NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - ARKANSAS VS UTAH

March 18, 2022

Mike Neighbors

Amber Ramirez

Makayla Daniels

Arkansas Razorbacks

Media Conference

Utah 92, Arkansas 69

MIKE NEIGHBORS: I thought we ran into a really, really good team that played really, really well. They were very well prepared. I know everybody will want to talk about their offense, but I think their defense got us, taking some shots that were tough, that -- they were physical with us, and when we didn't respond offensively, I think it affected us defensively early. We got it back together, and then I thought we battled from there, but I just thought Utah was unbelievable today. They've got so many weapons. They can make you wrong for the slightest, slightest mistake.

But I won't let it dampen the season that these two kids had and our whole team had. We just got outplayed today, and that sometimes happens when you're in the 7-10 game. Credit to Utah. I think they had a phenomenal season and a phenomenal game today.

I'm super, super, duper proud of our kids for being here and playing in this thing again and especially these two to the right that have kind of been the backbone of what we've done for the last three years, going on four, as well.

Congrats to Utah, good luck the rest of the way out. We enjoyed being here. We haven't played well in this building the last two years. It's not going to hurt our feelings to see it torn down.

I'm just kidding. A lot of good Razorback memories in here from over the years and I know it's historic. We will be sad tonight, probably until we get on that plane tomorrow and then we're going to start remembering all the good things that this group did.

Q. Amber, can you speak to their three-point shooting? The shots just seemed to come from everywhere. Even when you guys were able to fight back with a big run I think early in the third quarter, they still found a way to get the shots, to get the separation, and keep you guys from closing all the way in. Was it just even better than you expected because they came in as a big three-point shooting team?

AMBER RAMIREZ: Yeah, we knew they could shoot threes. They moved the ball well. They got open looks. I mean, they made shots, so got to give credit to Utah for making shots. That's really all I can speak on that is they made shots.

Q. Makayla, can you talk about -- did you feel like -- Mike said something about them being physical with you. Both of you, the question for both, what do you feel was different early that you couldn't get on track as far as making baskets?

MAKAYLA DANIELS: I think we allowed them to set the tone before we got into a groove, and in these type of games, you kind of have to be the first person to set the tone. And I think we allowed them to set the tone and they had the momentum pretty much the whole game. We went on runs, but again, just not enough runs to match their momentum.

AMBER RAMIREZ: I agree. They threw the first punch, as we say. They attacked us first, and we missed some easy ones in the beginning. And every time we tried to go on a run, I feel like something -- like an offensive rebound, kick-out three would happen for them, and it was hard for us to keep building on the run that we were having.

Q. Amber, can you speak to your season and what you guys were able to do?

AMBER RAMIREZ: I think this team accomplished a lot, a lot more than a lot of people expected us to do with us losing everybody. We had great players on this team, one sitting right to my left. She's a great player and I'm going to miss playing with her for sure. The rest of our team we fought as much as we could every game. We fought through adversity. We had people go down. We had people who got sick. We just had a lot of people go down, and we always fought through adversity no matter what happened.

Q. Amber, to piggy-back off of that, what will you remember most about playing for the Razorbacks?

AMBER RAMIREZ: The great family environment that we had. We always stuck together no matter what happened. Even in this last game we played, we always stuck together. We always wanted to play for one another. That's something I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life, just the memory, like the family environment we had no matter what happened.

Q. I'm just wondering for both players if you feel like at all their depth was an issue, just their ability to stay fresh deep into the game and just still have the legs to make the deep shots into the fourth quarter.

MAKAYLA DANIELS: I think -- well, in my opinion it's kind of like playing against four or five Ambers and they just keep coming in. So it's definitely hard just because you think you can slide through third on a screen and they're going to make you pay every time. They're not going to miss wide open. You make a mistake, they're going to make you pay for it.

AMBER RAMIREZ: Yeah, they could shoot -- 1 through 4 they were shooting. Even their subs they brought in, they were all making shots. Like she said, they made you pay. Regardless of what we tried to do, they're going to make you pay for a mistake that we made.

Q. Amber, can you speak on this journey as somebody who's been following you since Wagner and all the way to here? Everybody looks up to you; can you speak on it?

AMBER RAMIREZ: The journey that I had started with my family, them giving me -- obviously them putting the ball in my hand and them pushing me so hard throughout my years of even high school. Even my years in college, they always supported me regardless, a bad game, a good game, a win, a loss, it didn't matter. I want to thank them.

And then my coaches and my teammates who always believed in me, gave me confidence every day. I want to thank everybody that was been a part of my journey because I wouldn't be here without them.

Q. Makayla, it's hard to look into the future with so much emotion on a day like today, but you have such a good young core coming back for this team. Does this fuel any hunger for next year, that the expectation is going to be very high with the amount of talent you have returning?

MAKAYLA DANIELS: I think it definitely does fuel us just because most of us coming back next year are going to know what it feels like for this loss, going to know that pain of our season ending. So I think it'll definitely fuel us and it'll make us a much better team next year. Of course, we're losing Amber, but I think if we just come together and kind of find a way to fill that void that's going to be there -- obviously we can't replace her, but we can do our best to try to make up for that scoring that she brought, the energy that she brought, the leadership.

I think it'll definitely fuel us for next year.

Q. Mike, what do you feel like -- you said they kind of knocked you off-kilter early. Was there anything specific that they were able to do?

MIKE NEIGHBORS: Yeah, I think they were really physical on our drives to the basket. We weren't able to get to two feet and take shots that we've normally had. I thought they had a great defensive game plan. Their length bothered us. Those 5'11" guards, it adds up. Reese did a good job, as well, protecting the basket. We're a little sensitive to how our offense gets going, and if it doesn't get off to a good start, sometimes it ends up 10 or 12-0 because we don't guard as well.

Their physicality, and like Makayla and Amber both said, they're the two out there feeling it, that has a compounding effect on you. And you start to stretch yourself a little bit and then you don't make open ones because the first couple are tough. Then when you do get an open one, you're not near as comfortable.

Like I said, I know everybody is going to talk about their offense, but I thought their defensive game plan was good. I thought their defensive intensity was really good. That to me was what set the tone.

If they had not guarded us, that game could have been a lot closer to start and then the rest of the way, as well.

Q. I was also going to ask about Jersey, what's her status?

MIKE NEIGHBORS: Just got pulled at halftime out of -- what's the word we've been using -- an abundance of caution. If you were in there, you heard the thud. She definitely is a tough kid and played in the first half, but after some further evaluation, I don't know what it is, but it was not in her best interest in the long-term or the short-term to play. I thought -- Erynn came in and Emrie gave us good minutes, but certainly you look at that line and you know that Jersey was helping us. We'll hope that she's healthy, get her rested back up, but that's all I really know right now.

Q. How crucial was the rebounding battle? That's where it seemed like they made a lot of money on the defensive rebounds, nearly 40 of them. Did you feel like that was a big difference of the game or was it more the three-point shooting?

MIKE NEIGHBORS: Oh, I think it was just everything. The three-point shooting is glaring because it's 15 for 31 and it's six different kids. That to me, that's glaring.

But I think the rebounding was timely. I wouldn't have told you I thought we got out-rebounded 52-35, but they got crucial ones. We'd get a stop, the ball would fall around and they'd kick it out and make a three. I think we got it to eight or 10 one time, back-to-back threes.

Yeah, rebounding added up, but I just think it was a total effort of theirs on both sides of the ball. There's not one thing that -- you can look down and say we turned them over 19 times, but we only turned that into 12 points, so that was a lot of dead-ball stuff. I think it was a lot of things. Three-point shooting, though, was very, very impressive. I've been on the other side of that a few times and I know what it can feel like over there.

But that's what they are. That's why they are in this tournament. That's why they are seeded where they're seeded. That's why they went to the Pac-12 Finals. This is not a team that snuck into this field. This is a really, really good team that played in a great league and had some good wins this year and really, really played well today.

Q. You talk about the experience. Before Nashville, you wanted your group to experience what that city was like. Coming into Austin, to experience what this city is like finally. This unfortunately is part of the experience and what they feel and the tears in their eyes. How do you feel like an experience like this builds your team up?

MIKE NEIGHBORS: Well, it builds them up as people. You're never going to win all your games or all the things you do in life so you learn how to handle things together. I think this is a huge part of the experience. But if we'd have come down here and not enjoyed the town, then that's all you do have. I know they're going to be talking about things that have happened the last two, three days in time. They're not going to talk about them tonight, they're going to talk about the game, but that's the competitive nature of what the NCAA Tournament is.

I'll promise you I wouldn't trade two wins for the experience that we had. I wouldn't. I wouldn't make one change in anything that we've done in any way that we've prepared these guys to experience what they've missed in the past. It obviously would have been nice to have a win, but not worth the exchange of a win to not have enjoyed the experience.

Q. The last couple weeks you've said something to me about being excited for next year. Now can you speak to that a little bit?

MIKE NEIGHBORS: Not yet. No. This is still too much on these kids that are in this team. We've got plenty of time and we'll go to Feltner's and we'll talk about it. But not today, not during this. There's so many emotions in that locker room.

Everybody -- I told them to all deal with it however they deal with it. I'm not going to tell them how to feel. Feel the way you feel. We all feel probably a little differently in different manners, but that's what makes a team sport a team sport.

I am excited about it. I will turn the page very, very quickly. But that's for us to do. I want them to absorb it, learn from it, grow from it. But I won't talk to them -- we won't do anything. We go on spring break next week, so we'll let them enjoy spring break.

Q. I'm just wondering, was the depth an issue for you guys tonight? Did you maybe get a little tired at the end as they were able to use more guys?

MIKE NEIGHBORS: Yeah, their quality depth, I'm sure, had an impact. You look down, their starters, none of them played more than 28 minutes. They probably would have if it had been a closer game. I think the depth they've developed throughout the year, and I know they're missing McFarland, too. I think it probably had a factor. They were making shots later in the game than most people do, and that's just a credit to them and their team.

Q. Just a look ahead, with those so few minutes, they were probably going to feel pretty fresh for their next round game, I would imagine?

MIKE NEIGHBORS: Yeah, that would be my guess. I'm sure she managed minutes over there when they got up whatever number they had in their mind. Most of them played until the end, but I'm sure she'll have them ready to go. They'll be playing on adrenaline and rested legs whomever they end up playing in that next round.