NEW YORK (WFAN) -- After going one-and-done the past two seasons, Seton Hall's veteran players had some extra motivation in the first round of the NCAA tournament this time around.
"I think that's the one nice thing about having an older, veteran group is you gain confidence in their ability to kind of handle defeat and to bounce back from it," coach Kevin Willard told WFAN's Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Friday, a day after his Pirates beat North Carolina State, 94-83, in the first round of the tournament.
"I just saw a much more determined group, a much more focused group on what we wanted to accomplish. So although last year was really disappointing, I had a lot of confidence going into this year's tournament just because I think these guys really had something to prove and wanted to make up for last year."
While Seton Hall is known for its senior presence -- and players such Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, Angel Delgado and Ismael Sanogo did not disappoint, with all scoring in double figures -- Willard said he was especially pleased with his younger players who stepped up when others found themselves in foul trouble.
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"When things got tough, I was really happy that our young guys were able to pick us up and kind of give us some room where our older guys could finish off the game," Williard said.
The win was Seton Hall's first in the tournament since 2004. But at one point, it seemed unlikely this would be the season the Pirates would finally break through. From mid-January to mid-February, they lost six of eight games, including four straight.
"When we were going through our struggles, it wasn't because of our effort or anything like that," Willard said. "It was just sometimes you have to get your older guys refocused midway through the year. And I thought we lost a couple close games during that stretch, and it was more or less just getting my older group to kind of get refocused a little bit on what their goals are. Because during late February, it's natural, it's human nature for kids to start thinking about their pro careers or this is coming to an end. And I thought my group did a really good job of refocusing and getting back to work."
The Pirates (22-11) have their work cut out for them in the next round. They'll face top-seeded Kansas (28-7) on Saturday night in Wichita, Kansas.
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"It's definitely going to be a road game," Willard said. "I've actually never studied (Kansas coach) Bill Self, and after spending last night and this morning watching them, I can understand why he's only lost 95 games in his career. They're talented, but I think what makes Kansas really good is the fact that they do everything on the offensive end really crisp, whether it's their fastbreak and they get out and go. But even in the halfcourt -- everything in the halfcourt is fast, it's crisp, they pass the ball really well. We're going to have to really defend in the halfcourt, rebound, and ostensibly we've got to get the ball into Delgado and really try to pound it inside as much as possible."
To listen to the interview, click on the audio player above.