Hogs' Trevon Brazile Looking at Duke Game
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile with the media Monday afternoon previewing Wednesday's non-conference matchup with No. 9 Duke at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., after bad outing in the Bahamas.
Transcript
00:00 - I know it obviously didn't go in the Bahamas
00:01 like you guys would like,
00:03 kind of what's the mindset of the team right now,
00:05 especially when you got a monster game against Duke
00:08 coming up here in a couple of days?
00:09 - You know, I feel like you gotta have a positive mindset,
00:14 you know, going into Wednesday,
00:16 that's a big matchup, that's a big game,
00:19 you know, we know what Duke can do.
00:21 You know, we've had a couple off days,
00:23 you know, to get our minds reset,
00:25 you know, kind of step away.
00:26 So, you know, there should be some positive energy this week.
00:30 - And we just heard from Mike that Trevon's status
00:36 is up in the air.
00:40 What's that like?
00:41 He's obviously been Ural's best player, I'd say,
00:43 kind of what's it like not knowing what his status is?
00:45 How do you guys, you know, handle things with that?
00:48 - Oh, you know, it's tough, you know,
00:50 obviously, you know, we know what he can do,
00:53 we know, we've seen what he can do,
00:54 and, you know, this, in the beginning of his early season,
00:57 you know, it'll be tough, but you know, game plan,
01:02 you know, whether he has a player or not,
01:04 we're gonna have to play the game.
01:05 So, you know, it'd be loved to have him,
01:09 but if, you know, if he can't play,
01:10 we're gonna have to go out there and play without him.
01:12 - Yeah, one more, Layton Blocker,
01:14 obviously got some good minutes in the Bahamas.
01:16 What'd you see from him?
01:17 What kind of boost did he give the team?
01:20 Maybe, can he give you guys moving forward?
01:22 - Well, you know, he's a monster on the defensive end.
01:26 He's not scared of nobody, he's fierce on the court.
01:28 You know, when we played in Memphis,
01:30 he held their guard, you know, to some low numbers.
01:34 So, you know, he can go out there
01:35 and do some special things on defense,
01:37 and, you know, he's trying to become more of a leader
01:39 at the point guard, and, you know,
01:42 it's good to watch him grow in those areas.
01:44 - Thanks.
01:46 Jackson.
01:46 - Yeah, hey, Trevin.
01:50 Just wondering, you know, do you have any memories
01:54 of watching Duke, either cheering for
01:57 or against them growing up?
01:59 I know that they're in a very polarizing,
02:01 you know, basketball program over the years.
02:03 - You know, I'm pretty sure every kid, you know,
02:07 around my age, you know, looks at Duke
02:09 as one of those top college programs, you know,
02:11 which they are, you know, it's a historic program.
02:14 You know, I think the game that sticks out the most
02:17 is the game that Duke actually played Arkansas with
02:21 when it was Apollo and, you know,
02:22 when J.D. Notes came over here.
02:24 That was a good game.
02:25 You know, it was exciting to watch.
02:28 So, you know, obviously Duke is one of those teams
02:30 that, you know, you watched growing up,
02:32 but, you know, Wednesday we got to go out there
02:34 and actually play them, so.
02:36 - I know it's kind of another slow start
02:40 for you guys this season.
02:42 Is there any maybe extra, not extra,
02:45 but is there any calmness and confidence
02:47 just knowing like last year there was also a slow start
02:51 and, you know, it's been kind of a trend maybe
02:53 that you guys have picked it up as the season
02:56 has gone on recently?
02:57 - You know, I wouldn't say it's calming.
03:00 You know, we want to win, you know, no matter what.
03:03 No, we don't want to have any slow start, you know.
03:06 Nothing slow, you know, we want to win now,
03:08 but yeah, you know, you got to, you know,
03:11 it is what it is.
03:13 We just got to keep coming into each game with confidence,
03:16 you know, in who we are and just try to win each game
03:19 that we, you know, we prepare for.
03:21 - And last one for me, I know there are different players,
03:26 Eadie and Filipowski, but is there anything
03:28 that those two big men do similarly
03:31 that you've already seen Eadie
03:32 and anything that, you know, Filipowski does?
03:34 - They're both elite rebounders.
03:37 You know, you got to keep them both above the glass.
03:39 It'll be, you know, you know, a tough task for the bigs
03:43 and, you know, the guards, but, you know,
03:46 probably rebound is the most similar thing.
03:48 - Curtis.
03:51 - TB, it seemed like early in the season,
03:55 preseason and the early games,
03:56 that you guys were maybe ahead of schedule
03:58 a bit offensively.
04:00 Are you surprised at all at some of the struggles
04:03 there on that end right now?
04:04 And is there anything that stands out to you
04:05 as maybe the top area or two of focus to get back on track?
04:08 - I just think we just got to, we got to keep, you know,
04:13 listening to the coach and sticking to the game plan.
04:15 You know, it'll take care of itself.
04:17 You know, I've been in this program, you know,
04:21 a year and a half and I've watched, you know,
04:23 I've watched us win, I've watched us lose,
04:25 and I've, you know, I've been able to sit around
04:27 and, you know, and listen to what's going on.
04:29 And, you know, we really just locked in, you know,
04:32 listen to every single thing and do every single thing
04:34 that, you know, Coach Mus says, you know, we'll be fine.
04:37 - And I don't, I don't know that El scored in the Bahamas.
04:41 What are you seeing from him right now?
04:43 And then how important is it to get him back on track?
04:46 - You know, he just, he just trying to get back into it.
04:50 You know, it's tough, you know,
04:53 the Bahamas was, every game was tough, you know,
04:55 it was nothing easy down there, first of all.
04:56 So, you know, just getting him his confidence back,
05:00 you know, we know he can do it as a scorer.
05:02 You know, we've never questioned that,
05:05 but just getting him his confidence back, you know,
05:09 it's a long season, so, you know,
05:12 just keeping him in a positive mindset.
05:15 - Scotty?
05:17 - Yeah, TB, just real quick.
05:20 Did you learn, what did you learn,
05:22 if anything, last week about yourself?
05:24 And then separately, just what did you learn
05:26 about the team last week?
05:27 - I'd say as far as the team, you know,
05:34 I learned that, you know, we're right there,
05:37 as far as figuring it out, you know,
05:40 all we got to do is, you know,
05:42 put all those pieces together, and, you know,
05:43 I kind of feel that way for myself too, you know,
05:46 I know I can be playing way better right now.
05:48 You know, pretty much the team probably feels like that too.
05:52 So, you know, just putting all the pieces together
05:55 and trying to turn this thing around.
05:56 - I'm sure you didn't envision no points,
06:01 three boards against North Carolina going into it.
06:03 What's kind of the roadmap for you personally
06:06 to a bounce back?
06:07 - Just sticking with it.
06:10 You know, it's hard to go out there and, you know,
06:15 and do, you know, play at a high level every night.
06:20 So, you know, you just got to keep going back,
06:24 you know, keep coming back and working.
06:26 You know, that's pretty much the only thing you can do,
06:29 and that's what I'm going to do.
06:31 - We'll have one more question, we're bringing Coach Buss.
06:35 - Hey, you know, you guys obviously
06:38 are going through a rough stretch.
06:39 Do you welcome the challenge of playing Duke
06:41 because it could be a big statement to show the country
06:43 that, hey, Arkansas is better than it showed
06:45 in recent games or kind of,
06:47 just how do you feel about playing Duke, you know,
06:50 when you guys are struggling right now?
06:53 - You know, I feel like there's no better, you know,
06:55 there's no better challenge, you know,
06:56 we coming off one and two, you know,
06:58 losing three of our last four.
06:59 You know, me personally, you know,
07:02 I invite the challenge of playing, you know,
07:04 one of the top teams in the country, especially at home.
07:06 You know, I love our odds, you know,
07:10 and we, you know, we're going to come out
07:12 and play them just, you know, we're not,
07:14 nobody's, you know, thinking it's some crazy game,
07:17 you know, we're going to come out here, you know,
07:19 to win for real, so, you know, it'll be exciting.
07:23 And, you know, we're ready for the challenge on Wednesday.