D.J. Funderburk: "I Feel Pretty Confident"

Redshirt junior forward D.J. Funderburk met with the media to discuss the upcoming game against North Carolina.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

Can you tell the difference, just atmosphere or expectations, when you play in Chapel Hill as opposed to the game here?  Does there always seem to be a little more angst?
Not really.

At Syracuse, that was crazy. We played at Virginia, that was crazy.

I’m saying you guys seem more loose and confident when you play over there as opposed to at home. Do you sense a difference?
No, I don’t really sense a difference.

I think almost all our games away or home, the intensity level is there and the passion is there and everything. I think it's all the same.

As far as environment, the Dean Dome is probably one of the craziest in our conference.

What did you guys not accomplish here that you want to in Chapel Hill?
Rebounding, toughness, and effort.

I felt like our effort was there in the UNC game, but as far as Garrison Brooks and Armando, they out-toughed us on the glass, and they wanted it more that day. We have to show that we want it more this time.

Does it help knowing that you know it's coming? You figure that they're going to just pound it in to those two guys again. Does that get you more excited, knowing it will be a battle in the paint?
Not really, because we knew they were going to pound it into Vernon, too.   We really just tried to guard him in as many different ways as we could, and we have a different gameplan just because it's two bigs this time.

I feel pretty confident about this one. We’re going to change up a couple things and you all will see tomorrow that we're going to have a different mentality going into that game.

Are you guys playing with a little bit more urgency now that we're getting toward the end?
Yeah.

I think that's a little bit more sense of urgency, but at the same time we try to come into every game like it's the last game. It’s freshmen on the team playing for juniors. It's juniors on the team playing for those seniors that don't get to put that Jersey on at the end of the season anymore.

I think our level of intensity and urgency definitely kicked up a little bit.

Does Markell get sentimental about being a senior?
Nah, I feel like Kells is the same player, win, lose, or draw. That's what I love about him. He’s just really even keel about the game.  He knows there's another level after this.

At the same time, I know he doesn't ever take this game for granted just because of past events of what have happened to other players, younger and older.

North Carolina will pound the ball inside. How challenging is it to stay out of foul trouble?
It's really a mind game.

You really have to play tricks with the opposing player.  I can't give you all my tricks, but I really just try to play a couple of games with them.  Some of them you've gotta let go. If they score, they score.  They are in the ACC, too; they're going to score. Some of them are big-time draft picks, so you got to expect them to get theirs off, too.

At the same time, it comes down to heart with me.  If you scored like eight straight buckets on me, I have to do something... give you a hard foul, send you to the line, or get a steal over the top. 

I'm sure you can tell early in the game how the game is going to be called. When you see that it's going to be called a little tighter, do you have to change the way you play, especially on the defensive end?
Yeah, sometimes.

I feel like if they are calling certain stuff, I can't be as physical, but there have been certain games where the ref will tell us, “We’re going to let you guys bang down there a little bit.”  If it gets out of hand they control the game after that, so I try to keep the game in our control as much as we can before the refs take over.

What's it like in there in the paint, trying to keep those guys off the glass?
It's hard at times.

Sometimes certain games they may send two at me, so I'll tell one of the guards, “They are sending two at me so it may free you up to get some rebounds...” it just frees up other people.

Anytime I feel like there’s more than one player on me, I always communicate with my team to go do this or go do that so they could get something else going for themselves.

How much different are they with Cole Anthony than without?
They were a great team before, they beat us, but with Cole Anthony, I think that brings a totally different dimension to the team.

I feel like he’s a lottery pick at the end of the year in June, but we still have to go out there and keep them in front. We have to try and make them take tough shots... stay poised, composed.

We know it’s a game of runs and they are going to score as a team. We have to weather the storm and beat them at their place.