On what he liked about the win

I loved the fact we shared the ball. Not saying we hadn't shared the ball throughout the year but just making the simple plays. We did a really good job early on not turning the ball over, making sure that we get the ball inside and let Hunter operate. He did a really good job of being patient. When he got doubled, he made the right play to the guys on the perimeter so when we play like that, we're a tough team to guard.

On what he said to the team at halftime

I talked about defending. We have to, of course, being a short prep, get to our habits. We're not going to know every set, they have a lot of sets with a lot of different movements. The shooting they have on the floor, they're going to get some open looks. Stay the course when they do make some. More importantly, make sure we contest every shot. Ball contest, make some adjustments on the ball screen defense. There were times with our ball screen defense where Shumate got open of the pick and pop, had to make an adjustment with that. Then, the apply from out guys, being able to apply that and holding this team to 40% in the second half, that was big for us.

On Dug McDaniel's decision making

Dug made plays. I told the guys, primarily with Hunter, with some of the hedgings, Hunter was able to slip to the basket. He also did a really good job where he came off a ball screen, he was in drop coverage, being able to put pressure on the drop big and lull him to sleep by looking away and dropping a pass off to him. Whether that was a layup or a foul that led to a free throw. Also, in transition, getting out in transition and making sure that we did not allow the defense to set up. Dug did a really good job of putting pressure while we were trying to get transition opportunities for our guys. Very balanced on all ends. We're very balanced with those five guys that started. We also got a big lift from T-Will. Some of his minutes were huge for us. Jace came in defensively keeping guys in front which they had some guards that could make either plays for themselves or can shoot the ball off the dribble, can get to the paint and cause havoc for you. Jace did a really good job of bodying them and not allowing them to get easy drive-bys.

On Joey Baker applying for an extra year

Michigan, it's a great school academically. Joey being at Duke, academically he qualifies, there's also a few other hurdles we have to dive deep into. Hopefully, we're going to try hard, we're going to give it our best shot. We would love to have him back. Not just because of shooting but just overall the person. He just fits in the locker room. The guys, Joey playing with them, he's now opening up and becoming a veteran leader. There are times where you're new, you don't want to step on anyone's toes, it's hard to have those uncomfortable conversations with guys. You want to be liked by them but, at the same time, he understands that he's been in big games now and he sees that the guys trust him. We need his leadership and it would be nice to have him back last season.

On whether they're pursuing a redshirt for Jaelin Llewellyn

First, with Jaelin, we want to get him healthy. That's the key. The young man has dealt with some tough injuries. Achilles, now ACL. Trying to get him in contact with Klay Thompson. I'm going to continue working on that because Klay has been through it before. Understands what it's like dealing with those two tough injuries, the timetable and the mental part of it that really gets to you. How you can stay dialed in but also how you can not get into where you're in a dark place, that can happen. Jaelin has been great. It's been nice to see that he's staying around the guys, around the team and everyone loves him. He's such a smart guy but he's also such an all-in kind of person. It would be nice to see Jaelin get healthy and we'll go from there.

On Will Tschetter's three-point shooting

Will is a freshman and the game is now—you're getting reps. As you get more reps, as you're out there, you become a bit more comfortable and the confidence starts to pick up. Will has a chance to be—I look at it as a captain of our team. Which is something that you don't just get, you have to earn it. You earn it with your character and your hard work. He's one of the hardest workers on our team. Puts in countless hours in the gym but also in the classroom which makes him elite level. I just see in the years to come, he could be a guy that could potentially breaks some records here at the University of Michigan. First, I would start with the All-Academic team. Overall, in the game, we trust him out there. He'll continue to keep getting better.

On Jett Howard not playing

Jett has been injured all season long for us, unfortunately. Jett, he's a competitor and I've told you guys all season. Dating back to his first injury that he had in the Virginia game. Rushed back and played in London versus Kentucky. Thought he should not have played but he made sure that he stepped out there on that floor and be out there for his teammates. Nowadays you hear about guys taking time off. I don't know what that is. Jett has been part of the Howard DNA where he knows that he has a passion for the game of basketball. Since he was younger, when he got injured, he always picked himself up and continued to keep competing. Cut his eye before, he was out there the next play with stitches. That's how he's wired. When he had the injury, injured the other ankle in the Michigan State game, he came down on Hauser's foot and Hauser was going back to get a rebound and he turned it pretty good. He came back out and played again. He went and saw a foot and ankle specialist and, as of right now, we're going to look at this thing day-to-day, let him heal and then we'll see and go from there. He wanted to be out there for his teammates today. He was emotional, too. Very emotional that he didn't play today.

On the decision to play in the NIT

I look at it like this: we were a team that brought the basketball to the park. The other two teams didn't have a basketball. We brought the basketball, and it's time to play. So what are we going to do? Are we going to take our basketball and go home because they didn't pick us to play in the first game? o, we're not going to cry over spilled milk. We're not going to act like we're entitled. We're not going to act like it's beneath us... we're not going to be a team that takes our basketball and not let the other teams play.

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