NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - DRAKE VS LOUISVILLE

March 17, 2023

Allison Pohlman

Maggie Bair

Grace Berg

Moody Center

Drake Bulldogs

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: If you could make an opening statement and we'll get started.

ALLISON POHLMAN: Really, really excited to be here. We came in yesterday and, yeah, what a great time to be playing basketball in March. Obviously playing your best basketball in March is what we're hopefully gearing up toward. We had a phenomenal showing at our Missouri Valley Conference tournament. We were able to play three very, very quality teams. Once again, in the Missouri Valley Conference it's definitely a grind.

So overall very, very excited to come to Austin to be here to represent Drake University and to see kind of what happens and unfolds here. So thank you, everybody, for the hospitality and the warm welcome we've received. But just really, really excited to step on the floor today to get practice underway and to compete tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions, please.

Q. Drake's got a history of some NCAA tournaments, but I think it's been awhile since you got out of the first round. What kind of mindset does it take? And what are you thinking in terms of being able to be the team that elevates the program that extra step against an opponent that has just recently played in the Final Four even, even if they're not a top 4 seed now?

MAGGIE BAIR: Yeah, I don't know. Super grateful to be here, super excited. I think it's a testament to all the work we've put in throughout our five years here. We came to Drake because of the tradition of success, and we didn't come here to say that we competed in the tournament, to say that we came to Texas. We came here to hopefully win a game and that's what we're trying to do here.

So I think we're just really excited to be here, but also knowing that we have a game to play tomorrow and it's a big game and it's also a big opportunity for us to make a run.

GRACE BERG: Yeah, I just echo that. Super thankful and we had a great conference tournament, just really three great wins. Just going to keep the ball rolling. It's March, it's fun basketball, so really excited.

Q. Tell me what you know about your opponent and what do you have to do to win this game? What's the key for your team?

MAGGIE BAIR: We know they're a good team. We know they have a tradition of winning, especially they had a great run last year. I think they have some dynamic three-level scorer's, we know that. So I think limiting our turnovers is definitely a huge thing for us, not shooting ourselves in the foot. But I think also just playing our basketball. I think we're a very high-tempo team. We like to get out and run the ball, we like to play on the perimeter, we like to play inside, so I think just sticking to who we are. We know who we're playing, we know our opponent, we know their tendencies, but at the same time, just knowing who we are and playing our style of basketball and being true to ourselves and our style of play and I think it should make for a fun game.

Q. You did mention the turnovers, which I think at sometimes created some problems. This late in the season, how do you fix that? Is it just part of how you play? Just what do you do to clean that up because at this stage where every possession can be so valuable?

GRACE BERG: I think just our offense, high risk, high reward. But just getting the jitters out early and then just valuing every single possession will help us.

MAGGIE BAIR: We love our assists. We're obviously one of the top teams in the country for assists, so I think we're not going to change that. We're not going to do anything to fix that. I think we know that we're good at sharing the ball. So, yeah, trying to limit 'em, but at the same time, not really change anything right now because it's gotten us to where we are.

I think we did a really good job in the MVC tournament of sharing the ball and getting high numbers in assists, so hopefully we just kind of limit those. But, yeah, I don't think we should really change anything right now.

Q. I don't know if as players y'all believe in momentum, but is there something to be said about getting hot in March, winning your conference tournament, and having that carry over to this part of the season?

MAGGIE BAIR: Yeah, I think it's huge. I think anybody in our inner circle, and hopefully people outside of it, would say that we're playing our best basketball right now. I think to go into the MVC tournament and beat the top two seeded teams is it really fun, but I think it also shows that we have momentum rolling. I think we do believe in it, and I think we just got to keep it going.

I don't know, I feel like we're scoring at a really high level and we're defending pretty well, so I think just keeping whatever we're doing going is kind of what we're looking forward to.

Q. Grace, obviously when y'all came here a couple years ago it was completely different circumstances, etcetera, etcetera. When you walked in today, what were some of your initial impressions of the new arena and this kind of -- what Austin may provide this time around?

GRACE BERG: We haven't seen the arena yet, but I think it's going to be nice. Like, most of us have played here before, so just that comfort, and we're just going to have fun, yeah, shoot around. I'm excited -- or practice, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll excuse the student-athletes and take questions for coach.

Q. When you look over the films, what are your initial impressions of Louisville and just kind of the challenge you're going to have tomorrow?

ALLISON POHLMAN: Yeah, absolutely. There's 68 teams in this tournament field and they're all here for a reason. So getting the opportunity to play Louisville here in Austin, I mean, it's just a phenomenal opportunity for us. I think as both Bair and Grace alluded to, they have phenomenal players. You can't go without mentioning Hailey Van Lith. She's a dynamic scorer who offensively is very, very gifted. So continuing to try to keep her under wraps will be a great opportunity for us.

You can compare some of those players in our league. We played against Destinee Wells from Belmont, who same thing, three-level scorer who is very, very dynamic, ability to come off on-ball screens and really kind of just make different reads.

So I feel good about our preparation as far as going into this game because we're coming off of a couple games where we've played against similar players. When you talk about Louisville, like they rebound the ball well, we also rebound the ball well. They're plus five against opponents. I also think -- I mean, I think that's going to be a really fun matchup to be able to watch. I hope when you're watching two up-tempo teams, what we're able to surprise people with is how much you love women's basketball. I think it should be a fun game to be able to watch. I think you're going to watch two teams that really like to get after it and compete.

Q. Kind of what I was asking the players, the theory of momentum coming in. I don't know if you believe that you would have gotten that at large berth or if you needed to win your tournament to get in, but kind of playing with that mindset and the playoffs started last week, does that help maybe with the jitters in the tournament, kind of coming in with that win-or-go-home mindset?

ALLISON POHLMAN: Well, you know, I think so. And mostly, the most valuable, I guess, people to ask those questions are the student-athletes as far as how do they feel, what is their confidence level. As far as our team is concerned, we were able to -- in our last five games we played our last two at home, we were able to play two very, very talented physical teams on our home court, build some momentum there. Our first game of our conference tournament, same exact thing. You played an opponent we had just played a week before, and able -- down to the wire be able to play a team and get the win.

What I feel like you watch with our team is really their confidence level has grown. When we stepped on the floor against an Illinois State team and also a Belmont team, you watched a team that was very, very confident and who had built some team chemistry together. So back to their comments, what I really hope you see tomorrow is a team that continues to click on all cylinders and it takes us a little bit to kind of get the jitters out, but then to kind of settle in. And back to that theory of momentum, I do believe in it, and I really hoping we can build some more tomorrow.

Q. I've been asking each of the coaches the question: Just in the bigger picture the changes in the regional format and whether -- making the changes trying to create new energy for the women's tournament, you know, build more energy for the women's tournament, your thoughts on that new regional format, good, bad, indifference, what do you think it's going to take for the fans?

ALLISON POHLMAN: Well, I think more than anything I think we'll get a chance to see that tomorrow in the environment, the game environment, and how it kind of plays out. But I think it's great. I think what we're doing on the women's side is really trying to think outside the box, to re-invent some different ideas and to try some different things, which I think is a phenomenal thing in our sport.

I think if we can continue to move forward and try some different things to really get people excited about women's basketball and excited about the players and the phenomenal women that we have in each of our programs and to come out and support them, then I think it's going to be a great idea.

So to your question, I think the proof will be as we see the attendance numbers and as we see people really, really get excited for our sport. I know you've watched games. That's all we've done probably, what everybody has been excited to do today and yesterday. But it will be interesting to see how it feels tomorrow.