For the players, how important was it to take charge at the beginning and get that big lead early? I'm just excited to have the opportunity right now. I'm not too much thinking about how my body is feeling. At this point I'm just so excited just to even be here and have the opportunity that we have. JUSTYN MUTTS: I'm ready to play tomorrow right now. How much does it wear on you to play a third game in a third day? Keve and Justyn, we hear so much about you guys playing five AAU games in a day and all that stuff. But also my teammates trust me, so they give me the ball in areas where I can work. Keve, can you speak to your consistency that you've played with down the stretch the past two nights? Do you attribute that to things you're doing off the court or is that more just really understanding the moment and the pressure that goes into the tournament? We're going to play another good ball game against a really good opponent, and I'm going to take my chances with those guys in Hokie uniforms. They outplayed us.īut whoever it is, I'm bringing a good team back over. North Carolina had something to do with that. The castle is bursting at the seams, and we stunk. We were so prepared, and now these guys are so excited. We had it all teed up and we're playing really good basketball, and we've got North Carolina at home at 6:00 two weeks ago. We played a good ball game against Virginia at home three weeks ago, a month ago. MIKE YOUNG: We're going to just hang in there. Are there any mindset changes going into the next game or are you going to stick with what you've got? You shot over 60 percent in the second half, and now you're going up against UNC or UVA and you're combined 1-3 against those guys. Coach, you guys have a lot of momentum right now. That's all we really can do at this point. That's where our focus lies at the present. We still have work to do, and again, an opportunity to come back tomorrow and compete again against Virginia or North Carolina. We talk about a little box over there, and we'll open that box at the end of the year and be happy for one another. I was flopping around down in South Carolina. Those guys were riding a Big Wheel 11 years ago back in Berlin, Maryland, and New Jersey. What does that mean to you guys to make it this far now, and also how significant do you feel it is that you picked up another quality win for the resume? First time in 11 years Tech is in the ACC semifinals. We just wanted to keep them at a good distance, so we did that. They came back, and that was something we kept saying on the bench. Keve, how much did what happened last night kind of get you more to dig in at the end of the game to close it out this time when Notre Dame got within five? I don't know any other way to explain it to you than that. Their passing, their spacing, what they can do with all those guys gives you a lot of heartburn and keeps you up at night. Now, in the second half, they are a machine offensively. Justyn was awfully, awfully good throughout, got a couple of shots down, and I thought put Notre Dame on their heels a little bit, which is very unusual. We just had such a great look about us, and we gotta Aluma started in the first possession of the game. Not that Notre Dame's wasn't, and Notre Dame is so good and had such a good - has had such a good season.

You're sitting there yesterday watching that. I've always been concerned - you wouldn't trade it for the world, I've always been concerned, that other team has been on that floor. MIKE YOUNG: You know, I don't know if this had anything to do with it, the bye is great. What went into that hot start and what did it do for you throughout the course of the game? You got off to a hot start and even though Notre Dame was able to narrow the gap as the game went on, you never really lost that edge.

Asap sports fastscripts