NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - KANSAS VS STANFORD

March 19, 2022

Brandon Schneider

Zakiyah Franklin

Ioanna Chazileonti

Kansas Jayawks

Media Conference

Q. Talk about what do you know about Stanford so far. Just kind of the challenges they pose.

ZAKIYAH FRANKLIN: So far we know that they're a very balanced team, very versatile. They can score in a lot of different ways.

Q. For Zakiyah, I thought your quickness was the difference last night. How important is guard play going to be to get a win over Stanford?

ZAKIYAH FRANKLIN: I think it's very important just honestly taking care the ball against them. You know, paint possessions, paint touches equal positive possessions for us. So being able to get in the paint, that's going to do positive things for us.

Q. Talk about playing on the road against an elite team like Stanford. Just having to go into an environment where a lot of fans are rooting against you. And do you guys just enjoy that kind of challenge that comes with that?

ZAKIYAH FRANKLIN: Honestly, like you just said, we're playing on their home court, hostile environment probably, so just going to go into it like we went into all our other conference games. Nothing new to us, so just going to be poised and play our game.

Q. You guys won pretty convincingly last night. Just how much does it help to not just get a win, but to win convincingly going into this kind of matchup?

ZAKIYAH FRANKLIN: For us we were just out there just trying to play our game and do what we do best. Whatever that gets us, that's pretty much it.

IOANNA CHATZILEONTI: Just we kept attacking the paint because just like she said, paint touches equals something positive for us, so just keep attacking and play D.

Q. So the only team to beat Stanford on this court so far this season is a team you're very familiar with, Texas. Did you watch that game, and anything you picked up to help you tomorrow?

ZAKIYAH FRANKLIN: We're very familiar that Texas was able to beat them. I'm pretty sure we all saw the game. Honestly, what we took from it was probably just Texas is very aggressive defensively.

Q. What would it mean for your program to beat Stanford and advance to the Sweet 16 tomorrow?

IOANNA CHATZILEONTI: It would be something great. I mean, we've just got to play hard, be ourselves, and compete, have fun, because it's NCAA tournament. But it will being something great, like something really good.

Q. Zakiyah, does the team believe they can beat Stanford?

ZAKIYAH FRANKLIN: Absolutely we believe that we can beat Stanford. We're just got to go into the game doing what we do best and taking it one possession at a time and focusing on that, honestly.

Q. You guys are in a different conference but the Big 12 is a really strong conference as well. How much does Big 12 play, going through a Big 12 tournament, all that stuff, how much does what prepare you for a match up like the one you'll have tomorrow?

IOANNA CHATZILEONTI: Like I said, Big 12 conference is really tough conference, so I think having a chance to play against great teams in our conference and great players, I think it did prepare us for Stanford.

Q. Coach, without giving the Xs and the Os, can you give me say, three, four keys to victory tomorrow?

BRANDON SCHNEIDER: You know, I think you can't give Stanford baskets in transition and you can't give them second-chance points. I think they're an elite offensive team. They're hard enough to guard in the half court. If you give them easy baskets in transition and give them extra opportunities, I think that's a recipe for disaster.

Q. Just kind of curious your thoughts on coaching against a legend like Tara VanDerveer, just how cool of an experience that is for you.

BRANDON SCHNEIDER: Well, I think we have the utmost respect for her and the program, what she's built here and what has been sustained here for decades. I think if you're smart, you try to emulate coaches like Coach VanDerveer and the way in which she's built a program. I think in terms of during the game tomorrow, we'll have to make adjustments. Hopefully we play well enough that they have to make adjustments. But neither one of us is going to get a rebound or a basket, so at the end of the day the players ultimately are going to decide the game. But without question, an honor to compete against one of the all-time greats in basketball in general.

Q. I don't know if you either expect or hope, either one, that it's a low-scoring game or do you want to control tempo?

BRANDON SCHNEIDER: You know, I think you have to be careful. I think we have to pick and choose opportunities to try to get easy baskets.

But at the same time, turnovers and bad shots are going to ignite the break for Stanford. Again, we do not want to have them running up and down the court on us in primary break situations.

Q. The players are still here, so can you talk about each of the players you brought today, what they bring to the table, and why you brought them here today. Yeah, the growth you've seen from them this year.

BRANDON SCHNEIDER: You know, Zakiyah Franklin has led our team in minutes for several years. The poise and composure with which she plays and leads our team are extremely valuable. She's a player that has an ability to recognize when she has to be more aggressive. There are games she's taken over for us this year when maybe other teammates are struggling. Ioanna is a little bit of a throwback, kind of the old school power forward that's very crafty, can play away from the basket, obviously score with her back to the basket. Defensively, I don't know that she gets the credit that maybe she deserves. I think she's a very good one-on-one defender, but also her IQ allows her to really be a tremendous help defender.

Q. How about just your general impressions of Maples Pavilion as a venue. Seemed like the first game was pretty tight rims, lots of lot balls bouncing in and out.

BRANDON SCHNEIDER: You know, I think it's an incredible facility. I really like the size of it. I'm sure the atmosphere tomorrow evening will be electric. You know, I would -- any missed shots for us -- I can't speak for any other team, but any missed shots that we might normally make yesterday was probably due to a bunch of young players playing in the first NCAA tournament and maybe some jitters initially.

Q. Kind of going off that, how much does it help your team to have played in this venue before? You kind of learn the walls a little bit and kind of the tweaks of the court. How much will that help?

BRANDON SCHNEIDER: You know, I think we've been here several days now, and I think just being in a routine for teams and for athletes is very important. I think we've had two practices, a shoot-around, a game, and we'll have another shoot-around tomorrow. So I think that's beneficial in just getting accustomed to your surroundings.

Q. I'll ask the same question I asked the players. Do you think you can beat Stanford?

BRANDON SCHNEIDER: I think that you have to have a lot of confidence and belief in any competition you're going into. But I think the thing that I really respect about our team is they've had great humility and maturity all year long in understanding that to have success, they have to prepare the right way. If they prepare the right way then they'll position themselves to play well and give themselves a tremendous chance to be successful.

Q. Kansas men's basketball, as you know, has been elite for a long time, a tradition. Kansas women's basketball hasn't been that same level. But just talk about how much of an inspiration the men's program is how having an elite men's program can help build an elite women's program an Kansas in the future.

BRANDON SCHNEIDER: I think basketball is a really big deal. Not only in Lawrence, Kansas but in the Midwest. To be able to look up and admire what Coach Self and all coaches before have been able to build at KU is incredible. It definitely sets the bar very high. You know, our goals currently are to try to become a consistent participant in this tournament, and once we do that and can claim that, then obviously we'll have some higher aspirations.