Matt McMahon, Jordan Wright and Hunter Dean talks about the non-conference schedule and previews the SEC opener against Texas A&M on Saturday.
Jordan Wright and Hunter Dean
Jordan Wright and Hunter Dean
- Wright says the team feels their offense improving. Says having Jalen Cook back has helped them, he's been a calming presence for them on that side of the ball.
- Wright talked about the sec schedule. Says every game is tough and thinks they need to be tough to win in the conference. Says they have the talent and all that, they just need to be as physical as everyone else.
- Dean is excited for his first season of SEC play to play some tougher competition.
- Dean said he's been working to get more minutes. Using his energy and hustle has earned him more minutes this year. He's used to getting inserted in the lineup because of his skill, but here he had to work for it.
- Wright feels they're a completely different team with Cook on the floor. "Jalen has kind of eased the game...He calmed out team down and gave us the confidence we need."
- Dean says he's been a ball screen big his whole career, so with Cook, they're finally able to do that in their offense which has helped him these last three games.
- Wright thinks this team is very unselfish. They have 8-9 guys who can get real minutes and contribute, so he thinks by not caring about individual stats, it's allowed them to feed the hot hand every night.
- Wright started the season in a slump, and he feels he added pressure on himself early in the season, but now that he has started to feel more adjusted and used to the system, he feels he's playing a lot better (which he is).
- They think they have something to prove in SEC play. They're record isn't what they want it to be right now, but they feel they're in a good spot right now. Thinks winning in College Station could kick start something for them.
- Wright says he's played against Tyrece Radford a lot growing up. Says he's competitive and is really looking forward to facing off with him on Saturday. Says it's at least the 10th time they've played each other.
- They think a successful SEC schedule would be them just playing their hardest, getting the most out of the team and being competitive in every game. Says it's hard to predict records, but they want to finish on the top of the SEC and make the tournament.
- Very pleased with the progress his team has made the last three weeks.
- Says Texas A&M has been very dominant on the offensive side of the ball. Very efficient offense that gets to the line a lot.
- Thinks the team has played better since Jalen Cook got back. Their assist rate is way up, their turnover rate is way down. He makes everyone around him better and makes the game easier for them.
- Thinks they're getting closer to a set rotation. This is the "10th day since June 1st" they've had their whole team available.
- They've had a lot of practice time over the last few weeks, and he feels they've gotten better at defensive rebounding and three point shooting defense during the time off. Excited to see how they perform in those areas.
- A&M is one of the best offensive rebounding teams they've faced. They have 51 offensive rebounds in their last two games.
- They don't turn the ball over much, couple that with the offensive rebounds they get and you've got a pretty good offense.
- Cook brings some creativity to the team. He's improved their shot quality and helps speed them up in transition.
- Opening the SEC schedule against the team that finished second in the league last year is going to be tough, but he's excited to see how this team can perform against the top competition in the nation.
- They're fifth in the country in steals now. Feels their defense has been their identity, but early on, all their turnovers held them back. Feels this is a fast paced team that can shut you down on defense, they just need to continue to build on offense.
