NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - PRINCETON VS KENTUCKY

March 18, 2022

Carla Berube

Julia Cunningham

Maggie Connolly

Abby Meyers

Princeton Tigers

Media Conference

Q. I know it's been a couple of years since you guys played Kentucky and it was a different team, you guys probably have a different team. They obviously have a different team. But is there some familiarity with playing a team like Kentucky this year?

JULIA CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, that was my freshman year when we played them. I think there's some interesting parallels. I think they have a very new team, we have a very new team. We're playing a lot of people that have never played in an NCAA Tournament before, so I think there's definitely new aspects but still kind of some parallels that we're looking at. We're kind of focusing on our new team and their new team and we're just going to move forward from there.

Q. You get to face a player like Rhyne Howard who I think had 15 points in the game when she was a freshman against you guys. She's obviously a great player, but do you guys have to game plan only for her or do you look at the entire team as a while?

MAGGIE CONNOLLY: First off, I'll say our coaches do an incredible job of scouting and helping us prepare for the game. We definitely -- she's a great player, but we're definitely looking at the whole entire team. We love getting stops. That's our thing. That's our motto. So that's the plan.

Q. For any of you that want to answer, what is your NCAA Tournament experience been like so far, getting here? I know this is the first time for many folks on your team, so what's the experience been like?

ABBY MEYERS: Yeah, we're just really excited. I think just as an Ivy League team, we're just excited to make a difference, to really leave our mark and to represent the whole conference.

But yeah, we were able to get a nice tour of Bloomington, went to a nice Starbucks this morning, had a good walk. We're just trying to take in the moment. It's special. It's the first time for a lot of us. So yeah, just trying to embrace it as a whole and just preparing, getting our bodies ready for tomorrow versus Kentucky.

Q. You guys are on quite a winning streak and so are they. What are you seeing out of them as you prepare for them, and what's been rolling with you guys?

JULIA CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, I think our team like the whole year has kind of just been focusing on the game ahead of us. We're really proud of the win streak. We did a great job in the Ivy League, kind of took care of business. But moving forward, we're just looking one day ahead of us, and this is a big matchup for us, so we're focused on that, and Kentucky has had some really big wins in the past couple weeks, so we're very aware of that. We're watching a lot of film. But kind of focusing on our game and not too much looking at the past.

Q. Over the course of this year where have you seen your game expand, change, improve since the beginning of the season until now?

ABBY MEYERS: Honestly, I get surprised by what I do each game in terms of like I just come in trying to be as patient as I can within the offense and just to honestly play my role, and I think my role is a little bit on both ends, more so maybe on offense than it is on defense according to Coach. Trying to get better on defense, but we're there.

Yeah, just kind of trying to take in this moment. It is my last year and I didn't get to play versus Kentucky. I took a gap year that year. For me it's my first time playing them and just trying to avenge my teammates who played against Kentucky their freshman year. But yeah, kind of just playing the season as it goes and just trying to have fun with it, not overthink anything.

Q. You talked about the streak inside the Ivy League, but non-conference, too, I think the schedule this year, four teams inside the tournament. You have that experience. How did Florida Gulf Coast, Texas, Villanova, et cetera, prepare the group for tomorrow.

MAGGIE CONNOLLY: Yeah, we love playing really tough out-of-conference opponents. I think it definitely prepares us for games like this. Not all of them went according to plan, but some of them I think we learned a lot from, the wins and the losses.

I think just thinking back to the things that worked in those games and just sticking to the way we play and Princeton basketball.

Q. Not trying to get you in trouble with Carla here, but can you give us some keys to the game or what you have to do besides getting stops to win tomorrow?

ABBY MEYERS: We're just going to play our game plan, not going to disclose anything, according to Coach. Actually she had a hunch that someone was going to ask that before. We're just going to play our game. We're going to get stops. We're going to really try and shock them on our defensive end and just really try and get out there and show them what Ivy League is made of.

CARLA BERUBE: Well, it's really awesome to be here. Thrilled that our team is representing Princeton and the Ivy League, mid-majors. It's sort of a little bit of a long time coming since the NCAA Tournament was canceled a couple years ago and we didn't get to see that season to its end.

Then of course we didn't play last year, so we're thrilled to be back playing, of course, and yeah, here in the NCAA Tournament here in Bloomington.

Q. Coach, UK has a lot of weapons but obviously headlined by Rhyne Howard. As you guys have been getting ready, what are you expecting out of her and trying to slow her down?

CARLA BERUBE: Yeah, she's a complete player for sure. Really can score at all three levels. I think the big thing about Kentucky is that they don't just have Rhyne Howard, either. They've got a great group around her. But yeah, I mean, she's going to be tough. She's going to get her shots. You try to limit her touches, but they certainly run a lot of good stuff for her and for Edwards.

Yeah, it's going to be a great challenge, but we've faced some really good players during our season, in our non-conference, like a Kierstan Bell from Florida Gulf Coast, Jasmine Dickey from Delaware, players that can put up a lot of points.

I think that our scheduling can really benefit us for this game in facing just a complete and awesome player like Howard.

Q. You guys are on quite a winning streak, I think 17 for you guys and 10 for UK. What are you guys doing so well and what do you see UK doing well, and how are those going to clash tomorrow?

CARLA BERUBE: Yeah, they're on quite a roll. To roll through the SEC tournament the way they did was really, really impressive. They're playing great basketball on both ends of the floor, making plays for each other.

I think the emergence of Edwards has really made them just a tough opponent.

Yeah, and for us, we're just playing inspired basketball. It took us a little bit of time in sort of the non-conference to get things going again after 18 months of not playing together at all, not playing organized basketball. And so I think we've just developed a really great chemistry on and off the court, and it's showcased itself in our Ivy League season and in the Ivy League tournament. Yeah, I think we're just playing really good basketball, and hopefully you'll be able to see that tomorrow afternoon.

Q. It probably seems like a lifetime ago when you faced Kentucky in the tournament in 2019. Is there anything at all that this team can take from that game, or is it just ironic that it's just another matchup between the same two teams?

CARLA BERUBE: Well, I wasn't on the sidelines, so that -- I can't take anything.

I think they feel like it was a lifetime ago, that game. But it's good to face sort of what an SEC team feels like, the level of athleticism and sort of the physicality.

But we also played a Texas team this year in the non-conference to get us ready.

So I think just having a group on the squad that has NCAA Tournament experience can speak volumes. Just leaning on them to kind of show us the way.

But I think we're treating this like another game. If you make it too big, then the moment gets away from you. And so if we just stick with what got us here and play to our principles and values, we're going to be happy with whatever outcome.

Q. For you personally having been in this tournament a lot as a player and as a coach, how does it feel to be back, and are you like giving your team any advice beyond what kind of the older players who are around for that previous Kentucky game have already given?

CARLA BERUBE: You know, I'm not drawing on it too much. I think the one thing is you have to enjoy this experience. You have to enjoy this journey, but you also treat it like a business trip. We're out here to win two games.

Yeah, I mean, it's exciting to be back. I'm happy to be back in the NCAA Tournament, and I'm just coaching the way I always coach. I don't think it's any different just because we're at this next level.

Q. Just curious for you guys having been the favorite for the entire conference season really and now being the 11 seed, do you lean into kind of that underdog narrative, or do you still try to convince your team that you're the favorite here?

CARLA BERUBE: I like being the underdog. I enjoy that, having a little chip on our shoulder. We were sort of the hunted for a good part of our Ivy League season.

Yeah, again, we're not talking too much about this, what this all feels like. We're just talking about Kentucky and our game plan and what we need to do to be successful and not so much like what is this NCAA Tournament like. Yes, we're enjoying every second of it and the journey, but it truly is about the game ahead of us tomorrow.