LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
Several NC State players met with the media following the Wolfpack's 88-66 upset win over No. 6 Duke Wednesday night.
NOTE: Click on each respective thumbnail to watch each player’s interview.
C.J. Bryce
“It was a big rivalry win for us against a top-10 team, and we just wanted to get that win.”
“It was big time. I actually able to experience the one two years ago when we beat Duke when they were No. 2. It was my sit-out year, but it was another good win for us tonight. We want to build off that.”
“Definitely. They were great for us tonight. They’re great for us every single night, but on this particular night, we really needed them, and they showed up.”
“It’s a confidence boost. With us coming off that loss against Boston College, we wanted to come out tonight and prove that we could still play with a really good team, and we showed that tonight.”
“We’re confident against any team. We play hard every single game even if a couple of things down the line don’t go our way. The ball can bounce any way. It’s a great team win for us tonight, and we’ll build off of it.”
“We have guys that can score the ball. Anyone can go off on any given night. You’ve seen that throughout the season. I’m proud of [Markell Johnson], I’m proud of Devon Daniels for carrying this team tonight, and we’re going to get back to practice and get ready for Saturday.”
“Definitely. We’ve got guys that work on their game every single day. In practice, we push each other. Shout out to Max [Farthing] and Chase [Graham], the walk-ons, for helping us prepare in practice this week. We’re going to get back in, and we’re going to work for Saturday.”
Devon Daniels
“I was locked in from the very beginning.”
“I’m very confident in my abilities.”
“Just staying locked into the moment. I don’t try to look too far ahead or look back too far behind. I just try to react.”
“We treat it like every other game. We’re going to come in tomorrow, get our bodies right, and look at the film to see what we did well and where we can still improve. Then, we have to start getting ready for Florida State.”
“It just comes with belief. We know Markell and what type of player he is. That’s our brother, so we’re not going to get too down on him or anything like that. We’re just going to keep on supporting him.”
“I don’t really look too far into that. I’m just worried about the next game on Saturday.”
“Definitely. I feel like we had a few games like that this season where we didn’t play two halves, so it feels good to put two halves together and show our growth.”
“The crowd was into it. They did their job. As soon as the game started, you could feel their intensity.”
D.J. Funderburk
“I just loved the energy our fanbase brought. I love the energy our team brought. Coach Keatts said in the middle of the game, ‘I don’t care who gets it. Just make sure everybody gets it.’ It was a blessing for everybody to shoot the ball. It was a great feeling to beat them.”
“We’re still in a tough stretch right now, but this definitely speaks volumes for us just because of how good they are and how good we are. We’ve got to go in their house and play them later in the season. We’re going to be ready just like we were today.”
“I really can’t put it into words. We knew we came out in the BC game. We just tried to prevent it from happening in this game, and we did. That’s all I can say about it.”
“With a team like Duke, that’s not really their only offense, but it’s the majority of their offense. They have great players, but we tried to draw a line in the sand. We saw them coming back when they were down by 10, and we tried to get the lead back up and get comfortable.”
“It’s a game-changer when you’ve got two guys with 25 points apiece with four minutes left. There’s no telling what else they can create for other people. You saw it today. Everybody ate. Everybody got in. Everybody was loving the game. Everybody loved the energy. We just tried to play as hard as we could.”
“Not yet. We’ve got another big game coming up against Florida State and another big game after that. Once we get through this long stretch of tough teams, our opportunity is going to be seized for sure.”
“It’s definitely an elephant in the room, but we try not to think about it. We try to just come out each game and take the approach to the game. We don’t really think about playoffs or anything like that. We just try to come out and hoop.”