Everything Maryland men's basketball seniors Selton Miguel and Julian Reese heading into Friday’s NCAA Tournament game vs. Grand Canyon:
On the initial reaction of the NCAA Tournament berth
Reese: “Just kind of a sense of relief, just seeing our name go across the board. It was a little long, took a little bit, but just a sense of relief and just kind of a sense of confidence, as well being such a high seed as four, probably the highest seed I've been since I've been here. So just a relief.”
Miguel: “After five years, for the first time, my being in it. I'm proud of this team. It's been a long way. It's a whole new team and then we got to gel together, and have a quick turnaround. But, yeah, I'm definitely excited for the first time, especially when representing Maryland in the [NCAA] Tournament.”
Reese on Maryland earning their highest seed since he’s been at Maryland
“It means a lot. Like you said, I've been here all four years, and just seeing that that paid off, sticking to my guns paying off, and just staying here, staying home paying off. It just means a lot. I'm just grateful for it.”
Miguel on balancing fun and staying focused on the game itself
“Just taking it by day. Of course we’re excited to be in it, but at the same time, we're just trying to stay together as much as we can. And, just trying to leave day by day, instead of more about what’s the next thing.”
On the message after Maryland’s seed, opponent was announced
Reese: “He basically let us know like yesterday really doesn't matter, it’s in the past now. Just looking at our seeding, we should be confident, be proud of that. And he just instilling confidence into the whole team and basically telling the message was bringing, be locked into practice tomorrow and just bring it with that chip on your shoulder.”
Miguel: “He just told us it’s just getting started. Like I said, we’re excited to be here and keep working.”
On eight Big Ten teams in the NCAA Tournament
Reese: “It means a lot. It’s a very skillful conference that we're in, very competitive conference that we [are] in. To be seeded so high is just a blessing and just like I said, a reflection of our work in the offseason.”
Miguel: “One of the best leagues in the country. The reason why I came here to, you know, to compete at his level. And, just excited to be a four-seed.”
Reese on the biggest lesson he learned from his last NCAA Tournament appearance
“Kind of just, you know, staying together and looking past rankings. I feel like if we do that, we'll be good.”
Reese on what he remembers from that experience, how long it stayed with him
“What I remember from the last time I was in the tournament was just playing it, taking it one game at a time. I feel like we were kind of so hellbent on the win against West Virginia, was kind of celebrating that a little bit and we weren't focused on the next. I feel like now we take a different approach to that, we’ll be good this time.”
Miguel on his first NCAA Tournament appearance
“For my last year, I wanted to be in the dance. That's why I chose Maryland. Just the culture, and I knew since the summer, we would make this far. I knew because I saw the talent on the team and the way we got together because most of the times off of the court, it matters to, being together off the court. So we did pretty well on that part. And just we’re gonna take it day by day and then live the moment.”
Reese on how to turn the close losses into wins in March
“We kind of do it by like bringing us together, something about like the stat where the last four games is buzzer beaters or whatever, but those last four games, I feel like I think we've won like consecutive games after those as well. So we kind of just use that as momentum, as a chip on our shoulder. And I feel like we're gonna do that this time again.”
Reese on being the leader as the lone starter with tournament experience
“That's very important to me. Just being a guy that everybody can lean on, it doesn't have to be on the stat sheet all the time, just being the best player I can be and doing whatever I can do for the team to win, like rebound, block shots, things like that. And just doing things, the little things that other guys don't do, or other guys aren’t doing on a certain day, some guys shots may not be falling. My shots falling, my shots may not be falling. It's the other way around. And I feel like, if I keep doing that, then we'll go far.”
On the post-bracket reveal emotion
Reese: “It was a little bit of both. We knew for sure we were in the tournament, but it’s just a reflection of our hard work. We know the work we put in, the teams we beat, and stuff we've proven. So it's kind of like a let's go, but like, lock in at the same time.”
Miguel: “Yeah, same. Just excited. The wrong thing about this is the location. So we go all the way to Washington, but everything goes away. We happy about it so we’re good.”
On whether going across the country makes preparation more difficult
Reese: “I don't think so. But I'm not everybody, so I'm kind of – it doesn't really matter to me.”
Miguel: “I just don't like planes.”
Reese on whether the West Coast swing in January factors into NCAA Tournament
“I feel like the guys that didn't play as well as they wanted to, they're kind of playing with that chip on their shoulder, and they want to prove themselves over there.” You.
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