NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - UNLV VS ARIZONA

March 18, 2022

Adia Barnes

Shaina Pellington

Sam Thomas

Lauren Ware

Arizona Wildcats

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement from coach.

ADIA BARNES: March is here. Extremely excited. Second time in history we host a NCAA tournament and it's ironic that the last time we hosted I was a player. I actually forgot about that until you guys reminded me.

But first two rounds in Tucson I think it's extremely exciting. One of the best venues in the country and we're playing a really good team, so I think it's going to be great game for women's basketball. So extremely excited that March is here.

THE MODERATOR: Open it up now for questions for the student athletes.

Q. Sam, you've probably been asked this question a zillion times, but I'll ask it now. Describe how action exciting it is for you to be able to match up against your sister and to have your mother and father in town again to watch both of you as siblings take it out in a one-and-done fashion?

SAM THOMAS: Yeah, it's super exciting. March obviously is a really exciting time on top of that. So just knowing that I'm playing against my sister. I know my parents were worried at first, once she won her conference tournament, like how are we going to split up the family, who's going to go see Sam, who's going to go see Jade.

So to have her here it's bittersweet. Obviously it's nice that all my family can be in one place, but then someone's season is going to end, hopefully hers. So we'll see. (Laughing).

Q. Lauren, with Cate coming back, what's that been like in practice and preparation for this tournament?

LAUREN WARE: It's always nice just to have Cate on the floor with us. We're really excited to have her back. She's a huge part of this team, obviously. So just getting her back on the floor and in practice and stuff it helps us out a lot and it helps me out a lot as well just because I learn a lot from her and she makes me a better player.

So we're just really excited to have her back.

Q. Lauren, you're coming off the two best games of your college career. Was it just a matter of more minutes or was it something else you've been doing?

LAUREN WARE: I think it's just a confidence thing and just like time of year. I think I put a lot of work in and my teammates have helped me out a lot as well and my coaches and stuff like that so just putting me in a position to be successful is what got me to that point.

ADIA BARNES: Are you trying to get her in trouble? You know she can't say more minutes with the coach here. She can't say that. Come on. You're running today. Just kidding. He was trying to set you up. (Laughing).

Q. I know you had that really ugly injury here in December, but how long before you were able to feel good again, even though you were healthy, how long before you felt like you were back?

LAUREN WARE: Yeah, obviously it's always hard coming off of an injury, just kind of getting back to a hundred percent and feeling completely normal. So I think it definitely took me awhile to kind of get back into the groove of things. But I definitely feel like I'm a hundred percent now and I'm feeling comfortable on the court.

ADIA BARNES: Probably, like month. I think there was hesitancy at first and then just not feeling as strong when she had been in such good shape and I think it took her awhile to get her wind back because I see the difference the last couple of weeks.

Q. We're talking about mid February?

ADIA BARNES: Yeah. I would say she was out for five or six weeks. I would say it took her, to come back it probably took her a month. Yeah, because she was back, but then like you could see how she landed and just not, just a little hesitant, and I think just playing more loose and free, and I think it really showed in the PAC-12 tournament.

Because a lot of it is the mental part and confidence, because even if it's structurally okay, I think it's just, that happened, you don't want it to happen again. She was just out six weeks and we had to adjust without her. So I would say it took her like a month.

Q. Shaina, how would you compare and contrast sitting here today inside McKale preparing for the first round versus where you guys were a year ago preparing for the first round?

SHAINA PELLINGTON: I mean, it's very different. Obviously we get to host. So it's different being at home. We had to go through security just to get into Mckale, you know what I mean? So it's kind of odd.

But we're super excited to prepare for the tournament. We're really happy that we get to be here and play in front of our fans, so it should be a lot of fun.

Q. Shaina, the last time you played in a tournament game you had one of the best games of your season last year, probably the best. This time out what's it like now coming back and playing again in the tournament and with this team and what your goals are this year?

SHAINA PELLINGTON: Like I said before, it's really exciting to be back in the tournament and get a chance to do something special at home. So, I mean, like, I'm super pumped and I know my teammates are super excited as well.

But we're kind of just taking it one game at a time, focusing on what's at task right now and in this moment and not really looking to the future really. So, I mean, yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm super excited. We're all super excited.

ADIA BARNES: Remember her approach is a little different because last year she had a different role. So it's a different approach and a different situation, but the good thing about these three is there's experience. So I think not going to the tournament because of COVID and then going last year and then experiencing that when we were an underdog, when no one in a million years, probably not even us at the time, thought we would be there, and then got hot.

So I think that the approach this year is one game at time, just like last year. But anything's possible and they decide if they want to do that, because we're very capable.

Q. With the amount of experience coming from this team as well as hosting a game at McKale, can you describe the confidence factor going in?

SHAINA PELLINGTON: We're all super confident, and like I said before, I keep saying the word excited, but to be here and to have opportunity to do something special, again, like we did last year.

So, yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun for us, getting to play at home, play against these really good teams, and get to prove ourselves yet again, that we're deserving of being here and that we're one of the best teams in the country.

Q. For any of the players. Sam, I know you know this UNLV team better than most, but what jumps out to you about this team as you prepare for them tomorrow, that could be an issue, could be something you have to look out for to be ready?

SAM THOMAS: I'll go first I guess because I probably know 'em a lot better. I've probably watched every single one of their games this year that we weren't playing.

So just knowing that they're pretty young, they're a new team, obviously. I think that they have like seven or eight new players on the team. They're coached by Lindy La Rocque, a great coach, done amazing things with the program in a short amount of time. So just knowing that they're coming in, they're coming in hungry, they know they have nothing to lose, they have a lot of connections to Tucson, so there's probably going to be a lot of people here cheering for them as well.

So coming in knowing that we have to stick to our game plan, the scouting report, follow what we do, and knowing that this is just another opponent that we have to cross in order to get to the championship game, we're not focusing on the outside factors, we're just focusing on the game itself.

Q. Lauren, I asked you this after PAC-12, about staying aggressive after Cate came back. Now that she's back, how has that been for you as far as your staying aggressive?

LAUREN WARE: Yeah, I think I'm just kind of approaching it the same way as I usually would. Obviously with Cate coming back it's going to help us a lot offensively and defensively, but I don't really think that changes what I am going to do from here on out.

So I think I just need to stay aggressive and stuff like that and Cate's going to help me with that as well because she opens the floor a lot for us because she's a big target on the inside. People are going to defend her really tough. So I think that will help me a lot as well and help me stay aggressive too.

Q. I cover a lot of local high school girls and they're all wearing U of A women shirts and they're wearing Sam shirts --

ADIA BARNES: I think they're wearing Sam shirts more than U of A shirts, but I'm not mad about that.

Q. Maybe Sam and Coach, can you talk about the atmosphere and what you created here in Arizona with the younger boys and girls, I guess, in the city.

SAM THOMAS: Yeah, I feel like we kind of brought a little bit of excitement to the younger girls after our run last year, and then having Aari being a WNBA draft pick, I think that brings excitement to the city itself.

And then knowing like Tucson basketball's rising. Salpointe women's basketball just won their state championship game. So everyone's coming into Tucson and we're raising the stakes for basketball. Everyone's doing a great job.

And then just knowing we're supporting each other, looking out for their games, they're watching us, obviously wearing all of our gear and merch and all that stuff. So it's just a great atmosphere that we're creating here.

ADIA BARNES: What I think as a coach, when you have a job, I went here, so obviously my alma mater, and so there's a little bit more of your heart in Tucson. But I think that you want to create a place or in a space where little kids and little girls aspire to go to U of A.

Like, I don't think it was like that before because, and a lot of that comes from success. More people come. They follow you when you're successful. But when you win, it's just, it's contagious. People want more. And I think having little girls want to come to Arizona and play one day, that's what you want to create.

And I think that our team has created that with, on the court, with success, but also off the court with, I mean, the fact that she even knows about Salpointe, the fact that she goes to games. So she goes to little girls' games and stuff, and I think that connection with the community creates a completely different vibe, and I think that it shows what kind of mentors they are.

So I think it's bigger than basketball. It's who these kids are and what they have created, and they have done that. And it wasn't like that when I first got here. When I first got here, I remember, when I first took the job, the first two or three months, I did not hear one good thing about Arizona basketball, and I was kind of like offended because I went here. I was like, what?

But now it's great things. Now little girls, little boys, wearing, when I look in the stands, I see Sam Thomas shirts all over. That's really cool. I'm glad they got the NIL deal. And she's here in a perfect timing before she leaves because she can make a lot of money.

But in Tucson, our community, Sam's on EG's, all these things. I mean, her stuff sells out at the popup shop in front of McKale in an hour. So people love her because of basketball and all the stuff she does off the court. So that's just role modeling at its best and that's what they represent our program.

Q. Sam and Lauren, UNLV strength looks like it's their rebounding. They have four players with at least a hundred rebounds and Young has almost 300 rebounds. Talk about that challenge, going against their front court there on the rebounding.

LAUREN WARE: Yeah, obviously we know they have some pretty good post players, some good inside players, and rebounding is one of their strengths. But I mean, boxing out is something we've been focusing on for the past couple games and I think we've improved a lot in that area.

So I think we're ready to show that we're a good rebounding team offensively and defensively and, yeah, so I think we're going to be pretty good in that area.

ADIA BARNES: And we have more size. So we should be good. But they are relentless on boards, especially even offensively, their guards. But I think that also mid major the posts are typically smaller, and I think PAC-12 we're typically a lot bigger. So some of their players are five-ten and we're six-three to six-five, so it's just a little bit different.

But we, by no means, approach this game like it's a mismatch. We know they're a very good team and they're capable of winning. So in my opinion they're better than the 13 seed.

So we know we respect them and know we have our, everything, it's going to be hard on the inside, outside, and rebounding is an area we have gotten a lot better in.

Q. Sam, Jade told us last night you're afraid of the dark. Do you care to comment?

SAM THOMAS: Well, I shared a room with Jade my whole life and she's always the one that wanted the night light, so that's all I have to say about that. (Laughing).

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll excuse the student athletes. We'll take questions for coach.

ADIA BARNES: When you see Sam hack Jade, it's your fault. She's going to hack her. (Laughing).

Q. Not to ask about minutes again, but what's reasonable for Cate as she plays her first game in a month?

ADIA BARNES: I mean, obviously not 40 minutes because, it's just because of wind and not because of anything structurally. She's very healthy, feeling great, looking great.

I would say increments of, we train typically in our practice, five-minute increments. We call them five-minute wars and that's typically what a game is for media timeouts and stuff, give or take.

So I would say four, five minutes straight and then a media. I would say minutes-wise overall, I would say 30 minutes. I'm not going to play her the whole game. But with our style it's difficult to play anybody 40 minutes. So I would say 30 minutes.

And that was the thing about holding her out for a little bit longer and not pushing her, to get help her get her wind back, but it's going to be a first game with emotions, with adrenaline. That's fatiguing. But I think she's fine to play 30 minutes or more, probably not 15 minutes straight.

Q. Of those 30 how much do you anticipate will be her and Lauren on the floor at the same time?

ADIA BARNES: A lot. They have very good chemistry together. They read each other well. They play together well. They complement each other. And now it's even better with Lauren being a lot more of a threat and a lot more aggressive. So I see them playing together a lot.

But the good thing about Lauren and Cate is then we could play with a bigger big. So Ariyah is really good with Lauren. Ariyah is really good with Cate. Nettie. Koi can play with either because they can both shift to the 5.

So I think we have a few different combinations, but definitely those two will probably play the most minutes together because now it's do or die time. And I'm just glad Cate's back, even for just the fact of the morale of the team and the confidence. So even, let's say, she played less, she is still impactful and she's still helpful for us to win.

Q. You've had a bit of a layoff here and you even tweeted that usually you think that layoff between the PAC-12 tournament on the NCAA tournament's too long, but this year you needed it. Other than having that recovery time for Cate, how do you think that time helped you?

ADIA BARNES: So typically I do say this two-week break is way too long. I still think that. But this year, selfishly, I was like, oh, it's perfect. So that's obviously for my own personal reasons.

Giving Cate more time was beneficial to us. Practicing because of where we're at and how new so many people are was very beneficial for our team. We got a lot better in the two weeks and we needed it.

Now, on last year's team, we still needed it, actually, because, I think for most basketball teams around the country this end of February/March is, or this like beginning of March period, like PAC-12 period, it's really long. It's kind of where the kids hit the wall, that it's like finals and a lot of academic stuff when you're gone, and then it's a stressful tournament. It's like one and done. And then all your friends are going on spring break, going to Cancun and all that stuff. You're not.

I think it's just mentally, it's kind of, a lot of teams hit that wall. So I think to reset and stuff like that and to practice and work on your weaknesses and have some days off, I think is very helpful.

Last year at the same time we needed that. We kind of imploded around the PAC-12 tournament. We did not play well and then we got hot. We worked on some things, took a mental break, reset, and we've done the same thing this year.

So I think you're going to see us play a lot better basketball. I really do. I really feel that way. So two weeks are beneficial.

Q. So on that note, offense, it was not good against Colorado.

ADIA BARNES: Not good at all.

Q. How are you feeling about it now?

ADIA BARNES: I think that, a couple of reasons why it wasn't good, typically, like last year we didn't shoot the ball as well percentage-wise or just personnel-wise but then we killed zone offense, zone defenses.

I think what made it hard for us was adjusting to Cate gone, not having a presence inside. We had a guard playing the 4, and then going 2-24 from the three, which won't happen. We're typically 36, 37 percent. So I don't think that will happen again. I think a lot of those shots will fall. We had open good looks and they just could not fall.

But I think learning that, then you don't have to live and die by a three. Learning to move the ball and get a layup, I think we've learned a lot and worked a lot against that for now because I know that we're going to be zoned.

But having Cate in the middle wanting the ball at the free throw line, having another rebounder inside, I think it's very different. So I don't, if, if Cate played in the PAC-12 tournament I think we would have had a lot of a better chance to be more successful, just because of the chemistry and her and Lauren playing together and just knowing each other, not playing people out of position.

So, and I do think I anticipate being zoned tomorrow, not a ton, but I anticipate the zone press and zone. But I am okay with that because our personnel, and I wouldn't mind that at all, and we will not shoot 2-24 ever again. So I don't think so.

Q. What do you think hosting is worth in terms of points per game? Playing on a familiar court, playing in front of your home fans, is there a value to it?

ADIA BARNES: There is a value. I don't know points-wise what to put the value on it. But if you look at our record we're 12-1 at home. I think. I think it's 12-1. And we hadn't lost until the UCLA game since I think around December of last year.

So we're very good at home and I think everybody's very good at home. I think if you look at UNLV they're very successful at home. You're confident. You're in your same routine. You're playing in front of your crowd. For us, we draw, like we're top 8 in the country for attendance. So we know that we're going to have 8,000 people. That is a tremendous amount of energy. When you're pressing and getting a steal and you have 8,000 people going crazy I think that's worth points because you're more motivated.

So I think that it's extremely valuable. I anticipate, I want a sellout tomorrow. I think realistically we'll probably get 12- or 13,000 because of our men playing and because of spring break.

But I'm okay. But most teams aren't prepared to play in front of 12-, 13-, 14,000 people. And that's how many we're going to have. It's a very tough environment. It's very hard to play here, and we know that. And that's an advantage for us. I'm not going to sugarcoat that. Yes, we love playing at home. Do we play better? Absolutely.

But most teams across the country shoot a better percentage from the three and two at home, and we do too. So I'm happy we're home. I'm extremely excited. And to host the first two rounds, it's a blessing for us. So we do not take that lightly and I think it's going to be fun.

Q. What specifically do you like about this matchup against the Lady Rebs?

ADIA BARNES: I like any matchup in March. I don't love South Carolina or someone like that. But besides that, you know, but I think if you looked at the bracket last year, if people looked at that with big eyes, like, oh, UConn, Texas A&M, like I was like ooh.

But I think anybody can beat anybody. We're seeing today there's a lot of upsets. I like the fact that we're home. So I wouldn't care if the matchup was against anybody if we're at home. On the road we go fight. We'll do it early. If you look at the beginning of the season we were tremendous only the road and then we had some injuries. We had some people out with COVID. And we struggled on the road a little bit, but besides that we were great on the road.

But at home we're better. Everybody's better at home. So I like any matchup at home. I think that UNLV is better than the 13 seed. I think they're very good. I think they have a lot of new players. But they're not experienced in the NCAA setting and some of our players are. Our whole team isn't either. But our core players they played in a championship game so I think that's going to be very valuable in March Madness in the NCAA tournament.

So playing at home against UNLV, I know that, I think that our, I don't think they faced anybody with our kinds of pressure. I think that we have a little bit more size inside, and so I think it's going to be a good matchup. By no means do I think that we're way better and should win, by know means. I think they're a very good team and very capable of beating anybody.

So I think that we have to approach the game and we have to play well. From now on, you have to play well. But now this is do or die time. So we're going to see who steps up and we saw that last year. Aari stepped up big. Shaina stepped up big. So I'm anticipating that, and our players are going to step up. I think Lauren is going to play the same she's been playing. Sam is going to be really excited to beat her sister. I know that our players are fired up and ready and know that we didn't end the season playing our best basketball.

So I think that we are very motivated and I think very focused on the task at hand, which is UNLV.

Q. You talked about your core players having obviously NCAA tournament experience. But how do you prepare some of the younger players, such as Madison Conner, to play at home in the NCAA tournament?

ADIA BARNES: Yeah, I think that as an overall, I think that coaches, like you go through horses in the tournament. I think now's not the time for me to experiment with lineups. Now it's time to win. So if that means you're young and you're ready then you play or you don't. I think that's the reality. People don't say that but that's the reality.

Maddie has experience because she came from high school. Remember, she came during the year and she experienced that. So she knows what that feels like. I think the only players that don't would be like Anna Gret, Gisela, Nettie. But they're playing behind some experienced players, so they will, like they will have opportunities, but it won't be as much. So I think at this point you go with who you know and who can help you win games.

It's not time to give the freshmen experience. It's time to win. So you got to go with what you know and they will get experience from being there and being a part of it.

Q. I know that the last two weeks is the time that you take to prepare for the tournament. Usually during this time, like last year, there was a different vibe, like all of a sudden they came together, the team came together, and they hadn't been playing as well as they hoped to.

ADIA BARNES: Same as this year.

Q. Did something like that happen during these last two weeks? Do you feel a real different vibe, that they have kind of flipped the switch, they know it's March, they know it's go-time?

ADIA BARNES: I do. I've felt that way for a few days now. I think that having some time off, resetting, just taking a breath of fresh air, being off a few days, I think that helped.

I think it was also a reality check because losing the PAC-12 tournament to Colorado, a game we needed to win to secure hosting and secure a seed, it didn't happen. So I think there was a reality check of that. We have to play better to beat teams.

I do see a difference. I see a difference in our chemistry. I see a difference in our togetherness and want to win. So we're going to play better. If you think of back, like I would say probably around the Oregon game, we were playing some high-level basketball. At that point I knew that we were better than last year. We were better offensively. We were better defensively. And then we kind of had a shift. And I think you lose a couple games, you start wondering why you lost, looking for someone else, and then have you Cate and Lauren out, then you have Cate out, then you have a couple people out with COVID and different things.

So I think that just kind of rocked the boat a little bit. But it is what it is. Can't control that. Now we're healthy. Now we're all back. So now we got to do what we have to do, and I really truly feel like we'll go back to playing the way we were when we had were at our highest level, and that's the way we is have to play to go deep into the tournament.

Q. To be clear, Cate is 100 percent?

ADIA BARNES: Yeah. Well, I think that if you look at anybody, if you look at our team, no one's a hundred percent in March. There isn't one team around the country that everybody's a hundred percent. You're banged up. It's been a long season. You're sore. You're fatigued. All those things.

But, yeah, Cate is a hundred percent. She's ready to play. And a hundred percent, meaning is she ready to play, can she play, can she be physical, is she limited. No, she's not, so yep, she's a hundred percent. She's ready.

Q. When you look at UNLV Essence Booker, it looks like she's their heart and soul. Her numbers are phenomenal. How important is it for Bendu or Shaina to limit her as much as possible?

ADIA BARNES: Extremely important. She's the heart beat of their team she's the catalyst on offense she can score in a lot different way, she's their primary ball handler she can take pull-up jumpers, she can shoot the 3, she can drive it, she's a great passer. So she's an elite player and we definitely respect her and she's definitely going to be an area of focus for our team. We know that we have to slow her down and control her and she's going to score, because she's a good player but we have to make her work hard to score so she will feel pressure and we have to and that's what we need to do.

So, but in the post they're really good, Dez is a good player and she's really good back to the basket good rebounding, she commands a lot of attention, on the floor, so but besides those two they have a complete team, they play about seven and they have seven talented players, a lot of their players play in the PAC-12 and be impact players, so we know we have our work cut out for us, but as they have, we have tough matchups against them they have tough matchups against us and I think some of our size and our pressure can affect them. I don't think they faced our kind of pressure all year.

Q. Who do you think will be your X factor in this game and for the tournament?

ADIA BARNES: I mean, I mean Cate's our X factor right now because she's coming back, so she's a factor. I think it's, I don't think we have one particular person. I think that because we don't, we're not, we're different than we were last year, if you look at the top-10 teams, there's usually a really big star go-to player. I feel like we're built a little bit different this year of the I feel like Shaina has to step up in the tournament she's got to be productive like low assist to turnover ratio, Lauren has to maintain her aggressiveness like she did when Cate was out so to me it's by committee. Helena has to look to score and distribute the ball. Sam has to be aggressive like she was in February. So I think everybody has to step up a little bit more. Cate has to come back and be as aggressive as she was and she has been in practice and Bendu has to play that great defense and look to score and then we bring our shooters in they have to look for shots and be solid. So I think that everybody has to step up a little more. I don't think there's one person that has to be any better.

Koi's going to be very important, because Koi is a great in our pressing, she's good at our defense and she can attack the rim. And then Ariyah has experience, so Ariyah's played in a tournament before and she's a bucket inside, so I think that everybody has to do a little bit more and there isn't one particular X factor. It's going to be by committee and it's just going to be a team effort.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.