early in the game. that's what this Bison men's basketball team looks like, as well. Q. Who's the toughest guy on your team to say let's just play basketball, let's just go out there and play a game? DAVID RICHMAN: Jared Samuelson; no hesitation. If you go into our video room, there's a big sign that talks about being tough and together. Jared Samuelson is tough, and he's together. His teammates love him. You've really got something in the huddle. Jared doesn't say much at all, but when you get into some of those moments, you go back to Santa Barbara at home, you go back to the other night, last night, when he's teed up and he's locked in, it's pretty cool because his teammates really embrace that, and it starts with his toughness.

Q. Follow up on that Dave, we like to talk about Jared's three-point ability, but how about his ability to take charges? Smallest guy out there, and he's diving on the floor getting burns. Just talk about his tenacity defensively? DAVID RICHMAN: I think that's the beauty of March. If you flipped open a dictionary and looked for a Division I basketball player, Jared Samuelson is probably not the first guy that shows up. What you can't measure is somebody's heart. What you can't measure is

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