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NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FINAL FOUR

March 29, 2018

Columbus, Ohio

THE MODERATOR: On the dais for Mississippi State will be head coach Vic Schaefer. We have student-athletes Blair Schaefer, Morgan William, and Victoria Vivians.

We're going to start with an opening statement from Coach Schaefer, then we'll take questions for the student-athletes. We'll then have the student-athletes go back to the locker room and continue with Coach.

VIC SCHAEFER: Just thanks for being here. Appreciate everybody in the room.

This is -- we're really excited to be here, I'm sure, as the other three teams. Obviously, I'm very proud of this group, this particular team. Our four seniors have meant a lot to our program.

These three were part of that first ranked class that we ever signed at Mississippi State. They've been with us all four years. Ro's been with us three years, transferring in. But these three have -- they've seen a lot. They've won how many? 127? They've won 127 games in their career, and they just really meant a lot to not only our program, but to our university and our community. Obviously, have set a standard at Mississippi State in women's basketball that will be hard to duplicate in years to come.

Our team's been special this year. Obviously, when you're 36-1, you've got a really unique and special team. In 33 years, I've never had one like that. You can do it another 33 and never have it again. But they've weathered every storm that's come their way. They've worn a bulls eye on their back all year from what we accomplished a year ago.

And then, as the year went on this year and we were undefeated up until 32-0, they wore that bulls eye. And that's extremely difficult to do.

I've marvelled at and been amazed at this group, this team, but when you really step back and look at the kids, these seniors in particular, you understand how we've gotten it done.

Obviously, we've got a tremendous challenge in front of us in Louisville. I've known Jeff a long time. We actually talk during the course of the season every now and then. He's got him a heck of a team. They're extremely multi-dimensional, multi-talented, can do a lot of things to hurt you. Offensively and defensively, they're a mirror image. When I look at them, I think we could probably -- you know, both our teams are very, very similar.

They're tough, they're physical, aggressive. So it's a team that's a lot like mine on that end of the floor. So we've got our work cut out for us. We are really focused on them. I do believe we've had some good weeks -- good three days of practice, and we'll see how it goes tomorrow night.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. We'll take questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Good morning. Victoria, I'll start with you. Do you have an appreciation -- you guys are back here at the spot that you were last year. Do you have a sense of how hard it is to get back here now? I mean, what did you feel like in terms of how difficult it was to get back to this spot?
VICTORIA VIVIANS: It's always difficult to get back here because you've got to go through the NCAA Tournament. All of the teams in the tournament are great, so it's tough every night. I feel like it was difficult this year, but we made it.

Q. For Morgan and for Blair, you're fond of looking at Coach's green folder there for the opponents. Not sure if he has one for Mississippi State. He even remarked about the similarities. What's the help in playing a team that has so many similarities as you guys do?
BLAIR SCHAEFER: I think we have to understand how we make other people feel who play as hard as we do on defense. So we're going to have to counter that and get open and actually have to get into them to get open. We're going to have to be crisp with our passes, just understand everything we're trying to take the other team out of. That's exactly what they're going to do as well.

Q. For Morgan, obviously, the Final Four last year was quite an experience for you. Can you reflect on that and what it's like to be back in the Final Four for you?
MORGAN WILLIAM: Last year's experience was great. UConn, of course, and just to get back here, it's a blessing. It's hard to get back here two times in a row. So I'm glad we came back and made it back. We worked hard for this.

Q. What do you see as your dividing moment to get you back to this place right now? I'm sorry. For Morgan, what has been your defining moment for this season?
BLAIR SCHAEFER: To get us back here.

MORGAN WILLIAM: I don't know. SEC definitely is tough. I feel like it definitely prepared us because every game in the SEC is definitely tough. Everyone is good in the SEC, so when we get to NCAA, it's win or go home. So you get everyone's best game.

I feel like that really helped us. I feel like the target is on our back. It gives us motivation to get out there because we don't want to get upset or anything.

Q. This one's for Blair. Blair, aside from the Xs and Os, what's the feeling you guys have to recapture when you came here last year? Is there a sentiment or some sort of confidence that you guys need to come with that you came with last year as well?
BLAIR SCHAEFER: Honestly, I feel like we have a better vibe about us this year because we know -- our seniors know what it's like to be here, and until you actually get to this stage and play on this stage, you really don't know what it's like. People can tell you what it feels like, but you don't know for yourself.

I feel like this year we understand the feeling, and I feel like we're very focused and mentally just in the moment. I feel like that's what we're going to have to be if we're going to be prepared to play Louisville tomorrow.

Q. Blair, I'm sure you've answered this many times, but what's it been like playing for your dad for the last few years? There's only two more games playing for him. Just what's it been like for your career to have your dad be your coach and obviously your dad?
BLAIR SCHAEFER: We have a really special relationship to make it work. We separate father-daughter, coach-player really well. It's been a true blessing. He is so well-known and looked at through other coaches in this industry, and to be able to play for one of the best and him be your dad at the same time, you really can't replace that. So I'm blessed.

VIC SCHAEFER: I'm the best dad too, by the way.

Q. This game is more than just individuals in looking at the scout. Can you tell us what you've seen from Asia Durr and what challenge that creates for the team tomorrow?
VICTORIA VIVIANS: Asia Durr is a great player. She can create for herself and her teammates. We've faced it all year. I feel like we have certain players on our team that can do certain things. I feel like it's going to be a team effort to stop her. Not just individually. I feel like it's going to be a team effort offensively and defensively against her.

Q. For Morgan, how much of a factor do you think tempo is going to be in this game?
MORGAN WILLIAM: I feel like we're just going to go out there and play our game. I know last time we played, they won the track meet or whatever. We just went out there and played our game and let the rest handle itself.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, ladies. We'll continue with questions for Coach Schaefer.

Q. I asked Morgan about last year's Final Four. She became instantly famous overnight, and then she didn't play that much in the final. How did she deal with that, and how has she responded this year to being kind of famous?
VIC SCHAEFER: I think she's dealt with it fine. I mean, the thing about last year, it's so unfair to her. It's unfair to me. I'm a big guy. I can take it. But to write some of the things that were written about her, really unfair. And if anybody had have done their homework on my team, they would have realized last year Jazzmun Holmes played 25 minutes against DePaul in the second round, had 14 points, 8 or 7 assists, and 1 turnover, played 25 minutes.

Nobody wanted to write about that. They wanted to write about a fourth quarter where I just felt like Jazzmun Holmes was playing a little better and had a little more energy. We did that all year. If you followed us this year, we've done the same thing. We've ham-and-egged it with them all year long. Mo right now is playing really well. She's played a lot of the bulk of the minutes here lately because she's playing so well.

I'm blessed to have two great point guards in Morgan and Jazz that it's allowed me to redshirt three-time Gatorade Player of the Year, Myah Taylor, who's a point guard. That's how fortunate we are.

Morgan William is a competitor. She is a tough, competitive cuss. I mean, you don't -- she is the ultimate point guard. She is a hard worker. She is like one of my own. And some of the things that were speculated and written about last year, not fair, and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to bring that up because that kid didn't deserve any of that.

She made a big shot on Friday night, but there were so many other things that went through for our team to have a chance to win that game during the course of the game. But she made a big shot. But then to have everything that was said on Sunday, not very fair.

Q. Two-part question. One, are you the best dad in the world as you said? Seriously, though, I remember last year at the Final Four it was brought up how you guys had the 60-point loss to UConn. Was there something -- I mean, not similar to that, but some sort of message of that nature that you guys had all season that was hidden until the Final Four, and now you brought it out?
VIC SCHAEFER: Sure. The dad piece, I try. I try to be to all these kids too. I just love them to death like they're my own, you know. It's a special group not only to have my twins, but I've got 14 daughters. It's really, really special and unique that I really enjoy about my job.

This year's been unfinished business. I think this team has tried to embrace that and done a great job with that. We have not run from the target on our back all year. We've talked about, hey, you're going to get everybody's best shot. For what you did last year, you're going to get everybody's best game plan. Everybody's going to be excited to play you. We had a really good nonconference schedule.

But then as the year went on, that target got joined by another target, which was the undefeated target, to go 32-0, and they've handled that like a champ. So really difficult to handle both of those things, and for these kids to do what they've done is quite remarkable.

We didn't run from wanting to win a Southeastern Conference Championship. We put a picture of their trophy, big picture, laminated it, put it on their lockers. I wanted them to see that every day. We won the Southeastern Conference. I mean, that's so hard to do.

So this team has embraced challenges, starting with the end of the season last year, what we wanted to try to get done this year.

Q. Back to Morgan for a second. I'm sure it's not every kid that you've probably ever coached could probably be able to handle that coming in the game, not coming in some other game. What is it about Morgan that's allowed her to sort of persist through this? And she said earlier in the season that she was struggling with her shot a bit. Is there anything in particular that you guys did to work with her? Because it looks like it's fine now.
VIC SCHAEFER: First of all, Morgan's a great kid. Monica, her mother, has done a tremendous job with her. She's just a great kid. High character, tough, competitive. And so Morgan has, like I said, she -- it wasn't anything new for us really last year. It was new for -- it seemed to be new for everybody else watching the game. So this year, again, we've -- I've gone with who's hot, who's playing well, who's running our team right.

This year Morgan and Jazz both, they have so many weapons around them. Morgan hasn't had to score as much this year as she did in years past. Years past, we might not have had as many shooters or offensive weapons that we have this year. So her role changed as a point guard.

Now here lately, she's shooting the ball well because she's been in the gym. She's really worked hard to -- Coach Dionnah has been with her in the gym a lot, as all my coaches are with all my position players. She's really worked hard on her shot, and you're right, she's shooting it really well, playing with a lot of confidence. She's got that presence about her that I like to see in all of our players, but especially a point guard.

So I think that's the biggest thing with her right now is just her swagger. Look, it's hard to have swagger if you don't have a skill set.

Q. Coach, your team came here last year and was, like Blair said, they didn't really know what to expect. It was a new experience for everybody. Did that factor into the way you guys approached things and how do you sort of recapture that newness when it's not new now?
VIC SCHAEFER: Yeah, you know, obviously, this time last year, there probably wasn't anybody in the room who thought we'd do what we did, except the people in my locker room. So there was probably a little bit of a -- we had great focus and great preparation leading up to that ball game. But we also, I think, were -- you know, when you're the underdog, there's a little different approach than when you come in now and we're -- we're still obviously going to play a great Louisville team, but we're not playing a team that's won 111 in a row, so to speak.

But with this team, I think they've been here. They understand what's coming. Again, we have a tremendous amount of respect for Louisville, and we have a great understanding of what they present, the problems and the challenges they bring. But this team has handled that all year, as they said, in the course of the season with the teams we've had to play against in our conference and in our nonconference.

So I've shown them enough film on Louisville, and we know they're the winners of the ACC. They won the ACC Tournament. And I know Jeff personally. He and his staff, and know what kind of job they do. So our antennas are up.

Q. Vic, over the past decade, how have you seen the women's game change specifically and how evolved and how have you adapted to that?
VIC SCHAEFER: Wow, may not be enough time in the day. Number one, I just think the skill set of our players is so much more broader. I think the coaching is really, really good. Staffs are really, really good. I think there's -- you know what, I think there's an importance placed by administrations on women's basketball. I know at my place in Mississippi State, women's basketball is really important. They spend a lot of money on women's basketball.

I tell our kids that all the time. Hey, there's people investing in you. We owe it to our administration, our fans. So I think that's the thing I've seen is -- you know, back when I started in 1990, just talking about the high school game, the offensive coordinator was the girls basketball coach. That's not the case anymore in high school. They're hiring girls high school basketball coaches.

So I think then, as you go through the college game today, administrators are doing their homework. They want good people running their programs. They see the value that a women's basketball program can bring to our university, just like at our place. Six years ago, there was about this many people at my games. Now we've got 10,000 in there. This year we had over 10,000 four nights. We averaged over 8,500. It's important.

But it's important because our administration started with them. It's obviously important to me, my coaches, and my players. So I think there's an investment on a number of levels, whether it's your players, your coaches, administration, that's really allowed it to become what it is today.

Without talking about rule changes and things like that and freedom of movement and all that, I just think that's -- there's so many things -- so many other things that go into it within the skill set that these kids are developing in high school, AAU, things like that. It's just really improved, I think.

Q. Vic, what is the challenge -- I mean, you've had all these girls four years, three years. They hear your voice every day. What is the challenge of getting them to continue to listen and be locked in and keep that message fresh?
VIC SCHAEFER: I think there's a trust factor with our kids and with my staff. I think there's a real credibility when you've done it as long as I have. To have the staff that I have and what their backgrounds are, I just think our kids know that, you know what, if we're saying something, if we're making a point to put it in a scouting report, it's important.

And I think we don't give in. If we think our message is falling on deaf ears, we don't just throw our hands up and go, Oh, well. I think you keep coaching, you keep teaching, you stay after it. So for our kids -- you know, 27-7, 28-8, 34-5, and now 36-1 -- I think the proof's in the pudding. So they have a real respect and understanding of, hey, if Coach says it, then we need to listen and do it.

Q. Vic, as you mentioned, Louisville has a lot of threats offensively and defensively, very similar to your own team. But what are the main differences you see between the two teams?
VIC SCHAEFER: There may be a difference in Tea's a true, back-to-the-basket five. Both their bigs can face up and do some things off the bounce. Once you get past that, I think that's -- that in and of itself could be where we think we have an advantage. It may be where they think they have an advantage.

After that, I think our teams are so similar. I mean, really, I think we both could flip flop and coach each other's group. Terminology might be a little off, but it meant the same thing.

Again, I just -- I think that's who Jeff is and how he coaches those kids, and the fit those kids have in his program are the same fit we have for our program. You've got to have tough, physical, aggressive basketball players. You know what, if somebody describes your team, it doesn't matter what sport you're coaching. Is it tough, physical, aggressive? Football, baseball, basketball -- you probably like that as a coach. That doesn't say anything about your skill set.

I just think his team, we both mirror image each other from the standpoint of being tough, physical, and aggressive.

Q. Coach, in the UCLA game, you saw a couple different defenses early on, and Victoria hit that bomb early on, Morgan hit a couple, but then Ro Johnson knocked down two. What have you learned about her as an offensive player throughout this season to where you're really playing four-on-one around here?
VIC SCHAEFER: Ro, I've known it since we got her three years ago. When we got her three years ago, I thought, man, she is a pro. Roshunda Johnson can do so many things with the basketball. She can take you off the bounce. She can create her own shot. She can stretch you deep. She can bail you out of some really bad sets and make shots.

And I still believe that about Ro. Ro has really been that X-factor for us that allows us to -- you know, people run out of defenders some nights. You can put a good one on Tori, or you can put a good one on Tea, or you can put a good one on Ro. Well, there's two other players now, and you're out of good defensive players.

So I think that's the beauty of this team is you've got to find all five of ours. It's hard to double off of any of them because they can all beat you.

But Roshunda Johnson has really been a tremendous addition for us and has made our team what it is today, in my mind. I mean, we don't have Ro, we have a different kind of player there, now people can guard us a little differently. So she's really special.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

VIC SCHAEFER: All right. Praise the Lord and Go Dogs.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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