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Dan Hurley & UConn Postgame Press Conference - National Championship | March Madness 2026 · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Join out by you gunn head coach Dan Hurley with
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Terris Reed, junior Brayln Mullens solo ball and Alex Caravan
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: last coach to open things up with some thoughts. Then
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: we'll take questions for the student athletes.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: First coach, Yeah, you know, uh, you know, number one,
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  Speaker 2: congratulations to Michigan just uh incredibly talented, incredibly imposing team.
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  Speaker 2: Uh physically obviously well coached, great staff. Uh you know,
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: just overall it's just a you know, tremendous university. Uh,
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: you know, with with with what they're able to accomplish
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  Speaker 2: in sports. So uh obviously, you know, for us, it's
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: it's it's tough. You know, again, we did not come
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: here for watches. Uh, you know, we came here for rings,
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: and uh, you know, it's hard to be Uh, I'm
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: not real emotional. You know, players are crying a lot
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: more than I am. Uh, you know, it's hard to
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: be upset with your team. You know, we we lost
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: the game because we missed, you know, we just we missed,
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: we didn't make enough shots.
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: But it's hard to be upset with.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: Your team when they get twenty two offensive rebounds first
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: that team, I mean, that's just how hard we just
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: played to hold you know that that team to thirty
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: eight percent from the field.
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: But obviously the.
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: You know, I just thought, you know, the guys picking
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: up two fouls in the first half. Losing those three
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: guys when we had thought had a great chance going
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: to the locker room with the lead, you know, really
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: put us in.
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: A bad spot.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: But you know, it's you know, it's hard to be
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: disappointed in your team when they fight so hard.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: First question for the student athletes to go from the
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Daily Campus upfront center, Matt.
• 1:46
  Speaker 4: Demic Daily Campus, Terris, can you share us a little
• 1:49
  Speaker 4: bit about that moment you shared with Dusty May and
• 1:51
  Speaker 4: some of the other guys on the Michigan sideline.
• 1:54
  Speaker 5: Oh yeah, I mean after the game, it was just
• 1:57
  Speaker 5: just a whole bunch of motions falling through, just you know,
• 1:59
  Speaker 5: like playing the old playing the school that I literally
• 2:02
  Speaker 5: came in with somber Coach May recruited me after portals,
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  Speaker 5: saw some of my old guys, old teammates, just talking
• 2:08
  Speaker 5: to my guy Will Cheddar Harrison and Mari and yeah,
• 2:10
  Speaker 5: just chopping me up, man, Like Ben came a long way,
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  Speaker 5: so I know, it sucks to be in this position,
• 2:15
  Speaker 5: But through wins and losses, just thank the Lord for
• 2:19
  Speaker 5: it all, you know, big man of faith, big man
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  Speaker 5: belief in Geez, and everything happens for a reason.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: On the left side Westwood Josh Graham west we went
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: sports solo.
• 2:29
  Speaker 6: You knew that this was going to be a physical
• 2:31
  Speaker 6: game when you get the two fouls in the first half,
• 2:34
  Speaker 6: but then early in the second half pick up the
• 2:36
  Speaker 6: two fouls. Just how frustrating was it to sit there
• 2:39
  Speaker 6: for ten minutes in the National Championship game and.
• 2:41
  Speaker 7: Watch Yeah, it's tough.
• 2:45
  Speaker 8: Even going into this game, A lot of people thought
• 2:47
  Speaker 8: I wasn't going to play, So, I mean, I don't
• 2:50
  Speaker 8: know what other motivation there would be to be playing
• 2:54
  Speaker 8: the National Championship game and playing with this great group
• 2:57
  Speaker 8: of guys that we've had so much fun this year with.
• 3:00
  Speaker 8: And it's definitely frustrating not being on the court for
• 3:03
  Speaker 8: that long and hurt my team at the moment. But
• 3:07
  Speaker 8: I mean, this has been the most fun year of
• 3:10
  Speaker 8: my life, like with this group of guys, and I
• 3:12
  Speaker 8: just cherish I cherish this team.
• 3:14
  Speaker 9: To the left of the Isle, Jack Fenner, Daily Mail,
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  Speaker 9: Alex Dan talks a lot about a warrior mentality within
• 3:25
  Speaker 9: the team. You finished the night in your final college
• 3:28
  Speaker 9: game with seventeen points eleven rebounds in a double double.
• 3:32
  Speaker 9: How do you assess your performance in the game overall?
• 3:37
  Speaker 4: You know that's great and all, but I care about winning.
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: I care about winning. I want to do everything. I
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: have done everything in my power to help this program win.
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: I want to do everything every time I step on
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  Speaker 4: the night and give him my all. And you know,
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: for coach to play me forty minutes, I can't think
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: them enough. That's all I wanted, That's all. I wanted
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  Speaker 4: to give everything I got, leave everything I got out
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  Speaker 4: there and try to do everything up.
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  Speaker 7: Help us win.
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  Speaker 4: And you know we came up short, miss missed some
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  Speaker 4: shots we normally make, but you know we gave it
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  Speaker 4: are all. So you know, I'm proud. I'm proud of
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  Speaker 4: I'm proud of these guys to my left, I'm proud
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  Speaker 4: of the guys in the locker room.
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  Speaker 7: I'm proud of coach.
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  Speaker 4: And you know it's gonna sting, but like Terror said,
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  Speaker 4: everything happens for a reason.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Upfront and center, Zach.
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  Speaker 10: Zach Brazilian eure a post guys for Solo and Tyris,
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  Speaker 10: what what are you going to remember about playing with
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  Speaker 10: Alex the most and kind of you know, he went
• 4:35
  Speaker 10: out seventeen and eleven, what did you just think of
• 4:39
  Speaker 10: how he finished despite not.
• 4:41
  Speaker 7: Winning solo first?
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  Speaker 1: Please than terrors.
• 4:47
  Speaker 8: My cry up here just talking about this is the
• 4:49
  Speaker 8: impact he's had in the in the locker room, just
• 4:53
  Speaker 8: throughout every single practice, every single game. He's just always
• 4:56
  Speaker 8: there and he's the same person every single day. He
• 4:59
  Speaker 8: doesn't change. Incredibly smart, great guy off the court. I mean,
• 5:03
  Speaker 8: I'm gonna miss this guy so much. He's gonna make
• 5:05
  Speaker 8: so much noise and I know he's deserving everything that's
• 5:08
  Speaker 8: coming his way just because of how hard he works.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: And yeah, same question to Terra.
• 5:14
  Speaker 7: Yeah, I mean that man down there is just man.
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  Speaker 11: He's like the most passionate, competitive, voyal person I've ever met.
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  Speaker 7: Man Like just the.
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  Speaker 11: Love he asked for the game, the love he asked
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  Speaker 11: for us, for us, Just a leader. I mean, I
• 5:33
  Speaker 11: never met a person like Aka that shows up every
• 5:35
  Speaker 11: day despite good game, bad game, bad day, good day,
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  Speaker 11: I mean getting yelled at by coaching, yelled by us,
• 5:40
  Speaker 11: but every day he's an every day guy. And this
• 5:43
  Speaker 11: guy's gonna show up whenever for his team and like
• 5:45
  Speaker 11: a show tonight. I mean, he gave it his all
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  Speaker 11: and just a true heart of a champion.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: Up front on the left side, domb and get pass
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: it to Mike when you're done too, Please don't behind you.
• 5:57
  Speaker 12: Yeah, don of Warrihort for current Alex. You know, the
• 6:00
  Speaker 12: end of a college career is inevitable.
• 6:03
  Speaker 7: It's everyone.
• 6:04
  Speaker 12: Everyone has an expiration date. You knew this what moment
• 6:07
  Speaker 12: would come, but you played it out to the last
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  Speaker 12: minute of the last battle. Uh, just what are your thoughts?
• 6:15
  Speaker 12: I mean, what are you thinking? What's going through your
• 6:17
  Speaker 12: mind right now?
• 6:20
  Speaker 7: Yeah?
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  Speaker 4: You know, blessed that I've been able to wear this
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: jersey for the longest amount of times possible, the max
• 6:27
  Speaker 4: amount of the max amount of minutes, the max amount
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  Speaker 4: of games this season, I came back ultimately to win
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  Speaker 4: fell short.
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  Speaker 7: You know, So it hurts right now. It hurts a
• 6:39
  Speaker 7: lot right now.
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  Speaker 4: But I'm just reminding myself right now that you know,
• 6:44
  Speaker 4: when I came into Yukon, how much I've grown, and
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: I've I'm ultimately leaving Yukon at a better place right
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: now from where it started. So I gave it everything
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  Speaker 4: I got. I gave it my heart. I gave everything.
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  Speaker 4: All I thought about was Yukon basketball every single day,
• 6:59
  Speaker 4: and for to you know now that I'm leaving, and
• 7:04
  Speaker 4: for Yukon to be one of the best brands in
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  Speaker 4: college basketball and to be at the top. You know,
• 7:10
  Speaker 4: I left it better than winning started. So you know,
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  Speaker 4: I'm most prout of the This.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: Will be the final question for the student athletes. Left
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  Speaker 1: side midway back Mike.
• 7:18
  Speaker 13: Mike Anthony from Herston, Connecticut for Terra's a very similar question.
• 7:22
  Speaker 7: Two years have we spent at Yukon. It seems like
• 7:24
  Speaker 7: you certainly.
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  Speaker 2: Got a lot out of it in basketball development and
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: personal development.
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  Speaker 13: What have these last two years, this chapter of your
• 7:31
  Speaker 13: life to you?
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  Speaker 7: Man? Thank the Lord for it every day.
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  Speaker 11: I mean, it wasn't easy choosing Yukon the first time,
• 7:37
  Speaker 11: and it's choosing you kind of come back again out
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  Speaker 11: the portal. So I'll give all thanks the Lord and
• 7:41
  Speaker 11: Savior Jesus Christ, and thanks to the man to left
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  Speaker 11: of me, Coach Harley. I mean just recruited me out
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  Speaker 11: the portal coming back a bad Michigan year, and he
• 7:49
  Speaker 11: saw something to me that I didn't even see it myself.
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  Speaker 11: So I mean, top of my head Ecclesiastes seven eight betters,
• 7:55
  Speaker 11: then in and in the beginning man. So just looking
• 7:57
  Speaker 11: back at the whole journey I hadn't had with these guys.
• 8:00
  Speaker 7: I mean, I'm gonna miss it.
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  Speaker 11: So like I said, the Lord does those things mysterious ways,
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  Speaker 11: and I got all my tears out and just blested
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  Speaker 11: me in the position I am in today and love
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  Speaker 11: these guys for life, then my brothers for life.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Well, we want to thank Alex Solo, Braylan and Terrorists
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  Speaker 1: for joining us tonight, joining us this weekend, joining us
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: all throughout the tournament and their career. They're gonna head
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: back to the UGRO Yukon locker room, which is open
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: until twelve twenty five.
• 8:33
  Speaker 7: I needed Mic in the front of UPTS.
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  Speaker 8: Thank you them, Thanks sir.
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: First question for Coach Hurley is gonna come from the
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  Speaker 1: Hartford current first bro YEP.
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  Speaker 7: Joe Rudehartford current Dan. You said you weren't emotional.
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  Speaker 6: It looks like you're starting to get there, But how
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  Speaker 6: do you balance the pride that you have and in
• 8:54
  Speaker 6: those guys on this team this year with the sadness
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  Speaker 6: that comes with the end of it.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm not I mean, like I said before, It's
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: like it's hard to be to have a level of
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: disappointment where literally it's just you know, obviously it just
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: came down to we just we we didn't make enough
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: shots in the basket, you know, like to be able
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: to you know, keep that team you know, under forty
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: percent from the field thirty eight percent. You know, this
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: team has destroyed everyone they faced in this tournament. Again,
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: your team gives you twenty two offensive reboundser that's how hard, uh,
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: you know how hard we played and just you know,
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: just what the group has been able to overcome through,
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: you know, just throughout the year, the growth, the way
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: they played in March.
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: I mean, you know, like to.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: Just the whole experience that this team has given, you know,
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: the coaches, the fan base, you know, to play to
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: the last, you know, to be one of the last
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: two teams standing. You I know a lot of people
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: talk about, hey, it's better off losing the first game
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: in the final four than losing in the championship. That
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: is the biggest bunch of It's the biggest bunch of
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: crap of all time. It's such a bullsh stuff stuff
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: it is. I mean, it's like this is where you
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: want it to be. You know, listen, it hasn't set
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: in yet. You know, on the flight tomorrow, It'll set
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: in on the bus ride back. You know, eventually it'll
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: hit you that you were you know, you were, you
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: were close to pulling off. You know, you know what
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: would have been a historic Stork third championship, but just
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: his team just gave us so much this year, you know,
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: just didn't make enough shots.
• 10:47
  Speaker 14: To the right of the Issle Lindsay Lindsay Schnell, the
• 10:50
  Speaker 14: athletic Dan, how do you sum up what Alex has
• 10:53
  Speaker 14: meant to your program the last few years and his contribution.
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: Okay, so now they're crying no, no, I mean, come on,
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: this guy changed my life, the staff's lives, the joy
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: he's brought to university fan base, his decision to come
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: to Yukon. You know, it's made us to you know,
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Florida won the national championship last year. I'll probably get
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: in trouble for this. Michigan won the national championship this year,
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: you know, but you know, he's helped to make Yukon.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: I think right now, you know, we're probably the premier
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: program in college basketball right now, you know, having been
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: to three out of four national championship games, have won
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: two of them. He just he's put Yukon in that
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: in that rarefied place in college basketball. So everyone owes
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: everything to that guy, and I figure, let me just play,
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: let me play him into the ground one more time,
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: which is one more forty minute game for Alex. Let
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: me just let me just let me just play that
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: guy into the ground one more like I have throughout
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: his career.
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: He deserved to play forty minutes.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: To the right of the isle.
• 12:07
  Speaker 13: Hey, coach evanma cow evmea dot com. Obviously, you mentioned
• 12:11
  Speaker 13: Michigan has rolled through this tournament. I know you have respect,
• 12:13
  Speaker 13: a lot of respect for Dusty May. Where does this
• 12:16
  Speaker 13: Michigan team rank for you in terms of the most
• 12:18
  Speaker 13: difficult opponents that you've played in your career?
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, uh, it's one of the better teams
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: that I've played, you know, you know, certainly since I've
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: been a you know, a college you know, college basketball coach. Now,
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: like when I was back at Rhode Island, I coached
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: against an Arizona team with Aaron Gordon and uh Hollis
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: Jefferson and Nick Johnson and T. J.
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: McConnell. You know, I you know, I've.
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: Coached against some teams you know, with a lot of
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: you know, with a lot of good players.
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: They're they're I mean they're legit.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: I mean they're there are definitely you know, uh deserved
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: to win the national championship there. Clearly you're the best
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: team in the country this year. You know, they're just
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: so hard to score against that the rim. I could
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: talk about the threes that we missed, and I thought
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: we had a lot of good threes that we missed,
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: but they just made it so tough on us around
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: the rim. I mean, it was probably what even got
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: us more than the mysteries was some of those rim
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: shots Solos transition basket. I think they cut at the four,
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: could have put some serious game pressure on them. They
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: changed so many shots around the rim. They're just so tall.
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: Front end center reporter Calvioun.
• 13:34
  Speaker 15: Sam Callahan, Daily Campus Coach. We've talked about Alex Caraben
• 13:39
  Speaker 15: when he's meant to this program, but I mean Luke
• 13:41
  Speaker 15: Murray h long overdue gang a head coaching job. You've
• 13:45
  Speaker 15: been with him since the Wagner days. To talk about
• 13:48
  Speaker 15: what he's meant to this program. In just to you
• 13:52
  Speaker 15: over the years.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: It looks like a brother.
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  Speaker 7: Uh.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: You know, we're both very similar. I mean we're uh
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: hard to work with. No, we're we're very similar though,
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: we're like the same person, and we're both bald and Uh,
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: it's a brother. I mean he's worked with me at
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: every place I've been. We've made each other better. We've
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: got a deep friendship. And you know, Boston College is
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: about to have a renaissance in in basketball.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: Upfront center, Zach, this will be the final question for
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: coach early.
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: A lot of pressure, z Act. Come on, buddy, don't
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: blow it.
• 14:36
  Speaker 7: Then. How much do the officiating change?
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: I mean, is there fine? I mean what I know
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: about the vines?
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: Is there fine?
• 14:45
  Speaker 7: For Zach?
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: I think so.
• 14:47
  Speaker 10: I mean, I mean, just it seems it was very
• 14:51
  Speaker 10: inconsistent from first half to second half and touch fouls.
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: Hey, listen, that's an all star group there.
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: I mean, uh, you know Kip and Jeff, I mean
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: you know obviously, and you know James who were familiar
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: with as well.
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: I just it's such a physical game. I mean, Michigan
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: is so physical. I just thought, and again, it's not
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: the reason why we why we lost the game obviously,
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: you know, plus thirteen at the free throw line, plus
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: twelve and attempts. I just thought that the first half,
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: you know, foul trouble. You know, really, I thought we
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: were you know, positioned if if we didn't have that
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: foul trouble to potentially go into the halftime with the lead.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: You go in with a lead, you know, and they
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: make a run, you're you're down five instead of eleven.
• 15:44
  Speaker 11: You know.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: But we also too, you know, a problem for our
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: team has been in this undisciplined fouling you know at times.
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: But you know, it's hard to ref that game. We
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: both played so hard. I mean, that's not an easy,
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: you know game to officiate. And uh, you know, if
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: I can have those three guys ref you know, you
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: know every game the rest of my career, I would
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: sleep well at night.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: I want to thank coach Early. We want to congratulate
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: Yukon on three appearances here and