Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Chicago, Illinois - United Center

Maryland Terrapins
Buzz Williams
Diggy Coit
Elijah Saunders

Postgame Press Conference
Maryland - 70, Oregon - 60

THE MODERATOR: We are joined first tonight by the
Maryland Terrapins. Maryland will advance to take on the
No. 9 seed Iowa Hawkeyes tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Central
at the United Center. We're joined by Coach Buzz
Williams and student-athletes Diggy Coit and Elijah
Saunders.

Q. Guys, what was the general mindset going into
today and playing multiple games possibly multiple
days in a row?

ELIJAH SAUNDERS: Just take it one day at a time. I felt
we're as connected as we've been all year. So just keep
playing for each other and playing for the guys next to you.

DIGGY COIT: I would say the same thing. Just trying to
keep the main thing the main thing, lock in with each other.
Best we probably felt as a team in regards to leadership
and intangibles. So it definitely paid off.

Q. Can you speak a little bit more about the
momentum this win gives you as you head into the
next round?

DIGGY COIT: I think it gives us the right momentum if we
take advantage of it, knowing that we played a game. We
felt, we've seen what we've got to work on for tomorrow,
what we've got to think about. I think we know at least
what we have to do on the court together, being on the
same page, talking, communicating, being great
teammates.

So I think it just keeps us focused for tomorrow.

Q. What were you guys able to do differently tonight
obviously playing Oregon earlier in January, lost by
10, what was different tonight?

ELIJAH SAUNDERS: I just felt we were able to defend the
rebound at a higher level than we have been earlier in the
season. When it comes down to March, whoever can
defend the rebound and not turn the ball over is going to
win. Just sticking to those principles.

DIGGY COIT: I think from what's been going on in the
locker room, starting with Coach and the rest of the staff,
leaning into us, I think we're a completely different team
from top to bottom than we were when we first seen them.
Not just the result, but how we are as individuals with each
other, I think we're just completely different.

Q. What are your guys' first thoughts about Iowa
tomorrow morning? Obviously an earlier matchup, but
what are your guys' thoughts on getting some sleep
and waking up early?

DIGGY COIT: They're going to play hard, and we've got to
be ready. That's all I can think about.

ELIJAH SAUNDERS: Yeah, playing a team we've already
played twice. Get some rest and get ready to play.

Q. In terms of on-court performance, what did you
guys like most about the way your team responded
tonight?

DIGGY COIT: I would say I thought the bench was really
into the game. I thought every huddle that we went into
nobody panicked. We knew exactly what we were doing
wrong. We were all on the same page. I would say those
were the two main takeaways.

I felt like this was the most we were together since for a
very long time. I felt that way about our last home game
and today.

So I would say just us, how happy we were for each other,
how connected we were.

Q. Coach, this was the third time the two programs
have ever met and the second time this season. How
has your understanding of Oregon evolved since the
first matchup this season?

BUZZ WILLIAMS: I think we played them the first
weekend in January. I think it was our third conference
game. So we watched that game just to kind of have some
context.

Our team has changed a lot tactically. I think our team has
also changed relative to the roster and how it's utilized. I
would say the same thing about their team. There's still
remnants of what we do and what they do, but if you've
played 20 games in a conference season and the last time
you saw them was 17 games ago, there's going to be a lot
of differences.

Our staff was tremendous in making sure that we didn't
overload our guys. We played the last game of the regular
season in the Big Ten, and then obviously we played the
first game in the Big Ten Tournament. So we didn't
practice. So our practice was in the film room.

I think our staff was as good as they've been all year in
making sure that what we explained to our guys without
them having an opportunity to practice it not only could our
guys understand it, but they could do it and take it from the
film room to the floor. I thought a lot of that took place this
afternoon.

Q. You were talking about it earlier, but what was your
mindset coming into today? Were there any
similarities in your prep or your scout process
compared to the Players Era Tournament back in
Vegas?

BUZZ WILLIAMS: Oh, are you saying going into
tomorrow?

Q. Correct. Today and tomorrow.

BUZZ WILLIAMS: Well, we play in 16 hours. So that
means we'll be here in 14 hours. I would say that we'll try
to do a little bit of it tonight after they have dinner, but I
think we've morphed relative to what is best for this group.
When we played at the Players Era, I think that was Game
5, 6, and 7 for us. With 15 new players and all new
coaches, I don't think we really knew who we were or what
was best, and I think there were a lot of guys playing then,
some because they were healthy enough, some because
we were trying to figure it out.

Our roster is completely different now. Our style of play is
completely different on both sides of the ball. Within the
volatility of the season, we've continued to try to adapt.
I think we've been in a pretty good rhythm for how we
handle prep for our opponent. It will just be an abbreviated
one. You don't want to give them so much that they're
confused. You want to give them just enough so that it
helps.

And Iowa is a unique scout. What our plan was when we
played at Iowa, we had a different team relative to our
roster -- who was playing, who was starting, who were our
significant players at that time -- than when we played
them in College Park. And our plan was a lot different.
We'll probably spend most of our time talking about the
difference between the two going into Game 3.

Q. Just talking about tonight, what did you like most
from what you did in tonight's win and what you'll take
into 16 hours from now?

BUZZ WILLIAMS: The thing that translates the most for us
regardless of who we play is can we play with a low
turnover rate? If we don't give the ball to the other team,
we at least have a chance to get an offensive rebound. On
occasion we'll get fouled.

Then also, when we don't turn it over, we have a chance
for our defense to get set. What we've tried to do more
over the last month and a half is how can we figure out a
way to minimize our turnovers, and how can we figure out
a way to minimize the opponent's offensive rebounds?
Just from a time of possession standpoint, mathematically
we give ourselves more of a chance.

I thought in the first half we were arguably as good as
we've been in those two ways. In the second half we
turned it over a little bit more than we should. We gave
them too many offensive rebounds. But the thing that we
have to figure out how to improve on is how to defend
without fouling.

In our last regular season game, the Number 1 offense in
our league, they shot five free throws in the first half. In the
second half, they shot 21. Today Oregon shot eight free
throws in the first half and 13 in the second half. It's just
it's hard for us to overcome points without the clock on
because offensively we have to play a certain way just to
kind of thread the needle on what gives us the best
chance.

If you're going to beat Iowa or any team going forward,
we're going to have to defend without fouling more than we
have the last two games.

Q. And talking about Elijah Saunders, 5 of the last 6
games, he's hit three or more 3-pointers. Talk about
how he's opened up the offense.

BUZZ WILLIAMS: A lot of our paint touches over the last
nine weeks have to come off the bounce. Our coaches
have done a really good job of -- it's not a play. Whatever
play we call is aborted once we get penetration, and
relative to where the penetration is, that dictates what we
do. Our team has been continuing to figure that out.
A lot of that will end up with Elijah on the perimeter
because we don't have anybody to throw it to, and
offensively obviously it looks better. I think we made nine
3s on Sunday, and I think we made nine 3s again today.

From an effective field goal percentage, as you know, that
helps us so much if we can shoot more 3s, and we have
been shooting more 3s over the last six weeks, but if
somehow we can make it and not turn it over, it gives us a
chance to get an offensive rebound as well.

Q. How important was it for you guys to set the tone
early against Oregon, and how were you able to keep
up that momentum after halftime?

BUZZ WILLIAMS: I thought we played from start to finish
in the first half probably as well as any half that we've
played. Whether we've been at home or on the road or
neutral site, from a low turnover rate, from an offensive
rebounding percentage, even a defensive rebound
percentage, and we didn't foul. That was really good.
They didn't foul us, and we didn't foul them. So now it's a
push. That was good.

I do think to some degree we absorbed their two
magnificent runs probably with as much maturity as we
have at any point in the season. I didn't think that we just
disintegrated emotionally. Then I thought there was some
collective thought on trying to maintain and play to the
scouting report. So that was encouraging.