Q. What is this feeling like, knowing what that happened last year and here we are now?
JAY HUFF: It’s great. There were a lot of people that didn’t think we would make it this far in the tournament. After last year, a lot of people were thinking similar would happen, there would be an early exit in the tournament.
Obviously, we don’t go out just to prove people wrong, but it is fun knowing they’ll have to eat their words a little bit.
Q. The end of regulation sequence, what were you thinking on the bench?
JAY HUFF: I’ll be honest, I thought the game was over. And then all of a sudden, Mamadi got the tip-out, Kihei made the amazing pass back to him. Just going nuts.
Q. When you got it to overtime, did you feel like this is our game now?
JAY HUFF: Yeah. I mean, with the way number 3 was shooting the ball, we were still a little bit nervous, but we were able to contain him toward the end. So that was huge.
Q. What was your first reaction when Mamadi’s shot went in?
DE’ANDRE HUNTER: I just, I was celebrating, but I didn’t want to celebrate too much, because I didn’t know if it counted or not. So I was waiting to see if it counted.
Q. With last year’s first round disappointment in the tournament, how does it feel knowing that you guys went from that to this year, going to the Final Four?
DE’ANDRE HUNTER: Feels great. We knew that was going to be the thing coming into this year, Coach told us about it. We knew what this team was capable of.
Q. Can you believe a shot beat your nine-tenths of a second shot to go in this same building?
DE’ANDRE HUNTER: That shot was way better. Way bigger than that shot.
Q. What do you think it was for the team that’s the team to get over the hump for UVA?
DE’ANDRE HUNTER: It’s our versatility. We have guys that can do a lot of things. We have guys that can hit the shots. When someone is not playing well, we have guys who can step up and play well. Mamadi has been playing great. Ty played great today. Kyle played great today. A lot of guys did a great job tonight.
Q. When you retrieved the ball, did you have a sense of how much time there was? Did you think about a basket at that point?
KIHEI CLARK: I knew we didn’t have much time, but tried to advance the ball. So that’s like get it to Mamadi.
Q. Did you see anything?
KIHEI CLARK: As soon as I caught it and was dribbling, I saw him right away.
Q. How did it feel to be on top of the ladder?
KIHEI CLARK: Amazing feeling. Amazing feeling to get the win. I’m at a loss for words right now. But yeah, feels great.
Q. Did it feel like you just kind of had to outlast them because Carsen Edwards for them was outstanding?
KIHEI CLARK: Yeah. We knew it was going to be a grinder of a game, the way they play defense too. They played great “D”, and we played great defense as well. So we knew it was going to be a hard, tough game. And we’re lucky to outlast them.
Q. After last year, how rewarding is it to be at this point, going to the Final Four?
KIHEI CLARK: Yeah. I wasn’t here last year, but it feels great to get to the Final Four this year.
Q. How much is that motto, United Pursuit, that you guys carry? How much did that come out and show up here tonight?
KIHEI CLARK: The whole 40 minutes. We got down, we got up. They made runs, we made runs. But in the end, we stayed together.
Augusta Free Press coverage of the 2019 postseason is presented by Bear Creek. Serving Waynesboro, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and surrounding communities, Bear Creek provides a hassle-free process to help homeowners create outdoor living spaces that bring people together. Schedule a consultation at BearCreek.co.
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Chris Graham
