Junior guard (and by far the best interview on the men's basketball team) Julian Jacobs again offered his thoughts on multiple topics following USC's fateful loss to Oregon in Saturday's regular-season finale.
You guys just had a big game vs. Oregon and then you have the Pac-12 tournament and then a potential NCAA bid. Are there a lot of things going through your head right now?
JJ: “Today was huge because had we won we would have locked the NCAA berth but we like to make things more difficult. So now we have to win a couple games in the Pac-12 tournament, which I’m confident we can (do), but it would have been nice to get the win today. A lot of credit goes to Oregon and their staff. … They’re a good team, the best team in the conference.”
So you don’t think you guys have already earned an NCAA bid?
JJ: “No, not for sure. Not a lock. I don’t think we’re guaranteed. I think we definitely have to win at least another game. … Even though we beat UCLA twice, they’re still capable of beating the better teams in this conference. We just got to be ready.”
There’s no shame in losing to Oregon. But what’s the difference between competing with a team of that caliber and beating them?
JJ: “We have to play all 40 minutes. There were stretches where we looked like the better team and we felt confident that we were going to win. But good teams, they find ways, they do the little things, offensive rebounding, that was huge, they knocked down shots when they needed to. We just couldn’t finish when we needed to.”
What are teams doing in recent weeks to limit your scoring? (He's averaging 5.7 points in his past four games. Before this, he'd been held to under six points on one occasion all season.)
JJ: “They’re sagging off more, they’re shrinking the gap — basketball terminology — they’re clogging the lane up, forcing me to make my teammates make plays. I just have to keep being aggressive, that’s part of my game. If I don’t, then teams have successfully guarded us. I just have to remain aggressive, even though they play off.”
Would you chalk up the team’s woes at the free-throw line to a lack of focus?
JJ: “It’s all mental. You just got to step up and focus in and knock free throws down. I know sometimes you miss them even when you are focused, but in my opinion it’s all mental.”
How confident are you guys heading into the Pac-12 tournament?
JJ: “This was a huge blow, losing today. I still think that spirits are high but our backs are against the wall now. We definitely want to go to the NCAA tournament and we have to win a few games in Vegas.”
Is it nice to be on a neutral court for the rest of the season and not on the road?
JJ: “What were we, 16-2 this year on our home court? It definitely was an advantage playing here. But I think I got to do a good job of getting the freshman ready, just because they’ve never played in that type of environment where it's literally you win or go home. I’m just going to try and do a good job of getting them prepared and accustomed to playing in that type of environment. As you guys know, anytime we’re not playing at Galen, it’s sort of a struggle for us.”
Given that these tournaments are single elimination, does intensity matter even more from the outset of the games?
JJ: “It should. Hopefully we play like that. You just never know with this team. You just never know. Sometimes we come out with really high energy, sometimes we come out flat. I don’t know why that is, but it should (matter), we should come out with high energy and hopefully we all realize what’s at stake.”
Neither Coach Andy Enfield nor your teammates are really acknowledging the NCAA tournament publicly. Is there urgency in the locker room to secure that berth?
JJ: “We haven’t really talked about it as much yet. Obviously there’s talk about potentially making it. But we haven’t really keyed in on where we would fall or even if we would make the tournament. We’ve just been sort of taking about the games at hand. But hopefully we do a good job of preparing, film session, leading up to the Pac-12 tournament, I feel like we’ll be ready, I think we’ll be ready.”
Is it tempting to look at the mock brackets?
JJ: “I don’t do any of that stuff. I think our coaches do. They throw subtle comments out there every now and then. But we don’t really pay attention. I think our coaches definitely look that stuff up.”
You guys just had a big game vs. Oregon and then you have the Pac-12 tournament and then a potential NCAA bid. Are there a lot of things going through your head right now?
JJ: “Today was huge because had we won we would have locked the NCAA berth but we like to make things more difficult. So now we have to win a couple games in the Pac-12 tournament, which I’m confident we can (do), but it would have been nice to get the win today. A lot of credit goes to Oregon and their staff. … They’re a good team, the best team in the conference.”
So you don’t think you guys have already earned an NCAA bid?
JJ: “No, not for sure. Not a lock. I don’t think we’re guaranteed. I think we definitely have to win at least another game. … Even though we beat UCLA twice, they’re still capable of beating the better teams in this conference. We just got to be ready.”
There’s no shame in losing to Oregon. But what’s the difference between competing with a team of that caliber and beating them?
JJ: “We have to play all 40 minutes. There were stretches where we looked like the better team and we felt confident that we were going to win. But good teams, they find ways, they do the little things, offensive rebounding, that was huge, they knocked down shots when they needed to. We just couldn’t finish when we needed to.”
What are teams doing in recent weeks to limit your scoring? (He's averaging 5.7 points in his past four games. Before this, he'd been held to under six points on one occasion all season.)
JJ: “They’re sagging off more, they’re shrinking the gap — basketball terminology — they’re clogging the lane up, forcing me to make my teammates make plays. I just have to keep being aggressive, that’s part of my game. If I don’t, then teams have successfully guarded us. I just have to remain aggressive, even though they play off.”
Would you chalk up the team’s woes at the free-throw line to a lack of focus?
JJ: “It’s all mental. You just got to step up and focus in and knock free throws down. I know sometimes you miss them even when you are focused, but in my opinion it’s all mental.”
How confident are you guys heading into the Pac-12 tournament?
JJ: “This was a huge blow, losing today. I still think that spirits are high but our backs are against the wall now. We definitely want to go to the NCAA tournament and we have to win a few games in Vegas.”
Is it nice to be on a neutral court for the rest of the season and not on the road?
JJ: “What were we, 16-2 this year on our home court? It definitely was an advantage playing here. But I think I got to do a good job of getting the freshman ready, just because they’ve never played in that type of environment where it's literally you win or go home. I’m just going to try and do a good job of getting them prepared and accustomed to playing in that type of environment. As you guys know, anytime we’re not playing at Galen, it’s sort of a struggle for us.”
Given that these tournaments are single elimination, does intensity matter even more from the outset of the games?
JJ: “It should. Hopefully we play like that. You just never know with this team. You just never know. Sometimes we come out with really high energy, sometimes we come out flat. I don’t know why that is, but it should (matter), we should come out with high energy and hopefully we all realize what’s at stake.”
Neither Coach Andy Enfield nor your teammates are really acknowledging the NCAA tournament publicly. Is there urgency in the locker room to secure that berth?
JJ: “We haven’t really talked about it as much yet. Obviously there’s talk about potentially making it. But we haven’t really keyed in on where we would fall or even if we would make the tournament. We’ve just been sort of taking about the games at hand. But hopefully we do a good job of preparing, film session, leading up to the Pac-12 tournament, I feel like we’ll be ready, I think we’ll be ready.”
Is it tempting to look at the mock brackets?
JJ: “I don’t do any of that stuff. I think our coaches do. They throw subtle comments out there every now and then. But we don’t really pay attention. I think our coaches definitely look that stuff up.”
