Arkansas Razorbacks' El Ellis (15 points, 5 rebounds) and Tramon Mark (13 points, 5 rebounds) after a 78-75 win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday evening at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
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00:00 Really just staying ready, staying in the gym, being confident in myself.
00:04 I produced at this level, so I just had to keep that confidence in myself,
00:08 keep that mindset and just stay in the gym.
00:10 >> And for both of you, what did you think about having Devo back?
00:12 How nice was that?
00:13 And what did you think of the way he played?
00:15 >> It was good having Devo back, especially just as I keep on the defensive end,
00:20 offensive end, we looked fundamentally sound and I knew it was good for us.
00:25 >> Yeah, it's great to have Devo back.
00:26 He played really well, defensively, offensively, he was aggressive,
00:31 he was making plays, that's what he does every night.
00:33 >> Yeah, I know for both you guys, it was a rough first half and
00:37 Conrad's played two and seven and what you want.
00:39 But starting off with a win at home over team that beat you.
00:42 First of all, how good was it to get a little revenge,
00:44 beat a team that beat you already?
00:46 And then just starting off the second half,
00:48 the right way to defend the home court?
00:49 >> That was the theme for us all weekend practice,
00:52 just a give back game at Georgia Payback.
00:54 That's what we did, that's what we had in the back of our heads the whole time.
00:58 This whole weekend practice, just trying to get that win back.
01:01 >> You touched on that too, though.
01:03 >> Yeah, most definitely.
01:04 Like you said, that was the theme all week, get this win back.
01:08 Cuz in Athens, we should have got that game.
01:11 And I thought we came out ready to play, we played together, moved the ball.
01:15 And that's a good way to start the second half of conference play.
01:18 >> It was a good stretch where Eric had you two and I guess Devo and
01:21 I think Keon on the floor together.
01:23 So it's kind of foreguard and he was rotating the big, whoever the big was.
01:26 How'd you like that and how much do you think that helped you all?
01:30 Maybe team Marquitae first.
01:32 >> It opened up a job in lanes for us kinda.
01:36 When they ran man and we got to get to the basket and kick out and
01:39 get some easy threes.
01:40 Ed hit a big three, couple big threes, and Keon hit a big three.
01:44 And just stuff like that, that was part of our foreground line and
01:47 we were able to get easy shots.
01:49 >> Yeah, for sure.
01:50 >> It really opened the floor for all of us.
01:53 Cuz we all can make plays for each other and that's what we did.
01:55 We got into the lane, made the right plays, got to the column when he was open.
01:59 We hit some big threes too.
02:01 >> I gotta think a lot of guys, they don't play for two games and
02:04 then they're, I mean mentally they've checked out, they're done, whatever.
02:08 What about, I know you're older and you're mature and all that, but
02:10 what is it about your makeup that allows you to stay ready and
02:14 then come out and have a game like this when you do get a chance again?
02:17 And T-Mark, what did you think of how he handled all that?
02:20 >> I would say I really just love the hoop.
02:23 Regardless of the circumstances, I'm gonna be ready to play.
02:26 And I got some really good teammates around me that keep me uplifted,
02:29 keep me ready.
02:30 We got some really good GAs and coaching staff that I keep staying in the gym.
02:34 They rebound for me no matter what.
02:36 And that's helped me have this good game tonight.
02:38 >> Like you say, he stays in the gym, stays ready,
02:42 stays getting shots up after practice, before practice, just things like that.
02:46 Even if you're not playing, just doing those things will help you build
02:49 confidence in yourself.
02:50 And he always does those things and that's what it is.
02:55 >> El, just kinda walk me through that.
02:56 The last three pointer that you hit to give you guys a two point lead,
02:59 I mean, the ball kinda naturally made it your way.
03:01 But were you saying you were in that left corner a lot?
03:04 Did you feel like it was gonna eventually make your way there for
03:06 an open three?
03:07 >> Yeah, just because of the way we was moving the ball.
03:09 Who was getting into the middle, and it was getting into the corner.
03:14 And in a one through one zone, you gotta get it to the corner.
03:17 And when that guy told me I was ready to shoot,
03:19 I knew it was going in as soon as I released it.
03:21 >> And Tremont, I know it was kind of a slow start for you offensively, but
03:25 in the second half, especially when Georgia was making that run,
03:28 there was a moment there, I think he got to the free throw line four straight times,
03:31 made a jumper.
03:32 Did you feel like maybe you had to step up in that time and
03:34 kinda settle things down for the team?
03:37 >> Definitely, I feel like I had to do something just to take the pressure off
03:41 my teammates, and they were doing that for me in the first half.
03:44 It was scoring the ball, so I just feel like I had to step up a little bit too.
03:48 >> Really for both of you guys, Coach Musselman's kinda talked about
03:51 implementing new plays into the offense kinda throughout the week.
03:54 Can you just talk about how you guys kinda went about doing that today,
03:57 how comfortable you were in that offense, and
03:59 how you guys kind of, I guess, build on that going forward?
04:01 >> Yeah, we always got some new things that we're throwing in here and there.
04:07 And I feel like the guys on the team have got really good attention to detail.
04:10 Like whenever something new that's put in, we're always trying to execute it.
04:14 We always go hard when we're doing it in the show tonight.
04:17 >> Seemed like you guys got a lot of coast to coast baskets tonight,
04:22 off loose ball, lob ball turnovers, and defensive rebounds.
04:26 Did you have the impression that you were gonna be able to get out and
04:28 transition early?
04:29 Or is it just something that you just kinda fed and kept snowballing for you?
04:33 >> Yeah, we wanted to get to the rim a lot tonight, scoring zone one.
04:36 That was also our theme, just trying to score the ball in zone one.
04:41 So when we got a stop in, we got a loose rebound,
04:44 we were told to push the ball and try to score it, and that's what we did.
04:48 >> Yeah, for sure.
04:48 At one of the immediate timeouts, we gotta push the ball.
04:53 We gotta get some easy transition buckets.
04:55 And that's what opened things up for us.
04:57 That's what we tried to do.
04:58 >> And then defensively in that first half,
05:00 after the run of threes that teams have had in previous games recently,
05:03 how did y'all feel about holding Georgia to 1-12, and what was working there?
05:07 >> All week, that's been the emphasis, we can't give up threes anymore.
05:13 We had some new defensive drills that we did in practice,
05:16 that really helped us a lot.
05:18 And guys, we were ready, we knew what we needed to do.
05:21 Just make guys put on the floor and try to shoot tough twos,
05:24 that's what we've been able to do.
05:27 >> Yeah, you guys were 14-19 in the second half.
05:30 I think that's probably your highest percentage of the half, 57,
05:33 something like that.
05:34 What went into that?
05:35 What was the key to that for both of you?
05:36 >> I feel like once we figured out their zone,
05:38 we were able to get a lot of easy looks in that second half.
05:41 And that's what we did.
05:42 We had to just share the ball, move the ball, ball fake, get some easy looks.
05:47 And we got a lot of zone one points in, a couple threes added.
05:50 So we got good looks all around, so they were following the night.
05:55 >> Yeah, you got a thought on that?
05:56 >> Yeah, for sure.
05:57 I feel like that just came with us moving the ball the way we did.
06:00 And we figured out a zone like Mark said.
06:02 And we just hit the open ones.
06:04 We got the easy paint points like we always try to do, scoring zone one.
06:07 And we were good doing it.
06:08 >> I don't know, you guys, man, I didn't think about stuff like this.
06:10 I gotta think about stuff like this cuz of my job.
06:13 You guys have been 0 for 5 in Saturday SEC games.
06:16 A lot of those were against good ranked teams, I get.
06:18 But on Sunday, usually a day off, even if you come and get shot.
06:21 How good is it to enjoy a Sunday after an SEC win for the first time?
06:25 >> It feels good.
06:26 It just feels good to win in general.
06:29 So winning this game, it felt good for us.
06:34 We needed going into the next game, we gotta protect the house again.
06:38 >> Yeah, it felt really good to get that win.
06:41 We're gonna regroup tomorrow, come back ready and play and get ready for Tennessee.
06:46 >> Yeah, Tennessee plays tonight, but they're ranked number six.
06:48 I think they'll be the highest ranked team to come in here since Duke.
06:51 What do you guys feel about playing Tennessee?
06:54 >> We feel good.
06:55 We feel confident.
06:56 We're gonna get a game plan going.
06:57 It's gonna be a battle.
06:59 >> It's definitely gonna be a battle.
07:01 We're gonna be ready.
07:02 And we're ready to turn this thing around, so it starts there.
07:06 >> One more question.
07:08 Keon had a pretty good game when he wasn't stepping out of bounds.
07:11 What'd you think of his game?
07:13 >> He had a good game.
07:14 He showed that he can score, pass.
07:17 He just had a good game.
07:18 Couple turnovers he had, but overall he had a good game.
07:21 I was proud of him.
07:23 >> Yeah, he had a really good game.
07:24 I've been stepping out of bounds, but that happens.
07:26 We had like three or four of them.
07:28 He really scored at a high level.
07:30 He got me some open looks.
07:32 I got him some open ones.
07:33 He got into the lane.
07:34 He made the right play.
07:35 He played really well.
07:36 >> It looked like Devo was leading the team tonight.
07:39 They played through him quite a bit.
07:41 When he came back to practice, did he talk to you guys as a team?
07:44 >> I mean, he's just always been that vocal leader for us,
07:50 especially when we're out there on the floor.
07:52 He's played in this league for a long time.
07:54 So whenever he says he's got something to say, I listen to him, we listen to him.
07:59 And that's what he did out there tonight.
08:01 He really got us in spots, held us together, and he was talking to us all night.
08:05 >> Just both of you real quick, what have y'all made of, I guess,
08:09 the way Jalen and Mekhi have been playing, I guess, the last three or four games?
08:14 Just maybe the way that they're playing off of each other, feeding off each other.
08:16 >> They've been playing great.
08:17 I love the little two-man game they have sometimes, where they're just going to
08:22 work down in the paint and say a con man might help off and Jalen just dump it up to him,
08:28 just stuff like that.
08:29 That really gives us easy buckets, and they've been doing that a lot.