University of Connecticut Athletics
2010 Women's Basketball Selection Show Quotes
3/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 15, 2010
NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Monday University of Connecticut Quotes March 15, 2010
Head Coach Geno Auriemma
Do you feel that you were rewarded for the best season top to bottom?
"Yeah. I think that you ask anybody, they'll always tell you that the hardest region is the one that they're in and everybody else has an easy bracket. So, I don't really spend a whole lot of time with that. I just look at the teams that we would have to play and there's six games you're going to have to play. And there's some teams in our bracket that are a lot better than people are going to give them credit for and it's matchups. It's teams I haven't seen in a long time I haven't seen - we never played Ohio State. Obviously we know Florida State. Don't know anything about Iowa State, haven't seen them. I haven't - really haven't seen Virginia much since a couple years ago. I forget who Temple's playing. James Madison. I haven't seen either of those two teams play at all this year. So, it's not your run-of-the-mill teams. And I always think that's good. I like when you're playing teams that you've seen for the first time and they're seeing you for the first team. So we've got a lot of that and the rest of the country, I don't necessarily worry that much about. You've just got to worry about who's in our bracket and that's it."
If you're doing everything right, can anyone stop you?
"Well, that's why you have to play every game through, all the way, because for that one night when you don't do everything right. Otherwise, what's the point? They should just, you know, do like football. We finish No. 1. Give us the BCS trophy and send us home. But you have to play these games so that...you have to prove again that you can do everything right. And the average person out there probably says `Well, of course you're going to do everything right. You did it right the other 72 games.' I guess that's why we're going to play, to see if we can do everything right. And if we do, you know, I like our chances."
You mentioned looking ahead to these six games. Game No. 5 can get more hype than any other in recent memory. Has it crossed your mind what the National Semifinals would set up?
"You know, it will when whatever day it is we play, whatever - hopefully, we're playing in the final eight. When that game's over, it will be the No. 1 thing on my mind. Up until then, probably not. But I'll venture to say after that game is over, if we're fortunate enough to win it, I think there'd be a lot of coaches and players on our team that will be smiling a little bit. Yeah."
How about the fact that you get a second shot at a chance to face Tonya [Cardoza, head coach of Temple]?
"Yeah. I don't know what the fascination is with that. They're dying to put that whole thing together. I'm surprised they didn't put Hartford in there and I'm glad Jamelle [Elliott, head coach of Cincinnati] didn't make it in there, otherwise they might have thrown her in there, too. I hope Tonya wins. Not because I want to play them. I just hope Tonya's team wins `cause I always root for my assistants to play. But I also know James Madison's really good. And there are teams I think you've got to worry about a little bit. You know, teams from conferences that people don't always give the respect that they probably deserve. There's a little pecking order in college basketball. Obviously, the BIG EAST and Big 12 each have seven teams in there, so everybody's `We're the power conferences.' And the Atlantic-10 is, you know, probably a notch or two down. James Madison and the Colonial Conference are probably viewed as below them. But they're the kind of teams that they love being in that situation. They love getting you in that 8/9 game. So I think Tonya's got a tough matchup, Temple's got a tough matchup. And at the same time, you know, I look at last year, we had Texas, I think, in the 8/9 game. Was it last year or two years ago? It might have been last year. 8/9 Texas and I thought `Man, that's an 8/9 game? They're really good.' So, I hope Tonya wins, but we'll see."
What is different this time about having a perfect record heading into the NCAA tournament?
"I've never had an undefeated team - I've never gone into the NCAA tournament with an undefeated team that didn't have a tremendous experienced guard that could control the tempo and be able to get us into whatever we needed to get into. And this is the first time that we don't have that. So, it's different. I know everybody's saying `Yeah, it's really hurt you so far.' Well, that's not the point. The point is we've not ever been in the NCAA tournament without a great guard. And I'm not saying that our guards aren't great - they're capable of playing great - but neither of them are juniors and neither of them are All-Americans and that's exactly what we had with every other one that we've been into...where we've been undefeated. So, I think if our guards are able to, you know, handle themselves and equip themselves like I think they can and play like those kinds of guards that we've had in the past, then I think we're going to be OK."
Senior Kalana Greene
What is your initial reaction about the seeding?
It's tough this year. A lot of teams are evenly matched from what I can tell. It is fun to see who is going to play who and which bracket seems the most difficult but I was excited that we get to play our first game in Norfolk instead of Pittsburgh because it is closer for my family to come up there and hopefully we get a little bit more sun than we have had here in Connecticut.
What are your feelings about possibility of playing Tennessee in the National Semi-Final game?
That is down the road. That is actually too far down the road to be thinking about now. If that were to happen, it would be the fifth game, so we still have to beat Southern University, and then beat whoever our next opponents would be. It's a long road until what the matchup could be, so I am not looking that far down yet. How do you learn about an opponent such as Southern University?
The same thing I have done up to this point. I think its fun to play teams that are not in your conference because everyone is unfamiliar and you have to get a different feel from them. For us, it's not even about paying attention to the opponent that much because our style of game does not change too much, rather it's the teams and players that change. It is all about what we do and when we play our best basketball, we win, I don't think it matters who the other team is.
Senior Tina Charles
What do you think about the bracket?
I am surprised about our bracket because usually we have a harder road to the finals but I am definitely happy with whatever situation we are put in.
Can you talk about the fact that this team for the first time in 21 years in tournament is not going to have any tournament games in Connecticut? Do you expect the fans to travel with you guys?
Always. We always have fans everywhere so I won't be surprised if I see a UConn shirt in Norfolk.
Has it sunk in that at most, you have six games left at Connecticut?
Coach has definitely talked to me about it and I am looking forward to it, but as of right now, I only have one.
If everything goes as planned and you and Tennessee play in the semi-finals, how do you feel about that?
Growing up, I was not in that era of the UConn-Tennessee match up and I only played them once in my freshman year. I didn't make it too big of a deal so whoever we play, I will look forward to playing them.
How much have you learned from the BIG EAST Tournament, because teams took some good shots against you guys, do you think that's how it will be starting game 1?
Yea, definitely. I think teams will look for our weaknesses and try to exploit them and other teams will try to take that into consideration when playing us, but that is coach's job to help us out with that.
