University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Press Conference Quotes - Monday, March 24
March 24, 2014 | Women's Basketball
2014 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship
Carmichael Arena • Chapel Hill, N.C.
Monday, March 24
NORTH CAROLINA PRESS CONFERENCE
Andrew Calder, North Carolina Associate Head Coach
Diamond DeShields, Freshman guard
Xylina McDaniel, Sophomore forward
Opening statement
Calder: "We're very happy we're one of 32 teams left. I feel like we got the rust off our game last night. We had great, great intensity the last 10 minutes - it was a great comeback, congratulations to the players. We tried to pair up Diamond and Xylina as much as possible in our offense. Diamond wanted the ball in certain spots on the floor and we played from there, and then we moved her to point guard after a little while and things worked out for us. We're very excited about the win last night to advance to the final 32.
"As far as Michigan State, they're a very talented team, well-coached, they start five players that can shoot the 3, which spreads the floor. They have a very good driving game because the floor is spread, and they have a very good power game inside, and they play very good position defense. We're looking foward to the challenge."
Looking back, do
you think you took UT Martin lightly?
McDaniel:
"I'm not going to say that we took them lightly. They played one of the best
games they could play. Coming into this next game, we're going to focus on
doing what we need to do, doing what we do best, which is playing defense. It's
not really about taking a team lightly or not, it's about doing what we do
best."
What do you think stood out to you most as a freshman about playing in the NCAA Tournament?
DeShields: "I think what stood out the most was just getting it out of the way. It kind of reminded me of my first ever state game in high school, when the same thing happened to me - I ended up fouling out. I had bad nerves and for me it was about getting it out of the way. I understand now that teams are going to be a lot different in this tournament than they were in the season, only because this is the NCAA Tournament and there's a lot at stake. So you're going to get their best game and they're probably going to shock themselves sometimes - other teams are going to just play incredibly. So you have to expect that in every game, and you have to come out ready to play your best game too.
Were you nervous in the first half of the game yesterday?
DeShields: "Yes sir, there were definitely nerves, but I understand how to calm myself down and it didn't take long for me to do that. I understood that I didn't want my season to end in the next 20 minutes. So really I just had to get a grip on myself and understand there are certain things that I needed to do as an individual to contribute to the team's success. I didn't do that in the first half. Individually, I had to take it upon myself to do what I've been doing all season or at least half of that in hopes that we could come out and get the win."
MSU has more size
than UT Martin. How do you think you'll match up?
McDaniel:
"I think we'll be fine. Our post players are pretty athletic, pretty solid.
It's just going to be how we execute. I don't think we'll have a problem
matching up."
Is there a carryover in momentum from the first round game?
Calder: "No. It's a new game, a new 40 minutes."
Is there a question of how young players are going to respond in high pressure games like this?
Calder: "I've said this before: they're high IQ basketball players, they come ready to play. We'll be looking forward to the challenge tomorrow night. We'll be ready - we will definitely be ready."
How do you get off to a faster start than you have been this season and did on Sunday?
DeShields: "We haven't figured it out yet. It's still happening. Like Coach says, every game is a new 40 minutes and now is the time for us to pick it up, now is the time for us to figure it out. So you can expect a better start tomorrow."
On Michigan State's Aerial Powers
Calder: "She's a tremendous athlete and basketball player. 26 [points] and 18 [rebounds] is impressive, it doesn't matter who you're playing, but they were playing a very good Hampton team that had not lost since December. That was very impressive. She does a great job either shooting the basketball or driving to the basket, very talented."
On playing at home at Carmichael and the boost that provides in tough games
Calder: "I thought the fans really helped us on the comeback last night. Our bench was outstanding, too, but I thought the fans were really into the game and I thought it helped us tremendously. So we see it as an advantage, yes, and we hope everybody can attend tomorrow night and pack the place."
Does Michigan State remind you of anybody in the ACC?
Calder: "Maryland. I think they play power basketball and Maryland plays a lot of power basketball. They can shot the three, which Maryland can do, and they have a very good post game, which Maryland does also. They remind me a lot of Maryland."
