NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL 3 FINAL - OHIO STATE VS VIRGINIA TECH

March 26, 2023

Kevin McGuff

Eboni Walker

Rikki Harris

Climate Pledge Arena

Ohio State Buckeyes

Elite 8 Pregame Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. We'll get started with an opening statement from coach and then take questions.

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, just really excited about the opportunity to play a really talented, well coached, Virginia Tech team tomorrow. I have really great respect for Kenny and his program and all that they have accomplished through the years, but especially this year. They've played really, really well. They play great basketball. They're a very balanced team. They can score around the basket. They have got -- they spread you out with great shooters. So we know we're going to have our hands full and it's going to be a big challenge.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. One thing Coach Brooks talked about was playing physical on offense. Virginia Tech, they will get up the floor quickly and take a shot, especially if they have one or two. How do you combat that they start off really fast?

KEVIN McGUFF: We've got to be great in transition defense. They are very quick up the court. So our transition defense will have to be exceptional. I also think too if we're pressing, we got to be really effective with our pressure and mindful, though, on the back end that they can throw it ahead and take quick shots that are good shots for them.

Q. Yesterday, Tennessee was able to get a run together through their press that Virginia Tech didn't handle super well. Can you take anything from that?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, Virginia Tech, like I said, they got a great team, they got great guards. We watched what they did yesterday and Tennessee had some effectiveness there late in the game and used their athleticism, I think, to speed 'em up and they got some turnovers. So we'll try to learn from that and see if we can apply it to tomorrow's game.

Q. What is it about your team that makes it a good marriage for this pressing style? I think Kenny said that when you played in Florida in 2018, you were not a pressing team back then.

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, so we -- just the way we're built right now we're a little bit of a smaller team, but we've got great speed and quickness. We're trying to use that to our advantage with the pressing style.

Q. Ohio State hasn't been to a Final Four four in 30 years. Virginia Tech has never been there. Why is it important for women's basketball to have some new faces on the landscape, getting on these stages and getting these opportunities?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, we've talked a lot about parity in recent years in our game, and I think it -- there is a lot more parity than there used to be. But to really validate that statement we need new teams in the Final Four. So I think this is obviously a great opportunity for both programs.

Q. When you made it this far in 2010, you had a six-five and a six-six future pros. Now you're playing five out and pressing and pretty much you've done everything in between in the last 13 years. Just why is adaptability so important to you? And is there -- is this current style of play one that you might sit with for awhile and recruit to?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, really good question. I really like the way we're playing right now and I think it's the way our sport is going to go. I think as players, especially post players, become more skilled and they can play away from the basket, I think the analytics would show you that we're getting better shots around the basket because we draw rim protectors away from the basket. I think that's a big part of it. It's kind of why they did it -- morphed into that in the NBA, and I think our sport will quickly follow. But I do like the way we're playing.

Q. Can you just tell us from your perspective, how did you first come to see Cotie on the recruiting trail, what stood out to you about her even from a young age, and how do you feel like she's developed the most in her freshman year?

KEVIN McGUFF: She's from about an hour from our campus, so I you a her quite a bit from a very early age. Two things were evident from the get-go is, one, that she had a lot of talent, just skill -- or just talent, overall basketball talent. The other thing that she really had a high motor that she played really hard. The one thing that you don't ever know until you get 'em is how they're going to practice. And she has got great practice habits. She competes and plays hard every single day. I think that's the biggest thing in terms of why she's been able to make so much progress in one year is just her commitment to practicing the right way.

Q. On the topic of conditioning, like, what do you all do as a group during the season from a conditioning standpoint to make sure your players can play the style you want to play in? I guess during the summer, what did workouts consistent of or did you spend for more of an emphasis on physical conditioning knowing how you guys wanted to play this year?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, we have a -- that's a huge part of our program is our conditioning. We have an excellent strength coach who monitors that for me. One thing nowadays is that we used to never have is we have great technology that really helps. We used to kind of guess before. Like, I think we're in good enough shape.

But now we have technology and data that we -- even from going back to last year, that -- I talk to the strength coach about this almost every single day, about where we're at with our practice, just to make sure that we continue to practice in a way and we get their heart rate to a certain area to make sure we can maintain our conditioning, which is so important with our style of play.

Q. I asked Kenny this. The fact that six of the eight teams left in this tournament are ACC or Big Ten teams and you guys seem to play each other every year, ACC Big Ten Challenge, which is obviously going away in a couple years, your thoughts on why these two leagues are so well prepared to get themselves this deep into March.

KEVIN McGUFF: I haven't looked at it the real closely, but I think both leagues tend to have teams that can really score the ball. I know in the Big Ten, that's one of the things -- when we were at the Big Ten tournament, I was talking to Brenda Frese, and she said, Hey, I think we're going to have a lot of success in the tournament because if you look at the way our teams are built and the way we're scoring the ball on offense, I think that's going to give us a chance to make deep runs in the tournament.

I think she's right. And I think Virginia Tech is a good example that they can really score the ball. I think that's what separated them really in their league this year is their ability to score the ball.

Q. Obviously there's so much excitement about beating UConn yesterday. Kind of how have you all reset over the last 24 hours to make sure you bring that same intensity tomorrow?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, we obviously had a great win yesterday. As I told the team then is we can be excited about that until the Tennessee-Virginia Tech game is over and we know who we're playing and we're kind of switching gears at that point.

We got up today and as a staff we met and obviously went through some scouting and strategy ideas. Then we showed film to the team to really get them on in the right frame of mind to focus on Virginia Tech, and then we just had our practice. So I think we're in a good place that way and our mindset is focused on Virginia Tech, which is the only thing that matters at this point.

Q. What stands out to you about this Virginia Tech defense that has given so many people so many fits down the stretch here as of late?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, they're really disciplined. They're good on the ball. They're good kind of in the gaps trying to take away driving lanes. They've got good size and athleticism around the basket, so they can kind of protect the rim. And then they really finish off possessions well by rebounding the ball.

Q. Throughout the season, you played bigs like Monika Czinano and you're playing against Mackenzie Holmes a few times. What's different about Liz Kitley compared to those other bigs?

KEVIN McGUFF: She's really versatile. She can score around the basket. She's got nice touch. But she can also step away 15, 16, 17 feet and make shots. She's good off the pick-and-roll, kind of pick and pop into the mid-range. So I just think usually we're playing post players that are good on the perimeter or they're good around the basket and she's kind of good at both. It makes it a really difficult matchup.

Q. You won yesterday even though UConn shot better than you and out rebounded you. Is that because, I mean, with the style you play, are you looking more at the end of the game at points off turnovers as opposed to what your field goal percentage was?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, I think that can offset the rebounding and the field goal percentage, for sure. It's an important part of kind of who we are and how we're built.

THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you for your time. We'll have the student-athletes up here momentarily.

(Pause.)

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Different question for both of you, kind of the same idea, though. Rikki, you've been with the program for a few years now. What has changed about the conditioning from when you got here to now being a really strong pressing team? And then, Eboni, this is -- transferring to Ohio State from Syracuse, what have you kind of seen different from the conditioning programs across the teams you've played for?

RIKKI HARRIS: I would say our conditioning hasn't really changed. We just have players that go hard all the time, so that makes you more conditioned when you play hard nonstop.

EBONI WALKER: I think Ohio State as a program does a great job of integrating basketball into everything that we do. When we condition, it's condition while playing basketball. We play basketball for an extended period of time. We're not just outside running on the track. We're running on a treadmill. We're playing basketball to get conditioned in basketball.

Q. I think it was the end of the first quarter. Did I notice you with the coaches gathered take Coach McGuff's seat on the floor? I know you want to be a coach, but what was the message you shared and was it just instinctual for you to kind of get there and to help the team there?

RIKKI HARRIS: I do that a lot. I just told 'em, like, we got it. I think we might have took a lead or was down by one point at that point. And at that point, I knew like we got this and the press is going to work and I just told 'em to keep talking and communicating. So that's pretty much it, but, yeah, it was nice.

EBONI WALKER: I also want to add. I think that a test to like the intelligence that we have on our team as far as our basketball IQ, we have people from McGuff all the way down that can give us little pointers here and there. And then just as far as Rikki goes, what she can see throughout a game, even though she may be playing or she's not playing, is definitely something that all of us make a point of to hear what she has to say.

Q. You came here with the intent to win and believed you were going to beat UConn before you guys played yesterday. After that win, where would you say the team's confidence is at now heading into the Elite 8?

RIKKI HARRIS: I would say regular. We're always confident. We talk every game by game. UConn's a great team, but at the end of the day, they're just a team just like we are. So it comes down to who can play the hardest and who can out-weather the storm. So it's just all about playing hard.

EBONI WALKER: Yeah, I agree with that. We go into every game basically the same. We focus on what we can do best and just go from there. As long as we play our game, we have the utmost confidence in ourselves and in each other. So I feel that has carried us far through this season.

Q. What has helped you guys be so connected on the defensive end night-in, night-out, even when sometimes stuff does not go your way right off the bat? What helps you guys kind of stick together and stay connected?

RIKKI HARRIS: I would say our willingness to play for each other. At the end of the day, we want to see each other succeed. We have the team that we're just down to give it all for each other. So when you have each player on the court that's willing to sacrifice everything, it's going to work. If we lose, we know that we did everything we could, so we'll keep our heads up and move on.

Q. Similar question, what about your guys' press makes it so different than a lot of other presses? Just the way you guys press, you do it so effectively and so well with so much athleticism. What's the difference? Is it an X's and O's thing or just a personnel thing?

RIKKI HARRIS: You can't scout it. We don't know -- if you ask the regular team, they're just like, we just move and run. We play off each other, so if I see somebody else do something, I'm like, okay, I see her move. Let me slide over. But mainly it's just scramble and we just run. So it definitely has to do with conditioning because you have to run nonstop, but it's just -- nobody can really scout it because we don't even know what we're going to do next, so how can somebody else know.

EBONI WALKER: I also want to say I think that plays to our confidence in each other as well. Like, I have more confidence to play tougher defense, just in case if it I may get beat, I know my teammate has my back, regardless. I think that plays a big role in our press as well. We can take those gambles because if I get beat, I know somebody else is there to help me and I'm going to help them. It's just that defense, we always have each other's backs on offense, defense, throughout the game.

Q. Since you've been in the program for three years now, do you feel like the team has been -- coach talked a lot -- a little bit about it, but has the team been pressing more progressively as you guys have -- or you've been in the program? And do you like being able to do that? Is it kind of -- I know it's, I'm sure, a lot of running and stuff, but is it fun to be able to kind of go out with that?

RIKKI HARRIS: No. Yeah, over the years, we definitely have pressed more and it's working better and better because we have the players that want to do it and we love the press. When he takes the press off to try to throw the other team off, we're like, no, no, no. He's like, no, it's a strategy. And we're like, no, we want to press. So I would say definitely over years, it's gotten better, but it also depends on the players you have and the heart they have for it. We love to press. If we don't press, we don't win the game, for the most part.

So the press is like a key to us. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. So it might not work the first half, but it might work the second half. So it just depends.

Q. You mentioned being a leader of the team. Just maybe what do you say to the team after such an exciting win yesterday to make sure that you all are able to reset today for this next game?

RIKKI HARRIS: I told 'em, We're not here for one game. I said, We're trying to solidify the ticket to Dallas. So I said, Let's celebrate it right now and once would change and get dressed, it's on to the next one. We got one more game to knock out.

Q. When you guys watch film on Virginia Tech, what stands out to you about their offense and kind of just the way they have been rolling on that end of the floor lately?

RIKKI HARRIS: They're just a great team in general. So they have great guards -- they just have a great team, so it's going to be a tough battle. They're good offensive and they're very long. So it will be down to just playing hard and going hard the whole time and who can go hard the longest, I guess.

It's going to be a battle no matter what. Anything can happen. At this point, it's win or go home, so everybody's going to give it their all. So we're just going to have to play hard.

Q. Back to the question about your time here and the defense. You're 40 minutes from going to a Final Four and we're talking about Ohio State's defense. Was it that way when you got here? It seemed to be more of an offensive-geared program, but now things have shifted a little bit and why do you think that is?

RIKKI HARRIS: Definitely. I would say my first two years at Ohio State definitely more offensive. These last two years I've been here defense is the key. We have great offensive players and we can score with whoever, but if it's just going to be a scoring match, you don't know what's going to happen. When you put the defensive aspect in it, it's like, wow, like, that 25 turnovers, like to one of the best teams in college basketball.

So it's just like you just -- defense is it. We have the players to do it, we're fast, and like she said, we rely on each other, we trust in each other. If somebody gets beat, we know somebody's going to have our back. So it's all about trust.

EBONI WALKER: I also want to say that us as a collective, I feel like we understand the importance of both sides of basketball, especially for what this year that I'm here I can say that. You can't really have offense without defense or defense without offense. That kind of just plays into everything that we do. So we don't put too much focus on one thing without the other because you need the full game to kind of get the results that you want.

RIKKI HARRIS: Yeah, just, anybody can hit a shot, but who is going to step up and make that, take that charge. Who is going to run back and get that block, dive on the ball.

Q. When you watch Liz Kitley from Virginia Tech, what kind of challenges does she present, and what you do you feel like y'all need to do to be able to slow her down?

EBONI WALKER: She's a great player. I take every player in their own respect. I never try to compare with anyone else. I definitely give them their own light and focus before every game, but also, I take it personal. I want to do whatever I can for my team to do the best I can to defend her.

But, yeah, she's a great player. I'm excited to just be able to compete against her. Just being able to compete in the March Madness tournament against all these great players is already a blessing in its own way. But yeah, we still want to get the results that we want to get and I'm excited to be able to compete.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you.