NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE VS USC

March 16, 2023

Lindsay Gottlieb

Rayah Marshall

Destiny Littleton

Kadi Sissoko

Cassell Coliseum

USC Trojans

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Rayah Marshall, Destiny Littleton, Kadi Sissoko are our student-athletes this afternoon. We will open up the floor for questions.

Q. Obviously, you guys beat Stanford this year. How much do you think going through the Pac-12 could be good preparation for you guys in the NCAA tournament?

DESTINY LITTLETON: Yeah, I mean, Pac-12 conference is probably one of the best conferences in the nation. Anybody can win on any given night, and we have multiple teams who are in the top of the pack.

Just kind of being prepared in that manner. Seeing competition every single night definitely helps us coming into NCAA tournament where every single team you play is really good.

THE MODERATOR: Let's hear from Rayah and then Kadi on that question.

RAYAH MARSHALL: Every night is a competitive game. Doesn't matter who you are playing in the Pac. The preparation, our team's dedication, I feel like it sets a great tempo going into the games after the season.

KADI SISSOKO: Going off of what they said, obviously, the Pac-12 is one of the best conference in the U.S., and every game at night you have a chance to beat someone on the top of the chain. You know, so we just trying to be competitive and look forward for what's coming for us.

Q. Rayah, this is the first USC team in nine years to make the NCAAs. What does that mean to be in the NCAAs for the first time? And for you two, obviously you were in the NCAAs at your old school. Have you kind of talked, especially you Destiny, obviously being on a championship team, have you talked to your teammates about what the NCAA tournament experience is like, that they'll be going through for the first time?

DESTINY LITTLETON: Yeah, I mean, I've been to the NCAA tournament my entire career, and just coming off a national championship, it's really important to just kind of let the team know that every single possession, every little thing, how you prepare, how you mentally prepare matters in a tournament like this on any given night.

Like I said, any team can come and give you your best shot, so it's a matter of continuing to care about the little details because at the end of the day we can't really control if the ball goes in the hoop, but what we can control is the 50/50 balls. We can control our energy and defensively.

I think that's really important just kind of going into practice today trying to get the jitters out, although, you know, there's always going to be jitters. It's a first time for many of my teammates, so just trying to get the feel of the NCAA tournament for them.

RAYAH MARSHALL: As for me, it's super exciting. Being a sophomore and this is my first time being here with this team, it's like a completely new team for us. I'm just grateful that we had this opportunity to be here.

Q. I'm curious how excited all three of you are to play somebody new because you've been playing the conference schedule, the conference tournament. It's like 20-plus games against the same teams. You get to play a fresh, new team. How exciting is that for all three of you?

RAYAH MARSHALL: It's definitely a challenge. I mean, when we're looking at the film on this team, it's like a complete different style of play from what we've seen. We are, like I said, excited to be here and compete against this team.

DESTINY LITTLETON: It's super exciting. That's one of the perks of the NCAA tournament. You finally get to see new blood, new competition, and just finally get to compete against different styles of play.

South Dakota State is a really, really good team, and honestly, we're just super excited not only to be here, but to be able to play against a really good team.

KADI SISSOKO: It's very exciting, especially for me. Last year I had the chance to play against South Dakota State when I was playing at University of Minnesota. Now it's a complete different experience. You know, a new team, and, yeah, we're going to face the challenge, and we're excited for it.

Q. You rank in the top of the nation in several defensive categories. What makes you guys so effective on that side of the ball?

DESTINY LITTLETON: We trust each other. I think that's the number one thing that you kind of have to have for I really good defensive team. You have to have trust. You have to have trust that our two bigs here are going to block their shot when you get beat.

Just trusting each other, being able to talk on switches or not switches. It's really about connecting on the defensive end more so than anything, and I think we pride ourselves in defense. You have to have some sort of pride in order to continue to stop other people's offenses.

And so just going in each and every game, we are defensively-minded. I think that's continued to help us win basketball games. And obviously coming into the NCAA tournament, it's crucial to know your scout, know who you are playing against, and I think we'll be ready.

Q. Rayah, you mentioned the contrast in styles. From what you have seen on film this week, I guess what do you kind of see from South Dakota State and how their style of play may be different from you guys?

RAYAH MARSHALL: Well, for one, I look at the size, and their sizing is a lot different from ours. They're a very strong shooting team. Also, just like you said, we're a defensive strong team, and them being it looked like -- I believe they average about over 80 points. We're looking to hopefully keep them under that, and that's what we're focusing in on.

DESTINY LITTLETON: With South Dakota State, they're a team that likes to run in transition, get really quick buckets. They're really, really good three-point shooters. Everyone on the floor can shoot, and I think that's different from what we've faced.

We have kind of faced traditional, you know, you have a five player who doesn't really stretch to the three-point line, but they have five players who can shoot.

It's going to test us mentally, test our communication abilities. But just being able to keep them in front of us, you know, not crowd the paint when they drive down there because they're definitely looking to drive and kick. So they're just a team that really likes to run and score. We'll be challenged in that way.

Q. Kadi, what do you remember about playing the Jackrabbits in the NCAA tournament?

KADI SISSOKO: They're energetic and greedy, and, yeah, that's really different from what we've faced up until this day. Yeah, it's going to be a great challenge. I'm excited for that game.

Q. What was it like obviously on Sunday? The good news is you guys got the NCAA tournament bid. I guess, I don't know what was your reaction that, A, you are going to have to go all the way across the country, and, B, that, you know, they gave you an 8 seed, which means you may have to play the 1 seed on their home court in the second round, plus, obviously, have a tough 8/9 game to start off with.

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with Kadi.

KADI SISSOKO: Obviously, that's going to be a challenge, but we faced a lot of pressure this year. We were underdog. We had to come with a complete new team, new players, and we did great so far, and we earned this position right now. We're not afraid of playing the first seed at all. We just think that it's going to be a great opportunity for us to showcase what we can do and what we worked for this whole season.

DESTINY LITTLETON: For me it was just really exciting to finally complete my goal. My goal coming to USC was to get USC back to the tournament, and we're here. First and foremost, we have to get through South Dakota State. They're an amazing team.

And I think the 8/9 game is always the toughest in the tournament. Just keeping our focus on that, obviously, you know, you know what's ahead, but you've got to stay focused on the first game and just getting through that because it's going to be tough. It's going to go down to the wire. It's going to be an exciting environment.

I know Virginia Tech is a good host, and they're going to have super basketball fans here who, you know, are going to bring life into the arena. So just it was a lot of excitement on Sunday, a lot of fresh, new faces finally getting to experience the NCAA tournament. I think we can only get better from here.

RAYAH MARSHALL: You asked our reaction. I danced. I mean, I'll play them in your backyard if you had to. Our whole goal was to make it here. Any team on any given night, we're just looking to come out and compete against.

Q. Sorry, Rayah, to leave you out of this question. I'm curious why the two of you chose Southern Cal to finish your career and what was it that attracted you there. Because they haven't been to the NCAA tournament in quite a while.

KADI SISSOKO: Obviously, it was the coaching staff. I had previous conversation with Coach G, and I really like her vision, what she wanted to bring to USC and the way she wanted to change the culture.

Like, it has not been a winning program for years, and I wanted to be part of something, you know, part of something different, part of something special. I wasn't afraid of having teammates coming from different schools and all these things. I was just ready to accept the challenge.

Obviously, USC is a great school in terms of education. The location is great. I feel like I was looking for another environment, so they had all the pieces I needed for me to, like, excel, and I'm really happy that I committed to USC.

DESTINY LITTLETON: For me I've gotten this question a lot. Why would you leave a team that just won the national championship? But for me it was bigger than that. It was bigger than just basketball. I knew I still had one year left. USC has always been home. I was supposed to come here out of high school. It just didn't happen.

Being able to finally come here and, you know, USC was in a position where they didn't win very much, they haven't won, and just having a goal that, you know, Lindsay was aligned with, I really felt like we could come in here and make change and kind of bring USC from the bottom of the pack to the top. And we've done that this year.

I think we've put people on notice, and it's been really fun. You know, I wasn't really scared of the potential of not making the tournament. I just knew if we all aligned and all trusted each other on the court, then we would make the tournament.

We have a really special group of people who really don't care about what they get. They care about each and every person sitting next to them and kind of just winning at the end of the day.

It wasn't really a tough decision. I wanted to come back home. I knew USC was the only school I was going to go to. It was just a matter of getting, you know, kind of goals aligned and just making sure that USC was the best fit.

Q. This one is for Kadi. You are averaging more than 20 points a game in your last four. What's been working so well for you offensively?

KADI SISSOKO: Honestly, just playing loose, playing with my teammates. Just waiting for the -- sorry. Just waiting for the ball to come to me and just, like, trying to be the best version of myself.

But, like, it really stays the whole team. You know, having Destiny, Rayah playing with me and all these things, so yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time.

Questions for Coach?

Q. You've coached NCAA tournament teams before. What is it about this year's team that this was the team that was able to be the first USC team to make it to the NCAAs in nine years?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: I think the simple answer is our defense. As you probably know, we have a lot of transfers. We had a group that had to come together quickly, and it was pretty apparent that our calling card was going to be on the defensive end and our energy and our toughness. There are some other things we do well also, but I think it's our defense that's gotten us this far.

Q. For fans here, they'll be coming to the first game to see Virginia Tech play. Do you think, like -- do you think that if they stick around, the second game will be a fun game to watch for them?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: First of all, kudos to Coach Kenny Brooks and the Virginia Tech atmosphere for building a fan base. I heard it sold out pretty quickly.

I do think if the fans come out to stay for an 8/9 game it's contrasting styles. South Dakota State is terrific. They're a team that's been in this situation before. Aaron is a terrific coach.

So hopefully that 8/9 game is one of the best in the tournament, and I hope the fans stick around to see it.

Q. I'm curious about, do you think South Dakota State's experience in the NCAA tournament -- and I know you have a couple of girls on your team that have been there before with other teams, but do you think that's going to make any difference with the jitters that come along and playing in a big stage like this?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: I've seen a couple of people pick them. I think they're a team that's synonymous with postseason play, and they have some veteran players, but really just thinking about our group, when you play in the Pac-12, you know, we've played every type of high-level competition you can imagine. We've played in front of big crowds.

So I hope that our players -- and everyone is excited to be in the tournament. I imagine the South Dakota State players are as well. I hope that the excitement is sort of equal across the board, and then we all settle into who we are, and it's going to be I think a matter of who is able to execute their game plan and do what they do well.

So I hope that those nervous jitters kind of propel everyone and then sort of go by the wayside.

Q. How exciting is it to come to a different venue too because, you know, as Mark said, hopefully a lot of the fans will stick around to watch that second game, and I'm guessing competitively for all your players, this will be a fun environment?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: Yeah, it's really exciting. We all get kind of bogged down in the grind of conference and, you know, it's not that tough of a life to fly from L.A. to the Bay Area to Seattle, but you know each other so well, and it gets tough to play a team a third time.

So I think everyone gets re-energized. I think for us in particular we have a bunch of young women who are excited to get on a plane, even though it's far away and go to a different part of the country and showcase who we are and what we're capable of doing, and that's what the NCAA tournament is about.

Again, I'm really excited for our game that Virginia Tech is drawing so well and they've had such an incredible season. It's another chance to showcase two teams from the West. I mean, you consider South Dakota, you consider yourself the West or somewhere, you know, west of here, obviously, and us coming all the way from L.A. I think it's fun for the fans as well as for our young people.

Q. How do you prepare for a team that scores the ball so easily?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: They haven't lost a game in a couple of months. They run great stuff. They score so well. It's a quick prep. Like, we have to learn about them right away. You do the best you can to learn their tendencies and learn what they want to do, but really at this time of year you're relying on who you are and what we do well. You do your best to put in the game plan that's intended to slow them down a little bit..

Q. Follow-up question. You mentioned earlier about how this team being transfers needed to gel pretty quickly. What was that process like, and how did you get to this point of now playing in the NCAA tournament?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: Yeah, I mean, the process started around this time last year because we were sitting home at this time. You know, we kind of set a new direction for our program at USC. I think it took until about this time for me to say, okay, this is where we're going, and this is how we're going to get there, and who wants to be on that ride with us?

We had six people remaining on our program, and so we did a lot of culture-building with our team psychologist, a lot of conversations about what it would take to get where we want to go.

And then those conversations carried over to the recruiting process with the transfer portal, and I was incredibly transparent, and I thought the people that we were recruiting were as well. What do you want? What do you want to be a part of?

The one thing that was a common thread amongst all of them was they wanted to win and play in postseason, and so that sort of was something we could go back to as a core value all year. When things get hard or we're pushing them a little bit, hey, you know, what does this locker room want to be about, and it's about winning.

I think that's how you gel when you have a common purpose, and really it's really gratifying to end up here because I wanted to help our players get to what they wanted to achieve, which was being in the NCAA tournament.

Q. South Dakota State is led by Myah Selland. What have you seen from her on film that makes her such a great player?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: She's really skilled and really tough, as are many of their players. She has an ability to post you up. She has a little step-back. She can go off the dribble.

You know, I think when you -- before you scout South Dakota State, I think you think of, you know, emotion and they just shoot threes, but really they drive the ball really well, they're physical. Multiple players can post up. I think she's the prototypical player in that she's incredibly complete and does a little bit of everything.

Q. Obviously, you guys beat Stanford this year. How much do you think that having played in the Pac-12 all year is good preparation for the NCAAs?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: I think you can't get better preparation. The level of coaching in our league, the different styles that you face, the quality of players, you know, teams will test you every single night twice in a weekend, right? We play Friday, Sunday just like this weekend is set up.

It doesn't get any better than Tara in terms of how she prepares her teams, and it spreads throughout the conference, so we feel like we've been battle-tested.

THE MODERATOR: Have I two for you. First of all, how is Reese?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: She's probably sleeping somewhere in this building right now. She was going around in the stroller. Thank you for asking. She was five months yesterday.

THE MODERATOR: Secondly, what has been the feedback that you have received since that Yahoo profile came out about you parenting Reese in the middle of the season?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: The coverage is fun for our family, but more so it serves other women in the profession or really in other professions. You hope that it gives a vision of what can be done.

I do think our profession is trying to evolve in that there's a lot of ways to do the job well. There's a lot of ways to parent well. If you choose to combine both, I would like to show people that it's possible.

I also have a ton of help, and like a village behind me, starting with the USC administration and all the people in that locker room that have been really supportive, but you hope that it just gives an insight into what it's like to be a working mom and, if other people choose to do that, maybe a little bit of inspiration.

Q. Coach, you've had so much success at Cal in the NCAA tournament. How do you bring that now to a new program, but same big stage?

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: I think it's the mentality. Any time there's leadership that has been somewhere that you want to go, you tend to listen, so I've been trying all year to have them understand what tournament preparation looks like, what a tournament team looks like on a Tuesday in January when your body hurts. So hopefully just over the course of the season we've kind of developed in them a mentality that's allowed us to be here.

When it comes to this tournament, you know, I've been very transparent with saying, hey, there's a time to celebrate. You know, we've achieved something by getting here. We really celebrated at the Selection Show, but then you get back to work and try to give them insights as to how you stay around and win a game, you know, or win a couple of games in this tournament.

We also have some leadership in that locker room. Destiny Littleton won a national championship last year. She's helpful. I have staff members. Coach B has been to several Final Fours and Coach Dale has been on my staff before. The staff, we've tried to impart to them the things that -- the behaviors that it takes to win once you get to the tournament.

Q. To follow up on that, what was kind of the -- on Sunday the good news is you got the bid, but I guess maybe the bad news is that they're putting you in a 8/9 game to start off with, and then you have to go across the country, and then you might have to face a No. 1 seed on its home floor if you win the 8/9 game.

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: I sort of figured we were going to be in the realm of a 7 through a 10, so at this point you're not playing in the West because the West teams are hosting, we can't play.

We knew we would be getting on a plane. Really I think matchups are going to be tough no matter what game you're in. So it really was the excitement of being in and then just get to work. You know, you're not worried about anybody else's game as much as your own.

And so we just started watching film on the Jackrabbits and understand what a tough matchup they are, figuring out how to get to Blacksburg, but really our players have been focused on the opportunity to play and to hopefully play as well as we can and represent what we've been about all year.