Final Four: Local Media Day

NORMAN -- Oklahoma men's basketball met with local media Monday afternoon inside the Chesapeake Energy Courtside Club at Lloyd Noble Center to talk about the Sooners' upcoming Final Four appearance in Houston.

The Sooners (29-7) take on Villanova (33-5) Saturday night at 5:09 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium.

OU head coach Lon Kruger and his players talked about preparing for the Wildcats, recapped Saturday's Elite Eight win over Oregon and what it is like to earn a spot in the Final Four.

Head coach Lon Kruger

On preparing for Villanova:
“Any time you invest more in preparation you're going to be more confident when this kind of opportunity comes. The worst feeling is when you hit your contest and feel like you didn't prepare as well as you could, and this group doesn't have to worry about that. They've worked hard and put in individual investment and time on their own in the spring and summer. They worked hard in preparation for this moment. This group has done way more than any group we've had in terms of time spent in the gym on their own.”

On veteran leadership:
“This is a veteran group with veteran leadership among the time. I don't think any of them are thinking, “Well we made it here so it's okay.” They expect to play successfully against a very good Villanova team and take care of business and then get another very good opponent in the championship game.”

Kruger and Starting Five

On the attention Buddy gets:
“The way people are guarding Buddy and getting into him, it impacts everything. It helps create opportunities going at the goal and maybe when two guys are on him one guy might roll and we can get a lob. Or when he is in a position where he occupies his guy, Khadeem might be open at the rim or if Buddy stays in the corner it opens up driving lanes for Jordan or Isaiah. So how defenses cover Buddy effects everyone. I thought Buddy's game against A&M, he showed great security. He occupied his defender, he rebounded, and he was the happiest guy in the arena to get his team involved and see our guys hit shots. He knows, as a team, we're going to have to do that to win a couple games this weekend.”

On the Sooners defense being overlooked:
“We had some stretches in Anaheim that were really as well as we have played defensively. A seven or eight minute stretch in the first half against A&M we got stops and made shots, we did almost as well against Oregon. But it's hard to lead by 18 or 19 at halftime in the Sweet 16. I think that was the result of our defense. You can't create a margin if you trade buckets. So when you get stops and score, it goes from 6 to 12 and 12 to 15 and so forth. Our priority against Oregon was transition defense and getting board as well as congesting the lane. Our focus was really good.

Kruger and Hield

On the excitement around Oklahoma basketball:
“I think it has a lot do to with these guys and the seniors. People know them well. The correlation of this group they've watched them a lot and they feel a part of it. Fans turning out, attendance, it's because of these guys. The buzz today is much improved over a year ago, which improved from the year before that and it really does correlate with a couple of these guys, individually and this group, as a team.”

Buddy Hield

On the effect Coach Kruger has had on this team:
“Coach Kruger has been awesome to us. He teaches us every day how to handle ourselves on and off the court and in the classroom and with the media. He's like a father figure for us.”

Christian James

On his freshman season:
“It started frustrating, at the beginning of the year, trying to get my leg right and my weight down. It's been a great experience, even just watching from the bench. College and high school is just so much different. College ball is so much quicker and more ball screens, pick and rolls, things like that. I just had to learn from Buddy and Isaiah, they are guys that have been here for four years and arguably the best backcourt in the country. I just watched them and learned from them this year.

Christian James

On coming back from his broken leg:
It was definitely an emotional toll for me. Coming off the greatest season I've ever had, I break my leg. I kept praying and believing in God and look where I am now. It's just a blessing to be here with this team.”

On playing in Houston, his hometown:
“Ever since I was little, I watched college basketball and dreamed of being on that stage. Now I'm playing on that stage in my hometown. We're going to come out with a lot of swagger, me and Khadeem. We're going to have the city behind us. I've talked to my family, coaches, trainers, they're all going to be there.”