Arkansas Razorbacks coach Mike Neighbors' complete press conference Sunday afternoon after getting big win over Incarnate Word at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
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00:00 It wasn't pretty for a lot of it, but you end up with, I think it was a 19 point win.
00:04 Just what do you think of, I guess, the way y'all got better as the game went?
00:07 Again, if you were in here this room in the pregame, I told everybody it was not going to be.
00:14 Lots of reasons, not excuses, lots of reasons. One, we had an extended break.
00:19 I chose to do that. This group knows that we'll set them up for adversity, which we did.
00:24 We gave them a really long break. I didn't send them home with this.
00:28 I was on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. No regimented what to do.
00:32 Brought them back. Played a team that's in the top 200 in the net.
00:36 I think they're 179 today. 176.
00:41 Again, a team that played TCU close, had Texas Tech, ended the third quarter deep.
00:47 Jeff does an amazing job. It's a slow-paced game.
00:50 We knew when we scheduled this game, this would be a great game to come back from,
00:55 challenge our kids, and see how we responded.
00:58 We knew it would be a little bit, so that's why I was a little patient.
01:01 But then I grew impatient because I thought our effort started –
01:05 we let the fatigue become more tired than we really should have been.
01:10 So we didn't pass that test like I would have liked to, but they did respond when challenged.
01:15 We made a couple of little adjustments at halftime with Miriam,
01:18 rolling to the basket instead of picking and pops. She had an unbelievable third quarter.
01:22 I thought our defensive intensity in that third quarter,
01:27 especially in the fourth quarter when Coach went in there and challenged them in the fourth,
01:30 our intensity in the third was not good.
01:32 He challenged them as hard as he does, and they responded with a good fourth quarter.
01:37 So I thought we took good shots.
01:39 If you look at that fourth quarter, that's what I'm going to go home and talk about.
01:43 The rest of that, challenged them, and we didn't respond as well as I would have liked to have,
01:49 but they did at the end respond like I wanted them to.
01:52 Yeah, you all have now strung together quite a few really good defensive performances.
01:56 I know I heard Shawna Green say to media the other day how you all took away the three-point line from them well.
02:02 Just what do you think, especially of you all's three-point defense?
02:05 I think with time and enough film, Coach Schaefer and his defensive staff
02:13 is going to put together a good scheme.
02:16 I'd give about half of our practice time to defense.
02:20 We used a little bit more on offense and get back in shape this time,
02:24 but I think our group does a really good job of executing what he wants defensively.
02:30 We make some mistakes, and every mistake that we do make is obvious,
02:35 and we try to correct it as we go because we know what's coming.
02:39 I think our roles are very clearly identified.
02:42 I think for the most part they are generally accepted, and our kids are doing what they do.
02:48 I mean you look down here at Mary Saylor, again, don't ever get used to seeing 17 defensive.
02:57 It's amazing to me that a kid can continue to do that against the people we've played.
03:04 I don't know where the number falls today to Dorita, but she knows what I'm talking about.
03:07 Our wins are in the top ten. We have one of the top ten average wins of our 13 now
03:14 of anybody in the country, not just our league but the country.
03:17 So our wins are against good people, and we know how good the losses are.
03:20 So for her to do this for a sustained period, for Toledo to do what she does,
03:24 for Mary and for Mac to continue to do what she does, Sam changing the pace of the game
03:30 offensively when we needed a change of pace, Jenna valuable minutes for us,
03:35 Keith's good minutes for us, and Christina.
03:38 So I think everybody's role now, we're going to sit down over the next two weeks
03:43 and really have some deep conversations about executing.
03:46 But for us to win all four quarters against those guys, I don't know how many times
03:49 they've been beaten all four quarters because they've had the lead against some good teams.
03:54 So I'm going to roll into 24 pretty happy with our non-conference schedule.
03:59 Last thing I'm going to ask is that third quarter you talked about getting Miriam involved.
04:04 That was kind of I guess whenever you all started to create separation,
04:06 and Talia just kind of finished them off with some big buckets.
04:09 Just what did you think of those two?
04:11 Well, they took what the defense gave us.
04:14 They were really indicative of when she drove in and had the close play,
04:18 it was a charge or an and one, it was a really bang, bang play.
04:21 They started doing that, so it was opening up the role.
04:23 And then we took advantage of that, and then it opened up the drives again.
04:26 So just that we are learning not to try to force the action.
04:30 I can't control what Incarnate Word does on their defense.
04:33 Can they?
04:34 If they want to run over there, then we've got to have the roll option.
04:38 If they're going to take away the roll, then Talia is going to shoot mid-range jumpers
04:41 and step back threes.
04:44 I think as long as we can continue to take what defenses choose to allow,
04:51 I still think we shoot it better than what our numbers say in practice.
04:56 I think we're going to have some moments where we have knots when that's --
05:02 back to again 13 or 14 for 28 instead of eight.
05:06 I thought our quality of shots was pretty good.
05:08 I thought our balance was good.
05:11 For us to hang in there on the boards, we were down at half in that area
05:16 and we gave up too many offensive ones, but I thought we cleaned that up.
05:21 You mentioned the seven-day layoff.
05:22 Just how important going into SEC play, coming off of that, was it to get a win?
05:27 Obviously, it's like you said, it wasn't clean all the way through,
05:30 but going to SEC play on Thursday on a good note.
05:33 Yeah, I'm not going to say it wasn't clean.
05:36 I mean, it was hard, but they're a hard team to play against.
05:39 So, I think for our confidence, it's obviously important.
05:44 It's hard to lose games, period, no matter when they are.
05:48 But I think it will help our confidence.
05:49 I think it puts a nice little bow on this preseason as a whole.
05:55 I think we have enough veterans in the locker room that are talking to our young kids.
05:58 It does change at Kentucky on the fourth.
06:02 But the goal is still going to be 10 feet high, the ball is still going to be round.
06:05 All of those things are there.
06:06 Kentucky is having to go through the things just like we do, just as everybody else.
06:10 I said earlier on, the team that handles these two weeks without class,
06:14 I think we'll get way ahead of everybody else.
06:16 So, I want to make sure we get off to a good start.
06:19 This is step one of about a 10-step thing that needs to go right for us.
06:24 Recover, watch a little bit of film,
06:27 fix the things we need that were controllable,
06:29 and then we'll start turning attention to scouts specific to Kentucky.
06:33 You mentioned the importance of starting quickly in SEC play.
06:36 In your experience being here,
06:38 what is the key to getting a quick start in SEC play off the non-con?
06:42 Having kids that understand how it is different.
06:47 That a play today, maybe that we look back on and go, "Eh."
06:52 You're going to look back on that, and it could be the difference in the game.
06:54 The value of every single possession.
06:56 It's really easy for our upperclassmen to tell that story
06:59 because we had six games in league last year
07:01 that were easily decided by one possession.
07:04 So, I do think making that transition,
07:07 we've had moments where we can point that out,
07:10 but now it gets to be magnified.
07:12 Everything is just going to magnify.
07:14 Intensity will magnify.
07:16 Pressure will magnify.
07:18 Focus will magnify.
07:20 And just having them as prepped as they can be.
07:23 I can't help Talia and Carly Keats and Jenna Lawrence
07:28 and Christina and those guys.
07:30 And really, Miriam, too.
07:31 Miriam is in a new role.
07:33 Those kids, they're going to have to experience it a little bit,
07:36 but I'm going to really rely on Mack and Sam and Saylor, too,
07:40 who played every game last year in the league
07:42 to make sure that they don't just hear it, that they understand it.
07:47 Last thing for me, 15 games here non-con.
07:49 You mentioned the tough opponents you've played.
07:51 What's the biggest thing you've learned about this team
07:54 throughout that stretch?
07:56 They are adaptable to a number of different things.
07:59 Like we've thrown a bunch of stuff at them,
08:01 and they just kind of keep taking it and keep coming back.
08:04 You know, I think -- I still don't know yet,
08:09 but I think this is a group that when the adversity hits,
08:12 that we're going to deal with.
08:14 It's coming.
08:15 I think this is a group that will draw closer together than pull apart.
08:19 I think I've learned that.
08:20 I'm not positive, but I'm getting more and more certain of it.
08:23 Because of little things that we see, we hear, that happen in practice,
08:28 that happen on the bus, that happen in the locker room,
08:31 I'm more convinced that at times last year
08:34 where we got off our path a little bit, I think we will recognize it earlier,
08:39 and I think we will, of course, correct faster
08:41 when those adverse things do happen.