North Carolina State University Athletics
NCAA Tournament Selection Quotes
3/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 13, 2006
NC State Head Coach - Kay Yow
Opening statement:
"The first thing is, we're just happy that we had the kind of season that qualifies us for the NCAA Tournament because, as everybody knows, the ACC this year is the toughest that it's ever been. We could've really legitimately had three No. 1 seeds in the tournament. We have two No. 1 seeds and a No. 2, and seven teams that got in."
On the location:
"We're going to Chicago and we have our first round opponent. There are no easy teams now. It's not going to be that way. There are only 64 teams in the country that are going to be in."
On NC State's strength of schedule and bracket seeding:
"I'm glad to see the committee stay true to what they said the criteria would be because we based our schedule on that from day one. For the past few years they have been very committed to sticking to that. The strength of schedule, the RPI, and everything that goes with that. We can see that in their selection of teams and, in some cases, seeds. We felt that that would be the case, thus the schedule that we put together."
On possibly facing DePaul in Chicago in the second round:
"We would just be happy to be playing a second game. If we can just get a win in the first game. I think a lot of ways, in any tournament that you play, the first game is always one of the toughest. You have to get in the groove and you have to get going. Once you win a game, the games can get tighter and tighter and you can have a better chance. Everybody can. "
On home court advantages during the tournament:
"When we had 16 sites, first and second round, it would be sometimes that the 16 teams on home courts advanced to the Sweet 16. I remember one year, 15 teams advanced and we beat Penn State on their court and we were the only team that advanced that wasn't a home court team. I know very well how that can be. It's tough and it will be tough, but we have to win game one before we worry about it, so it's not even in my thoughts right now."
On playing all tournament games at neutral court sites:
"I have been a proponent of that, but most all coaches have. Everybody, in all fairness, would like to see all games played in neutral sites, not on the home court of a team that you're going to play. But women's basketball is growing. A lot of teams will be playing on completely neutral sites, we just happen to be in a bracket where that's not the case."
On getting the team ready for the tournament:
"We practiced last Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and took Friday and Saturday off. We ran a little last night and practiced for an hour and a half today. We might have to take a day off this week. We just have to vary what we are doing in practice right now and how we arrange everything because we don't need anything to be routine or monotonous. We need to keep it fresh, keep it fun and get us mentally and emotionally ready."
On getting back to the tournament:
"I'm just ready to play. It didn't really matter where we went. I'm just excited and ready to go."
On this being her last NCAA Tournament:
"It's kind of emotional when we you think about it, but I just want to have a good outcome. I'm just going to pump my team up and go ready to play."
On getting the team ready:
"It starts in practice. We have to stay focused and do what we do in practice and hopefully it will carry over into the game."
On recovering from the slow start in conference play:
"We actually had a team meeting at one point. After that, we just talked about what we needed to do as a team to get it together. After that team meeting, we just got back on the same page and we went from there."
On the location:
"I'm just ready to play. I don't care where we are going."
On the season:
"I think we had a good season and I think that definitely helps our mentality going into the NCAA Tournament. Knowing that our hard work did paid off and we got a good seed. I think a lot of us are excited about going to Chicago and we're excited about the bracket that we're in. We'll all be ready to play and we'll start preparing tomorrow."
On the time between the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament:
"Over spring break a lot of us had the time to see our families and rest our bodies up a little bit. We had practice, but we had off time and there was no school, so I think that break helped us. Tomorrow the focus definitely starts on the new journey that we have."
