Watch: Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, Amari Bailey on UCLA-UNCA

THE MODERATOR: We have the student-athlete contingent from UCLA.

One question for you three guys. At what point in the season did you feel you were really playing at the top of your game compared to maybe earlier in the year?

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: I think it's a long process, the season. There's a lot of games and there's a lot of ups and downs. So I don't know if there's any particular point where we felt we were playing our best basketball or worst basketball.

I think it's just the waves and tides of the season. Sometimes you have highs, sometimes you have lows. Overall I feel like we've had a lot more highs this season.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Tyger and Jaime, you were last year in the tournament, was that Akron game I won't say wake-up call but what can happen when you go up against a fearless team, that they can win the game and you have to be locked in?

TYGER CAMPBELL: I just say that every team that's in the tournament is here for a reason. They either won their conference tournament or they got picked, had a good enough record.

We understand that every team in this tournament is a winning team. They're not scared. They're here for a reason. So we're going into this game, we just got to prepare like it's any regular game.

We respect them as an opponent. We're just going to try to win and do what we need to do, execute our scouting report against them because we know they're a good team.

Q. Amari, what have the two guys to your left told you about what to expect at tournament time?

AMARI BAILEY: What have you guys said (smiling)?

Q. You're trying to decide what's shareable (laughter).

AMARI BAILEY: I'm really just trying to think.

Yeah, that it's just going to be a great atmosphere, something that you really can't prepare for leading up to, like, now.

I feel like the Pac-12 tournament was, like, a little indication of what March can look like. I don't know, just get lost in the moment I guess.

Q. Do you really have any expectations going into this?

AMARI BAILEY: No. Just to have, like, a lot of fun. Just stay in the moment.

Q. Jaime, your sister is going to be playing Sac State on Saturday. Any piece of advice you've given her at all?

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: I would just say enjoy it. It's a one-game tournament. A lot of things can happen. Enjoy it as much as you can. It's crazy how fast this has all gone by. Even this season, I can't believe I'm already here. It feels like we just won the Pac-12 regular season, now we're already back in March Madness.

Just enjoy it. It goes by fast, so enjoy every moment, play your heart out.

Q. Jaime, this is a very unique group with an international background. Guys from Italy, Nigeria, Turkey, and of course you having Mexican-American background. As the first player of the year in the Pac-12 to have that sort of background, do you feel like you have a role model? What is the message you want to send out? Not to put you on the spot, but if you can respond in Spanish, as well.

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: I'll try my best (smiling). I still need to work on my Spanish.

I try not to look at it such a wide picture. I think it's very easy to get lost through all that pressure to try to look at myself as something bigger than myself. I try to understand it as best as I can.

I also try to go out there and be myself really. I think that's the only thing I can do, is just be myself. If people are going to follow me or I'm going to inspire people, it's just going to happen naturally. I don't try to do anything out of the ordinary other than just be myself, so...

THE MODERATOR: Try Spanish?

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: Like I said. I can, but... Let me think. Put me on the spot here.

Can you help me out?

Q. (In Spanish.)

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: (Response in Spanish.)

Q. Centuries ago when you were a freshman, you had short hair, no facial hair. Now completely different. Is there an unspoken competition in the locker room to see who has the coolest hair, or is it just sort of that scrappy fighting image you want to project?

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: Yeah, I don't know. I think we got a lot of hair styles. I know Amari was up there, but he just cut it.

I try to go through my hair, I treat it as like the phoenix. I let it grow, I cut it all off just to be born again. I go through a process.

I know Tyger's hair is great, too.

TYGER CAMPBELL: I think our hair shows a little bit of our personality some. Of course, we're caring players on the court, we play a certain type of way. I think it just goes to show we don't really care what we look like. We're just trying to have fun. We're here to win games. That's what we're just trying to do. We're not really worried about everybody else.

Q. Jaime, what have you seen out of Pember? 6'10" guy. Are you expecting to have that assignment tomorrow?

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: Yeah, I think I'm going to take that challenge. I've been watching a lot of film lately. We know he can attack the rim as well. He's a really good shooter. He gets to the foul line. I think he's averaging 21 points per game. He's going to be a point of emphasis on the defensive end for sure.

I'm excited to take on that challenge.

Q. Tyger, so much of conference play is seeing teams that you're familiar with. In tournament play, you watch film. Until you're out there, you don't get a feel. How important is your own identity in the tournament?

TYGER CAMPBELL: Well, our identity is, of course, defense. Me personally or as a team?

Q. (No microphone.)

TYGER CAMPBELL: Our identity is defense. Coming into the tournament, we feel like we can control those things. Like you can't control when the ball goes in. You can't control whether you turn the ball over. You can control how hard you play on defense, you can control boxing out, certain things you can do on the defensive end.

I feel like having that is our identity. It's good. I feel like it goes both ways. We're so used to playing teams in our league that they know exactly how we're going to play, we know exactly how they're going to play. But I think in this situation it helps both teams 'cause we don't know exactly how they play. We haven't played a team like this. They don't, per se, know how we play. There's really no advantage on either side.

It's good that our identity is defense coming into this, and we're just not focused on offense or anything.

Q. Losing in the Pac-12 tournament game in the finals, does that light anything under you knowing this could be the last ride? Did that send anything to you in that loss at all?

TYGER CAMPBELL: Yeah, of course it's tough being a senior, losing the Pac-12 tournament. We know that we had a bigger goal at the start of the season. Of course, we take it one game at a time.

It's March. It's tourney time. It's win or go home. I think everybody is just preparing, like tomorrow couldn't be our last game. Of course, we are preparing as well as we can. We're confident going into it. But we're not taking any game for granted. We're just going to come ready to play tomorrow. We're not really worried about the past right now.

Q. With Jaylen Clark out, do you feel you need to step up a bit defensively, might get the assignment from the other team of maybe the best perimeter player? Do you have that kind of sense?

AMARI BAILEY: Yeah, 100%. Like I said, I think earlier just having little bit more of a role of just locking up, like, showing my defensive versatility, being able to guard different great players, really just be there for my teammates.

Q. Having played at Sierra Canyon, played in some pretty big games, is that going to prepare you for something like this, or are you not prepared for something as big as this?

AMARI BAILEY: I would say Sierra has helped me prepare for big games, just having big games as a little kid. I came here and played my freshman year for a state championship. I'm somewhat familiar with this stage, but nothing like March Madness at all. Nothing compares to it, in my eyes.

Q. It's no secret Will has struggled with his shot. What have you done to help him with his confidence?

TYGER CAMPBELL: Well, we know Will is a great player. Every day in practice he shows it. We're just trying to tell him, You just got to slow down in the games because we know you're a great player, you're not here for no reason.

We have never wavered confidence with him. That's why every time we pass it, we want him to shoot it. We see him attack the basket and shoot it. For Will, it's just slowing down a little bit and knowing we have so much confidence in him, we're going to need him, because he's going to play a big role in this tourney.

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: It's not easy to come back from the injury that he came from. I think he's still trying to find his way. Like Tyger said, we still have the utmost confidence in him. Every time we pass him the ball, we're going to expect him to shoot it without any hesitation because we believe in him.

THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you and good luck tomorrow.