Wichita State men's basketball interim head coach Isaac Brown spoke to media ahead of the Shockers' matchup with Houston on Thursday. Brown spoke about how exciting this game is, what made the difference between the first half and the second half of the first matchup with Houston and who has exceeded his expectations this season.
 
The Shockers' matchup with top-10 Houston can be seen at 6 p.m. on Thursday on ESPN2.
 
INTERIM HEAD COACH ISAAC BROWN on … 
 
Opening Statement:
"A big game on Thursday. (Houston is a) top-10 team in the country. We've got to do a good job rebounding. They're one of the best in the country and rebounded. We've gotta take good shots. We've gotta try to get the ball inside. You've got to try to score in transition. You've got to take good shots. We've got to defend at a high level and not give up second shots."
 
… how exciting this game against Houston is for his team:
"They're just taking it game by game. I think with all the articles and stuff they see in the paper (it creates excitement), but practice has always been very energetic, but it's the next game on the schedule. They beat us down there. They're top-10 team. I think those guys are excited that is the next game on the schedule. And we've just got to keep getting better and it's going to be a tough game at home."
 
… the differences between the first half and the second half of the first matchup with Houston:
"Going back, watching the tape, we took three or four shots that were just in and out, and they came down and made some tough ones, but I felt that we settled for threes. The ball never got to paint. So we've got to do a better job when we're not making shots to try to throw it inside to Morris (Udeze) and (Isaiah) Poor Bear-Chandler, try to drive the basketball. We've got to get better shots. On the defensive end, I thought we didn't defend at a high level like we did in the first half. They started to make shots. I felt like we turned it over. We're not a team that turns it over a lot. During that stretch n the second half, we had four or five unforced turnovers. So I would say unforced turnovers, and we just lived on the three-point line. We didn't get it inside."
 
… if Dexter Dennis will match up against Quentin Grimes:
"When Dexter's in the game, he's going to go at him the entire time. Grimes is a high-level guy. He's averaging 16 points a game. He's one of the best players in the league. And he got it going against us in the second half. And I want to say he went for like maybe 18 to 20 points in the second half. So we've got to definitely do a better job on him, limit his touches. And we've got to make sure Dexter is guarding him 90 percent of the game."
 
… if his team thrives on being the underdogs:
"Yes. For sure. I think coming into the season, you know, picked seventh in the league, I think those guys took that in a way that we're going to show everyone that we're better than that. I think having nobody on the preseason all-conference list, that stuff motivates those kids. It gets them to play harder. It gets them to buy in and it gets them to want to prove the point to everybody. So I definitely think the guys are playing with more confidence and they're playing with a chip on their shoulder and they just want to go out and try to compete at a high level."
 
… if this stretch of games helps prepare for the timing of postseason play:
"Yes. That helps you prepare for the tournament. In the conference tournament, you're going to play three games in three nights. So that helps you prepare. But I think college athletes this late in the season, these guys know everything about what you're supposed to do on offense, what you're supposed to do on defense. They know how to execute all the plays. So they really want to play games a lot so that they don't have any problems playing three games in a week. They prefer to play games than practice. So I think they're getting excited about this time, where we can just get basketball games."
 
… how preparation changes for two SMU games in a handful of days:
"I think it's a good thing because we've already done a couple of scouting reports on SMU, a really good basketball team. They got a kid in Kendric Davis, an NBA player, really good point guard. He's one of the top scorers. He's tops in assists. So we've got to do a good job of being prepared and ready to play them. But again, Houston is the next game on the schedule and we're practicing hard, trying to make sure we do a good job to just prepare for them. Coach Kelvin Sampson is one of the guys who I think is one of the best coaches in the country. So I know he'll have those guys ready to go. We've just gotta be ready to compete, gotta be ready to compete on the glass. And that's the biggest key to the game."
 
… who has exceeded his expectations this season:
"I would say the entire bench, just the way they have such a good attitude. Every game we get some different contributions from someone on the bench. It was Clarence Jackson early rebounding the basketball. It was Ricky Council IV early just being able to get a couple of double figure scoring games. Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, he played well starting out that Tulsa game, he was really good. Craig Porter Jr., those guys off the bench has given us big time, minutes and they just bring our team together with the energy that they play with in practice. So I'm just excited about our overall team, but the bench guys have really given us some great minutes and energy."