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NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: WACOMarch 15, 2018Kim Barnes AricoKatelynn FlahertyJillian DunstonWaco, Texas THE MODERATOR: We'll begin with some questions for the student-athletes. Q. Talk about being at this big stage, not getting caught up in the bright lights of it. JILLIAN DUNSTON: I think this whole year, this was our main goal. It's been a very business year. Katelynn and I, even though it's our last year, we took the emotion out of it. It's a big deal to be here, but we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. KATELYNN FLAHERTY: It's awesome to be here. We worked super hard to get here. We're trying to take it as just another game, taking it one step at a time, one day at a time. Like I said, it's awesome, but definitely trying to keep a level head. Q. Katelynn, what does it feel like finishing your senior year in the NCAAs after three years in the WNIT? KATELYNN FLAHERTY: Definitely indescribable. Like I've said, we worked so hard to get here between the players, coaching staff, all our support. It's awesome to finish like this. I think we put ourself in a great position this year to be here. I'm just so proud of my teammates, how hard they worked, how hard our coaches worked to put us in this position. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, ladies. We'll continue with questions for head coach. Q. Obviously this is not your first time here. Have you told the players how to treat this or how to approach this, anything different than how they've gone throughout the year? Also, do you have any kind of different perspective or appreciation for getting here this time around? KIM BARNES ARICO: Well, I think sometimes people from the outside think it's easy to get here. It's incredibly difficult. We found that out last year when we didn't make the tournament. I think that was a devastating blow to all of us because we thought we were in a position to make it. But the way our team responded, to go and win the WNIT. I think the champion of the WNIT could have made a decent run in the NCAA tournament as well. So for our team, that's obviously the ultimate goal, is to win championships. You can't do that without getting to the NCAA tournament. I think our schedule has prepared us for this opportunity. We played already two No. 1 seeds in Louisville and Notre Dame, then we had the opportunity to play great teams in Maryland and Ohio State in our conference and be successful in both of those games. I think we really prepared ourselves throughout the course of the year for this opportunity because ultimately it's to get here, but it's to be successful in the tournament. Once you get an opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament, anything can happen on any given day. It's one game, it's survive and advance. It's being the best team on that day. That's our goal starting with Northern Colorado obviously. But trying to have our kids embrace this moment and enjoy this moment and just leave it all out on the court and see what happens. Let's just be the best Michigan team that we can be. Q. What has been the key to your offensive efficiency all season long? KIM BARNES ARICO: Well, we're lucky to have one of the best scorers in the country in Katelynn Flaherty. I think for me as a coach, I've been fortunate to coach some really great players throughout the course of my career. Katelynn is at the top of that list. I'm so happy for her to have the opportunity to play in the tournament, for the rest of the country to see what she's capable of doing. She's such an incredible scorer, such a great scorer. We do have a 1-2 punch in Katelynn and Hallie Thome. We have a 6'5" post player that has incredible hands, incredible touch, can really run the floor well. They have been tremendous for us all year long. They know, as Katelynn said, you can't do it with two players. Akienreh Johnson has been stepping up for us offensively. And Nicole Munger has done an tremendous job of knocking down shots as well. We had another scorer with Hailey Brown that went down with a little bit of a knee injury earlier this season and won't be back for the contest. I think it's multiple people on the team that can score the basketball, but led by our all-time leading scorer Katelynn Flaherty. Q. Northern Colorado not necessarily a team that's on the major radar. How long did it take you to get familiar with them? As you watch them on tape, what do you see as being the keys to the matchup tomorrow? KIM BARNES ARICO: Northern Colorado is actually a great team. I've had an opportunity to watch a lot of film since we found out we were going to be playing them. They're a team that beat LSU, a team that beat DePaul earlier in the season. They can really score the basketball. They shoot a ton of threes, and have multiple, multiple, multiple shooters. They run a motion-type offense where if they're not shooting threes, they're back-cutting you. Really tough to defend. We've faced some teams similar to that. Last time in the NCAA tournament, we played Villanova. We had an opportunity to play Villanova a little bit in the WNIT last year as well. They remind me as a similar type style. You have to make sure you're helping but then you also have to make sure you close out with a high hand and shooters to contest those shots. I know their coaching staff, their coach. She was a tremendous player. She was with USA Basketball with me for a little bit. They were at K State for a while. They did a tremendous job coaching there. It's a great program. They're a program that's definitely on the rise. They've won 14 games in a row. They've had a really good season. Not a team like Baylor who you would see on TV as often as you do, but have had an opportunity to watch a lot of film. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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