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

March 27, 2023

Kevin McGuff

Taylor Mikesell

Jacy Sheldon

Climate Pledge Arena

Ohio State Buckeyes

Elite 8 Postgame Media Conference

Virginia Tech - 84, Ohio State - 74

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from Coach and then take questions for the student-athletes.

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, give Virginia Tech credit. I thought they were outstanding tonight. They played a great game. I have a lot of respect for Kenny and his staff and their program. They were good. They were a little bit better than we were tonight and they made some huge plays.

Disappointed for our kids, obviously. We wanted to advance and play in the next game, but we ran into a really good team today and we'll learn some lessons from this and we'll be back.

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

Q. Can you talk about just in the second half, did Virginia Tech -- what defensive adjustments did they make or was it just shots not falling?

JACY SHELDON: Yeah, we picked our defense up there in the second half and they did too. I think we didn't -- we got the stops we wanted. We didn't make the most of them on offense. We didn't execute the way we wanted to. So props to them. They played a great game.

TAYLOR MIKESELL: Yeah, pretty much everything she said.

Q. This is the farthest you've made it in a NCAA tournament. I know it's not the end that you wanted to have, but what has this run meant to you?

TAYLOR MIKESELL: I think it's meant a lot. To kind of being in the position we were last year, kind of driving the reason why I wanted to come back and just being able to put ourselves in that position to get to the Final Four, we had the opportunity, I think has meant everything to me.

Q. Have you decided whether you're going to be back for another year? And kind of what are you going to take forward from this season that you all have had?

JACY SHELDON: To be honest, I've been so worried about winning games and getting healthy, I haven't even gave that much thought. We had a great team this year and we're going to build off that next year, and obviously, losing Taylor is going to be big shoes to fill because she's an amazing player and a great teammate.

Q. Taylor, what do your teammates mean to you?

TAYLOR MIKESELL: They're kind of the best part about this whole thing. Like, honestly, probably going to miss just being able to hang out with them most, more than anything.

Q. What about Georgia Amoore makes her so difficult to press? Because you guys came in as such a good pressing team. It seemed like she was able to bob and weave her way through it so easily throughout the game.

JACY SHELDON: She's quick, she's really skilled, she sees the floor really well. That gave us trouble. When we started picking up earlier, it helped us a little bit. But we did that a little bit too late, but she's a really good player.

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

Q. Georgia was hitting shots. There was one in the late third, early fourth, she hit with one with the shot clock running down, and you looked at Kenny, and he looked back at you, and you were like what can we do? Is that basically how it felt?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, it really was just an acknowledgment of his kid hit a great shot. I love Kenny. He's a great guy and a really good coach. We have a good relationship, so it was just, hey, that was better offense than our defense was.

Q. What did you say to the team in the locker room after the game? And then can you just talk about Taylor Mikesell's career with Ohio State.

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, I told 'em, obviously, disappointed for them. I wanted to put them in position to continue to play because they love being around each other and I really enjoy coaching them. So it's disappointing that it had to end.

But we ran into a really good team tonight. Virginia Tech played great and they deserved to win. I also talked about some of the things that -- we had been so on point on Saturday with our execution of what we were trying to accomplish and we just -- we missed on some opportunities, and Virginia Tech made us pay every single time.

Now regarding Taylor, I mean, she's been such a great kid in our program. She's a wonderful young person. She's leaving the way you should leave, knowing that you poured every ounce of heart and soul, effort, energy into a program and that's just who she is and it says so much about her.

Q. Your press was so effective against UConn. Why do you think it was not as effective tonight?

KEVIN McGUFF: One, they're good, you know, with Amoore. She's tough to keep in front and she can kind of split it and get it up the court. I felt like we were a little tired coming into it too. We had put so much energy into Saturday's game and we didn't have quite the same energy in the press and when you don't have it, it's tough because you can really get beat up on the back end and give up easy baskets.

Q. Does Georgia remind you of anyone you've ever had to game plan against before or is she just a little different?

KEVIN McGUFF: You know what? She kind of reminds me -- she's faster than her, but going all the way back to Shoni Schimmel with Louisville. That's somebody that she really kind of reminds me of.

Q. Obviously, a tough loss tonight, but the first half was so much fun. Teams were just trading these big shots. Both teams can't really seem to miss early on. The crowd's into it. Just were you having fun? Were you able to have any fun, at least in the first half?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, I mean, I do think in the first half both teams were playing at a really high level and making tough shots and executing to get good shots. I think as the game went on, they just did a little more of that than we did in the second half and took advantage of the opportunities they got.

We scored well from the perimeter, but not so well around the basket. I think that was a big problem for us is that the balance that they got out of scoring on the perimeter and Kitley running the basket we couldn't replicate that and that just gave them better opportunities.

Q. How is Cotie doing after that late collision?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, I don't know. I don't think it was anything that would be long-term, but she got banged up. She goes so hard, so when there's a collision, there's going to be a lot of force in that impact. But I think she will be okay.

Q. Just for you guys to get to the Elite 8 for the first time in 30 years, having a lot of a team coming back next year, how do you feel like you all can build off of what you were able to accomplish this season?

KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, no, I think our best days are still ahead of us. I really like the -- I mean, we'll have to see with some of the kid who have COVID years and stuff, but just the possibilities of what we could have next year. And I think we've got great culture and got great kids in the program and we'll add some other people one way or another. So I think this is a great opportunity for us to even build off of this. And I think last year we took the experience of the Sweet 16 and I think we felt confident coming into that game, because we were right there, a possession away. Hopefully we can get back here and learn from this one a little bit. Because, like I said, we ran into a great team who played really well tonight. But I think, hopefully, we can look back and say, hey, boy, if we really lock in and execute a little bit better then we'll give ourselves a better chance to win.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you.