NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - ST. JOHN’S (NY) VS. NORTH CAROLINA

March 17, 2023

Alyssa Ustby

Deja Kelly

Value City Arena

North Carolina Tar Heels

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We will take questions.

Q. For both of you, this tournament, you've been in the tournament every year you've been with Carolina. You made a run, probably competed with South Carolina better than most last year. How does that experience help you guys going into this year?

ALYSSA USTBY: Yeah, that experience definitely carries over, and I think especially for some of the new guys that we have having their first tournament, we can share that experience with them so they know a little bit more what to expect than they would if we hadn't had that experience.

So I think that's a good advantage for us going into the tournament again this year.

DEJA KELLY: No, I just definitely agree. I think us having that experience, still a core, what is it, four of us juniors at start, having that experience going into it and being able to share that and pass that down to whoever comes off the bench for us.

I think it'll definitely on be beneficial for us because they can just follow our lead and kind of -- we can help them be more comfortable within the environment, within the atmosphere, because we've been there before.

Q. Deja, the last I guess now near two weeks since you last played, how important was that time for being able to practice as a unit, especially with the changing lineups due to injury throughout the year?

DEJA KELLY: It was super important these last two weeks, week and a half or so of practice. We just kind of got to really just focus on ourselves and not have to worry about who we're playing next because obviously we didn't know.

I think just working out any drops that we felt we saw in maybe the ACC tournament or throughout the season, and we just really took the time to focus on those things in practice. We went against each other a little bit which I thought was pretty fun and was competitive and intense.

But being able to -- because I think we're one of the best defensive teams in my opinion, and to be able to have to guard each other and go against that defense and having to get our offense flowing against that, I think it was super beneficial.

So these last few weeks of practice were pretty good for us.

Q. For either of you, I'm sure you guys were hoping you would host, but you got through Arizona last year. You have the experience of playing and playing on the road in this tournament. You mentioned telling the players coming off the bench about this experience. What do you tell them about playing on the road in an NCAA tournament?

ALYSSA USTBY: We were definitely bummed when we saw we weren't hosting, but we knew that wouldn't change our mindset and how we approach the game. We've had a lot of great experience on the road this year just playing top 25 teams in a tough environment, and some of those younger girls on our team have already had an experience like that, so I think it's pretty similar.

So I think our tough schedule prepared us for a true road game like this.

DEJA KELLY: Yeah, personally, I love road games probably a little more just because it's more exciting. You get to do your thing in front of other people's fans.

Obviously like Alyssa said, we were pretty bummed that we didn't host, but I think we're only going to use it as fuel and kind of prove why we deserved to host.

But also just taking the young guys through it. Like she said, we've had a lot of good games, tough games on the road this year that we've pulled, so I think that will kind of show and we'll be able to be a little more comfortable and kind of take a deep breath because we know we've been here before.

Q. I'll ask this for either of you: I know you were at the game last night. I came in here at the start of the fourth quarter. I'm not sure if the team stayed for the entire game. You did?

ALYSSA USTBY: (Nodding.)

Q. So you saw St. Johns with a big lead in the second half, only to see Purdue come back. Talk a little bit about what you see in the St. John's team.

DEJA KELLY: I think I see just a gritty team who is very physical, tough. They like to play fast. They just kind of like to -- they're trying to make you play outside of your rhythm. That's kind of what we saw throughout the game.

I think especially in the second half they were moving really well off each other. They got great contribution from the bench, so I think that was huge for them.

And obviously statistically they are winning those games. I think it's like 15 plus more points off the bench. So I thought they just played really well. I thought their defense was active. They disrupted Purdue's offense.

So that's kind of what I saw throughout the second half. Obviously Purdue made a fight back, but in the end, it was St. Johns.

ALYSSA USTBY: Yeah, to add on to that, I thought St. Johns was just a really well-rounded basketball team, and especially when it comes down to March teams will make big shots, and that's where players where going to shine.

So we just have to expect that like come March everybody is playing hopefully their best basketball, so I know we're going to get a great game tomorrow night.

Q. You guys saw Jayla Everett last June. What do you remember about her and what kind of challenges will she give you all tomorrow?

ALYSSA USTBY: Yeah, we're very familiar with her and her style of play. She's a player that can make big shots and she's an aggressive attacker, so we have to be mindful on how we come about our defensive plan to make her night pretty tough.

Q. Just wanted to ask what chances have you guys had to (indiscernible.) I think I saw a picture on your basketball Instagram. You guys all stuck in the elevator. But just touch on that and the free time you guys have had, down time.

DEJA KELLY: Yeah, being able to come and watch the game last night was beneficial for us. Obviously a little harder all week to not know who we're playing, which not most teams had.

I think just being able to watch them live and just get eyes on them ourselves, I had personally never seen either team play all year, so it's very new for me. We were able to watch some film together and scout and got to get our eyes on them a little bit.

We'll go through some things in practice today, but we have a day and a half to prep. I think just us watching film -- as much as we watch film as players, I think we'll be fine and we've got our eyes on them enough.

ALYSSA USTBY: Yeah, last day and a half is just all about preparation. Obviously it's very helpful now that we know who our opponent is, so just kind of like Deja was saying, we are just going to lock into our new game plan and be ready to play.

THE MODERATOR: Any other questions?

Q. Following up on the last few for Alyssa, the concept of playing a new opponent, what are the challenges? What excites you playing a team like St. Johns that you don't know much about, especially coming off this stretch where you plays teams like Duke and Virginia Tech that you know like the back of your hands?

ALYSSA USTBY: Yeah, it's important when you play a new opponent, for myself specifically, to lock into the fundamentals of making sure you box out every time.

Because when I play a more familiar team sometimes I know that my matchup doesn't like to crash the offensive glass as much. So paying attention to those things, because you're not sure what the tendencies of those players are because you haven't seen them multiple times throughout the season like we have Virginia Tech and NC State and some of those teams.

So it's very important to make sure that we're just kind of checking all the boxes.

Q. Deja, to follow up, you kind of like playing on the road in a hostile environment. Have you always been like that? Have you always had that swagger feel to you?

DEJA KELLY: Yeah, I'm just a competitor. I like the hostile environments. I like when people are against us, against me, against us as a team. So I think we kind of take that with not hosting, it's like, okay, the crowd is going to be against us. People will be against us.

That's fine. We'll take it and use it as fuel to move forward, keep moving forward and use it to our advantage. I like seeing the crowd pissed off and fans pissed off. That's something I've always liked as a player.

So, yeah, be beneficial for us.

Q. And then you, Alyssa, this junior class has been so important to this program. Like Deja said, four of you guys starting. What's it been like to go through this journey with everybody and see the impact you guys have made on this program?

ALYSSA USTBY: It's been really special. Like there is nothing compared to being able to go through our college years and have so much success with the same core of girls, but it's also been pretty important to us to share that with the younger crew and set the tone and the path for just kind of like for our culture and how our program moves forward.

We want the success to continue after us. That's how we'll know that we left an impact on the program and not just the span of years we were here.

So also just really grateful to be a part of this junior class that's been so special. We got along really well. We're great friends. So just been a blast.

THE MODERATOR: Any other questions? Deja, Alyssa, thank you very much. All the best tomorrow.

ALYSSA USTBY: Thank you.

DEJA KELLY: Thanks, guys.