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OMAHA, Neb. - Norfolk State players and coaches participated Thursday in their official NCAA Tournament press conference and also an open practice before fans at the CenturyLink Center Omaha in preparation for Friday's second-round NCAA game against Missouri.

Here are excerpts from Thursday's press conferences:

Head Coach Anthony Evans
General Thoughts
“Everyone is excited about being here, the team has worked hard for five years, the staff has put in a lot of work.  Kyle is possibly the only player that has been with us for the run.  He was there (in the 2009 MEAC final) when we lost to Morgan State and it feels good for him to get there.

On the NCAA Tournament experience
“We try to stay focused. Trying to keep a normal routine, as normal as possible, with all the media attention and everything, is great but we have a job to do.  We're here to play a basketball game and after this we're going to go practice and do the things that we have done all year long.”

On his team's height advantage over Missouri
“We are hoping that our length will pose problems for them.  They have four great guards.  We can post up a little bit, but we think that Kyle is our best chance of creating mismatches against them.  Hopefully, he can kick it out to shooters to make shots.”

On his team's resiliency
“We hadn't lost two games in a row all year long, so we re-focused and started playing good basketball again.  We weren't defending like we had been in the stretch.  We started defending, getting out on shooters and were able to get back on the right path.”

On Missouri guard Phil Pressey
“He is the engine that makes them go, he can penetrate and shoot the basketball.  I don't think you can stop a guy like that completely; you try to contain him, limit him on what he does and try to make him give the ball to other people.  That's some of the game plan, not all of it. Some of it.”

On his team's 3-point shooting in the MEAC Tournament
“Chris and Pendarvis are two of our better 3 point shooters, so we didn't shoot the ball during the course of the year as well, but their legs and their focus came back during the playoffs.

On his team's progress over the last 4-5 years
“We worked hard to get so that point and as a coach you know there are certainly opportunities to get to the championship. We knew we were going to have a good basketball team, and it turned out to be our season.”

Senior center Kyle O'Quinn
On Missouri's up-tempo style of play
“This is not the type of game that we haven't seen (in) a game plan. Yes, we are going against better players from a different conference, but the style of play is what we see a lot in the conference.  When we step out of conference, we see this, guards getting up and down exploiting us on transition, so it's not something we haven't seen before and we're comfortable going into the game. “

On coming in on a 7-game winning streak
“When you're on a winning streak, you go into every practice and game with a certain level of confidence, so that helps.  It's like a snowball effect. You keep going in that direction, and it gets bigger and bigger.  I think we have won seven in a row now, and coming off our conference championship, we have a lot of confidence.  It's not like we're coming off a losing streak.  We know what to do to win.  We just have to perfect it. “

On Missouri's depth and scoring options
“When you have five players averaging double figures, you look at the highest and work your way down.  You look at what you can do to stop them that night, and hopefully, we can step up and stop each one of them. “

On the NCAA Tournament experience
“With it being such a new experience and the first time the school is going to it, being part of that you take that as an initiative of going in there and trying the to win the thing.  You're in it to win it, but it also being a first experience you're taking everything in, being at press conferences and interviews, you have jitter bugs, but at the same time you have to enjoy the experience. “

Senior guard/forward Chris McEachin
On Missouri's perimeter players
“We watched Missouri very well, their guards are talented, and they push the ball on the break, so we have things we need to do to contain them.”

On Missouri's style of play (4 guards, 1 post)
“I believe it (helps us).  In our conference we have smaller teams and Missouri is not one of the bigger teams in the Big 12, and we feel like we're prepared for that and ready for that. “

On Missouri's depth
“You have to respect each one of them as individuals.  We understand that Phil Pressey is a great player, Denmon can move with the ball, English has a great shot, and Ratliffe is a solid player, so we respect them all in their own right.”

Sophomore guard Pendarvis Williams
On Missouri's perimeter players
"We are aware that their guards are good shooters, and that Phil Pressey is a really good penetrator."

On coming in on a 7-game winning streak
"It's always good when you're winning and around this time, it's either win or go home, but you have no choice to play hard, so you can win."