NCAA Men's 1st and 2nd Rounds: Hartford Friday, March 22, 2019 Hartford, Connecticut Jermaine Samuels giving away your game plan, which I don't expect Phil Booth you guys to do, I mean, how do you guys like to Villanova Wildcats contend with a guy who has that possibility of going off and changing the game all by himself? Q. You guys are going up against Matt Haarms who PHIL BOOTH: Those type of guys are very dangerous. is 7'3". How often do you guys play guys who are Between Markus Howard this season, Miles Powell and over 7 feet and what kind of mismatch does that now Carsen Edwards, those guys can take over a present for you guys? game and dominate, go for 30 or 40 if you let them get PHIL BOOTH: We play a lot of guys like that. I mean, in a rhythm. Just trying to make everything difficult on last game we played against Hunter from St. Mary's these shots. He's the type of guy that can get going no about 6'11". In the championship game, we played matter what the defense is giving him. against Seton Hall, Romaro Gill is about 7'2". We played a lot of guys over 7 feet. Michigan has someone that's 7'1". So we still learning how to deal with guys with that much height. Haarms bring a lot of skill to it as well. He'll present some challenges. JERMAINE SAMUELS: Going off what Booth said, you now he's a really, really big guy. We'll discuss as a team how to deal with that and execute on the defensive end. Q. You had a lot of big buckets down the stretch yesterday. What do you need to do to start off the game hot and continue that momentum tomorrow night? JERMAINE SAMUELS: I would just say, just staying confident, staying ready. My teammates and my coaches are always going find ways to put me in positions to score and make plays. And as long as I look to score, be aggressive, the rest should take care of itself. Q. Phil, what is it that you've seen from Purdue that would concern you especially on the defensive end? PHIL BOOTH: They do a lot of great things offensively. So many shooters. Of course, Edwards is averaging over 20 a game. He can really take over a game. They have, between Cline and Eifert, great shooters, and inside they have Haarms, and they have a guy like -- No. 20, I can't remember his name. Eastern who can do it all. He handles the ball, finishes, does a lot of good things for them, passes the ball very well, they have a lot of different guys can beat you. Q. Phil, you mentioned Carson Edwards. He's such a high-volume shooter and high-volume scorer, and you've seen a lot of those guys. And without Rev #2 by #448 at 2019-03-22 19:55:00 GMT page 1 of 1 NCAA Men's 1st and 2nd Rounds: Hartford Friday, March 22, 2019 Hartford, Connecticut Jay Wright Villanova Wildcats people of the building. It's not their fault. The building's been great. We've been treated extremely Q. Jay, Matt Painter has talked about how getting well. So I am happy to have a crowd there. old and staying old has been a big part of their success. I am curious how that's playing into what Q. Jay, just your thoughts on what Matt Painter's you've been able to do at Villanova. been able to build over his 15 years at Purdue, the JAY WRIGHT: Definitely important to us, and it's sustained round of success? something we're really trying to work on with our JAY WRIGHT: Yeah. You can look around college recruiting and our roster structuring. And we got basketball. It's the hardest thing to do. It's the hardest caught this year. We expected to have Donte thing to do in anything is sustained excellence, right? DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman back. But for all good You can get hot for a while and then how do you handle reasons, it worked out great for them. So we're willing success, right? Or you can be down for a while and to take that hit. And it probably will affect us more even how do you handle failure? next year than it will this year because we won't have any seniors next year. Thank God for Phil Booth and He's handled everything, and every year you just know Eric Paschall. They've had a lot of responsibility, and that team is going to be well-coached, disciplined. the old guys still carry this team. They're going to execute and they're going to compete for championships every year. It's really impressive. Q. Matt Painter lost four seniors last year, probably And greatness is sustained excellence, right? And one of his top classes. What can you say about the that's what he's done. job he's done this year to get his team here? JAY WRIGHT: I just saw him in the hallway. That's And I'm sure Coach Keady is really proud. I was exactly what I said to him. I said I'm so happy for you watching film and just to see him sitting in the stands at to have a season like this and impressed. It's amazing, one of their games. I think that's a big part of it. I think it really is. Because like we just talked about, I know in Matt respects Purdue's history, respects Coach Keady, their program, they rely on guys that understand their and that's what makes him so good. It's not about him, system and that have played in their system and are it's about the tradition of Purdue basketball. To be as proud of being a part of something bigger than successful as he is and as good a coach as he and not themselves. That's what makes them good. And then make it about him is probably what's unique about him you lose four of them. It takes time to build that again. and Purdue. And I think not just what they've been able to do this Q. Jay, Carsen Edwards, a guy who has such an year, but the way they've been able to improve incredibly high volume of takes and makes, the throughout the entire season. To win the Big Ten -- kind of guy that scares you a little bit because if he they were 16-4, I believe, right? In the Big Ten? That's goes off, it doesn't matter in some ways what else impressive any time, any year, but after losing four you're doing. I don't want you to give me your guys, that's amazing. game plan. I asked Booth for it. He wouldn't give it to me. Q. Are you excited that it's a single session A guy that quick is it hard to deny. Is it then just tomorrow so there will actually be people in the switch and help and make sure he doesn't have a building when you tip off? lot room to maneuver. How do you look at him? JAY WRIGHT: I feel bad about saying that now. Everybody in the building's been awesome. The JAY WRIGHT: But similar to those guys, Powell and building's been great. We have great locker rooms. Howard, where you're not going to stop them. And part Everyone treats us great. Everything's set up. I just of the game is not getting frustrated. If he comes down meant it was just shocking to the players who have not in transition and pulls up literally from 30 foot and been in an NCAA Tournament, when you tell them how makes a shot, that can't break you mentally. special it is. I know it was because of TV and the NCAA, but I didn't mean to say anything bad about the And the thing about Purdue more than any team we've Rev #1 by #448 at 2019-03-22 19:49:00 GMT page 1 of 3 played is the other guys are really good, too. Cline when you have that much talent, and you know you can could put up the numbers that Edwards did if Edwards really get a shot off any time you want and you could wasn't on the team. Again I think that's what makes score as much as you want, but you still make the right them a great team that it doesn't bother any of them pass and make the right play to your teammates and and it's obvious the way they play together. you still defend and rebound, that's always hard to do, but in today's players' mindset it's really rare. It's really Haarms, yeah they can go inside if Edwards -- if they impressive. just choose. Eifert shoots the hell out of it, right? And then you look at Eastern, that kid can do a lot. He can Q. Jay, offensive rebounding last night was a bit of post up. He can drive the ball. He can score and a problem and it seems to have been -- guard anybody. So we can't just try to hold Edwards.