Video Courtesy of Kansas Nation
Melvin Council Jr.
Q: What was your mindset going into the game? Did you feel it early? Was there an emphasis on you playing a part?
Council: “I feel like my teammates trust me to be aggressive. I feel like that’s going to open up a lot of things on the court for them as well. So just being aggressive, using my skill and size to my advantage. I feel like that’s what helped us get the win.”
Q: When they cut it to four, you hit that big shot to end the drought. What was your approach on that possession?
Council: “I just had to get a bucket. My teammates were looking for me and they trusted me with the ball late in the shot clock, so I just had to make it.”
Q: How difficult was Saunders to defend in the second half?
Council: “He’s nice. He can really shoot it. We tried to throw different players on him and stuff like that. When I checked him, I tried not to let him get through screens, but he kept doing it. Thirty-three points is a lot. I give him props.”
Q: How good do you think this group can be when everyone is healthy?
Council: “We haven’t reached our ceiling yet. I think we’ll hit it around February or March, but we’re going to keep climbing. Darren makes the game easy for all of us and helps us score. When everybody’s healthy, Darren and Marco, it’s going to be crazy to see Kansas.”
Q: What led to that late scoring drought before your basket?
Council: “We were just passing the ball and not moving it. That’s where the drought came from. We weren’t playing our game.”
Q: What did you think of Bryson’s night?
Council: “I’m going to be honest with you. I was in his ear. I can’t say what I said, but I liked that BT.”
Q: Can you describe what you said to him?
Council: “I just called him soft, but in a different way.”
Q: What is it like when coaches push Bryson in practice?
Council: “He’s the type of guy where when coaches or players yell, he turns it up. When people aren’t on him, he doesn’t play right. I like that about him. It doesn’t affect him at all.”
Q: How did you think you defended AJ in the first half?
Council: “I think we did great. Could have done better. He’s a great player, shout-out to him. We just tried to throw different bodies and schemes at him so he couldn’t get easy baskets.”
Bryson Tiller
Q: You’ve closed out games better than last season. Has that been an emphasis?
Tiller: “Most definitely. We came out in the second half slow and not ready to compete, so we just had to maintain and get the crowd going. Getting stops helped us get going.”
Q: What did you think of the environment for the 1,000th game at Allen Fieldhouse?
Tiller: “It was phenomenal. Big shout-out to the students for camping out and all the fans supporting. It was a great environment. Every kid dreams of playing in something like that. Definitely special.”
Q: Darryn Peterson’s dunk sparked the building. What did that do for you guys?
Tiller: “It gave us a spark. Phenomenal dunk. We all know he’s got that sneaky athleticism. That helped us get going and got the crowd into it.”
Q: What did it mean seeing former players like Paul Pierce in the building?
Tiller: “It was great. Knowing who you’re playing for means a lot. There’s a lot of history here. Me and Melvin especially are proud to put Kansas on our chest every day.”
Q: You hit threes and attacked the rim. How much has that been emphasized?
Tiller: “Playing to my size and my skill set has been emphasized by the coaches and my teammates. I feel like I’m doing a good job of that and I’ll keep getting better.”
Q: How do you flip the page quickly with another big game coming Monday?
Tiller: “That’s what we came to Kansas for. Next game up. We just practice tomorrow, have a good one, and we’ll be ready.”
Q: How do you keep outside pressure from affecting your confidence?
Tiller: “I trust my game wholeheartedly. Nobody can bring my confidence down. It’s just about staying turned up, and I’ll keep doing that starting in practice.”