Everything Florida Atlantic said about facing Tennessee basketball in the Sweet Sixteen

Q. Nick, Coach said that you went from Columbus straight to New York and you guys kind of had a day off to Rome the city and do whatever. Can you go through the day and how it was exploring the city?

BOYD: It was fun. It was a time for us to wind down and get away from basketball a little bit. We've been on the road consecutively from the conference tournaments, and now we took a couple days to see the selection and stuff like that. But haven't really been home, so to be able to roam around in a new area where people really haven't been to, it was fun. We seen a lot of different things, a different culture, and I was able to show some of my teammates around, so it was fun.

Q. Just being at the Garden for all of you, have any of you played here before? Is this your first time here? What's kind of the coolest thing about being at the Garden? Has anything -- looking at the pictures, walking around the building, has anything stuck out to you?

ROSADO: It's my first time at the Garden. It's kind of surreal walking in here after years of watching basketball games, and you're finally here. It's actually smaller than I thought. I thought it was going to be bigger than that. It's nice, though.

DAVIS: It's my first time here. I didn't think it was going to be how it was on TV. It's so different. It just seemed bigger. What he said.

BOYD: I've been here multiple times as a spectator. Watched Big East Tournament, my uncle was coaching in it so it was fun. Obviously to be on the court, a different feeling, and I'm able to embrace it all.

Q. This year when you cracked the top 25, what kind of validation did that give you? Did you feel that was a point where all the hard work was now being recognized and it kind of gave you some momentum for the rest of the season?

ROSADO: To be honest, it really just gave the team a different type of confidence. If I'm being honest, since May -- I've been saying this a lot, but since May, June, the guys have been -- all 15 guys been putting in a lot of work. So when we seen that number by our name, I think it just gave us more of a reality like we're legit.

DAVIS: Again, it just felt different. Everybody recognized what we could do.

BOYD: Yeah, like you said, gave us a little validation. I like the number, but I feel like when we don't have a number, we play with a little more chip on our shoulder at first. But we got used to it and we embraced it and it gave us a little bit of confidence. But we felt like when we had that number we really liked it.

Q. Nick, after graduating from St. Mary's and kind of betting on yourself and going out to the Bosco Institute and believing you were a Division I player, what does it mean to be on this stage?

BOYD: Man, it's really crazy. I probably never pictured this for myself, to be honest with you. Just working hard, staying with it, never quitting. I mean, I can't really put into words what it feels to be able to have my family come and watch me play out here and be in the Sweet 16. Not just no regular-degular type of event, like the best high level, most watched basketball event this weekend. Man, like you said, it's a blessing. I've got to thank God for it.

Q. Nick, you talked about being here as a spectator for the Big East Tournament. Any of those moments that you were here did you ever envision yourself getting the opportunity to play on this court, and what has this experience been like so far?

BOYD: To be completely honest, like I said, I really didn't expect myself to be in this situation or opportunity or have this opportunity. I mean, I grew up watching Seton Hall, Isaiah Whitehead hit the game winner in the Big East championship. Sterling Gibbs hitting the game winner at the end at Villanova back in the day, I was there for that. Just moments like that that I never really thought I would be a part of. But to be here with these guys and everything like that, it makes it more special, and I feel like we've got something to prove, and I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Nick, what has stood out to you about Tennessee and this week's preparation, and just how well prepared do you feel that you can match their physicality?

BOYD: Yeah, like you said, the physicality stood out to me from the jump. Everybody calls out phones and says are you sure you're ready for Tennessee? You know they're physical, right? I feel like that's been the trend for us the whole year. We're an undersized group, but we've got heart. And just got to get yourself mentally prepared and mentally ready to really bang and be physical and try to match that as best you can and give yourself a chance to go to the Elite 8.

Q. You guys have been really good in close games throughout the season. Why do you think that's been the case. And Dusty said that wasn't the case last year, so what do you think has changed on that front?

ROSADO: I feel like it all just reverts back to the work, back to what this team has built, back to all 15 guys buying into the program. And when you practice so hard, as hard as we do, and go as hard as we do, when you get in those tight games, we don't get tight. When the game gets tight, we get looser and we play more free. It starts there.

DAVIS: I feel like from day one, everybody just believed in each other, from the jump down. When we got in the close moments, everybody was close.

Q. Seems like your guard play this year has been so good, whether it's you two or Greenlee or Alijah Martin. You move the ball so well, spread the floor. What's been the key to that success?

BOYD: We all bought in. Nobody really cares who gets the shine, the buzz, or the credit. We all want to do it for each other. We noticed that we can go as far as possible by doing it with each other, and that's what we're bought into.

Q. Giancarlo, they talk so much about the physicality of Tennessee. You're one of the bigs and Dusty talked about how you stepped up here in the tournament with Vlad maybe not giving exactly what they needed at certain points or foul trouble. How much do you hear that physicality narrative? And as one of the big men on this team you want to make sure that you're able to set a statement that this is a team that's not too physical for you?

ROSADO: Hey, we're bringing our hardhat. We know Tennessee is physical, but we ain't worried about that. It's going to be a physical game. They're scrappy, we're scrappy. We're going to compete tomorrow.

Q. You guys caught the ire of a lot of people on the internet after Alijah's dunk attempt at the end of the game. Do you guys relish being now some people's villain, or do you have any comments on that?

BOYD: We are all good guys. We're not villains. What happened, that was totally out of emotion. It was not meant to be personal or disrespectful to anybody. We want to be good guys out here. We're not villains. We're just having fun.

Q. I saw in the last game you guys ran that football inbounds play. If you could just talk about what did you feel like when you were first introduced to this play?

BOYD: Yeah, football play is what Coach showed us. I'm pretty sure -- a lot of people run it. I've seen it used other places, and it works. When we first seen it we were kind of confused, but I mean, hey, it helped us win the game whatever day that was, and it works.

DAVIS: The coach showed up, we just believed in what he had drew up.

ROSADO: Coach May, man, beautiful play caller. Best coach, hands down. We listen to what he say. It's a pretty good play. It's formed to get somebody open and everybody go deep and somebody get open. But good play.

DAVIS: Yeah, he does that a lot.

Q. Giancarlo and Johnell, can you talk about the day off Monday exploring the city but also trying to take those emotions, put them to the side and focus on the game plan Tuesday?

ROSADO: It was a great day. I was out with Nick Boyd, the boys. Nick is from here so he was showing us around. But it was just a good day to decompress, to wind out, get everything out in Ohio, get a feel for Madison Square Garden. There's a lot going on. I'm from West Palm so there's a lot going on here. It was just a good day to get everything going.

DAVIS: Just being here, this is my first time being here, so I was just soaking everything in. But just being here really coming from where I come from, you don't see nobody like this for real.

Q. Two-part question. One, I don't think enough people talk about your defense. You've been top 35 all year, top 15 against field goal percentage. Maybe speak to what you can do against this Tennessee team that goes through droughts. And two, how big of a priority is it since the beginning to make it to Houston and make the Final Four?

BOYD: I think our defense is pretty good. Like you said, the numbers speak for themselves. I mean, people -- I just think people underestimate us because of our size, but a lot of people don't understand when they get out there with us, it's a different feel and it's a different intensity, and we're very scrappy.

DAVIS: Coach May just stressed it from day one about defense, defense, defense. Anything happens, we just lock in on defense.

ROSADO: We're taking it one game at a time right now. We're really locked in and focused on Tennessee. Man, we really just -- we're where our feet are. We're really not worried about Houston right now. If we're blessed enough to get to Houston, we'll take care of business when we get there, but we're trying to take care of business tomorrow night.