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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS & FINALS: KANSAS CITY

March 27, 2010

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by the University of Nebraska Huskers Coach, Connie Yori. Coach, congratulations on a great season. Your comments, please.
COACH YORI: Well, we're excited to be here. Obviously when we saw the pairings come out and we were in the Kansas City Regional, we were very excited about that. Obviously heading to Minneapolis was a good thing for our program in terms of proximity to our state to get fans to get up there to watch us, and then getting back here was obviously an important step for our program, and I understand that we might have a few fans here tomorrow night and hopefully be on.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH YORI: Our schedule for tomorrow? Is that what you're asking? Well, we're going to sleep in a little bit, and those guys that need to go to church, they'll have the option of doing that. And then we're going to be watching some film throughout the day, and we've got a shoot-around in the afternoon. So we're going to try to get three meals in in about a six-hour period. I'm sure our players will enjoy that, especially some of them.
It's a late game, and that's just the nature of this, and we happened to draw the late game. It doesn't matter what time we're playing, we're going to play. It will be a late night, and if we were to win, it's going to be a short turnaround, but we'll deal with that if that happens to take place.

Q. Have you noticed the similarities between your program this year and Kentucky's? Both teams have the Conference Player of the Year, the Conference Coach of the Year. Both teams made great strides from disappointing seasons last year. It just goes on and on. You would think that would make for a good match-up.
COACH YORI: Yeah, there's no question a lot of parallels there. You can go back a little further. My first year at Nebraska we were picked last in the Big 12, and we met our expectations that year and actually finished 12th. And Kentucky this year being picked 11th and being able to finish in second place in the SEC is just a phenomenal coaching effort and player effort.
I mean, these guys -- I mean, Kentucky is every bit as athletic as anyone in the country, and coach has done a great job of getting those guys to play at a high level, to play with a great passion and a great energy, and you know, they definitely provide some issues, will provide some issues for us.
But definitely some parallels there, two teams that got it turned around. But you know, the thing about us is two years ago we felt like we were on track to make something special happen in our program and then got hit by the injury bug. Obviously last year we didn't have the season we wanted to, but at the same time, you know, injuries are a part of the game.

Q. Connie, beyond the track of the programs at Kentucky and Nebraska and the similarities you mentioned, do you see any similarities in the way the teams are built this year between Victoria Dunlap and Kelsey Griffin having some similar roles in their teams and also the players on the perimeter?
COACH YORI: Well, Kentucky basically plays four perimeters and Dunlap, and Dunlap is as athletic a player as there is in the country. She is a phenomenal athlete and scores in a variety of ways. They definitely provide a lot of problems for us really on both ends.
There are some similarities in that both of us do want to get up and down the floor. I do think it's going to be a fast-paced game. I don't think -- whoever is operating the shot clock tomorrow night, they could probably have the night off, because I think it's going to be up and down. That's who we are, that's who they are, and both of us will be picking up in the full court. They do a little more in their full court defense than we do, but they're just phenomenal athletes. They've got great athleticism across the board, great quickness across the board.

Q. You mentioned kind of earlier in the week maybe some of that pressure is off a little bit because you got those first two wins in the tournament. Do you feel like you're playing with house money a little bit this weekend, or is it that much that the pressure is off?
COACH YORI: Well, I guess we're going to find out. I feel like there's been a little bit different level of comfort with our players the last couple days in practice, and maybe that's partly me. But also I felt like we played a little bit tight in the first two rounds. We've never been in this situation before, and so I felt like there was some pressure to get back here to Kansas City.
Now, obviously I think we've practiced really well the last two days, and I think that we'll be ready to go, and I think we're well prepared, but it's just going to come down to how our players are feeling and then it's going to come down to execution.

Q. I know you're focused on Kentucky and getting your team ready, but I'm sure you noticed that Baylor won today, beat the No. 1 seed, Tennessee. I'm just curious on your thoughts on how that makes the Big 12 look, what you thought about that.
COACH YORI: Well, we're the No. 1 RPI league in the country, have been the last three years, Big 12 is the best league in the country top to bottom with depth. Baylor lost to Missouri this year. Missouri finished 12th in the league, and you just -- that's just the nature of our league. Everybody in our league is very, very good. Baylor finishes 9 and 7 and think just knocked off the No. 1 seed in the country, so what does that say? It says our league is great. It says our league has tremendous depth. There's great coaching in our league. There's great players in our league.

Q. Is there any specific ways you can think of that the Big 12 prepares you for the NCAA Tournament?
COACH YORI: Yeah, lots of ways. I mean, competition level. We have seen night in and night out the best competition in the country, and not to say -- take light of any other league, but from top to bottom, as I said, I think our league has really prepared us well for playing against just about anybody. And style of play, I think we're going to see a little bit different style of play tomorrow night than really anyone that we see in the Big 12. But I think UCLA helped to prepare us for that a little bit.
You know, our league, top to bottom, you're going to see a variety of different defenses, a variety of different offenses. You're going to see just about anything that you can imagine in basketball in our league, and that's what also makes our league that much more interesting. I think the ability to be versatile in the Big 12 I think is important. I think that's one of the things that makes us -- has enabled us to make the run that we have during our Big 12 season.

Q. Speaking of UCLA, you guys came out pretty cold against UCLA. Can you talk about what might have been a factor in that and how you guys plan to not do that again?
COACH YORI: Well, UCLA is good. They're a top 25 team. We were the only No. 1 seed that played a top 25 team in that round. They were the best -- a team that should have been a little bit higher draw or had a little bit higher seed based on what they had done. You know, bottom line is that they came out and played with a lot of energy. We didn't handle the pressure early, but then we settled down, we got poised, and we did a better job of handling it.

Q. Kentucky does a great job of forcing turnovers. I think it's like 10 steals a game or something they're averaging. But coming off the game that Lindsey Moore had, how important will she be to the game plan and just taking care of the basketball in general?
COACH YORI: Yeah, that's an understatement. They do a great job of stealing the ball. They had 30 steals in their first two NCAA games, so again, you're talking about a team that's just about as athletic as anybody in the country and plays small ball and just really provides a lot of problems for you really on both ends because of that.
Lindsey has had a great freshman season, and she's played better and better throughout the year and has really taken control of our team. You know, she's going to have to do that tomorrow night, as well.
But also you can't put all the onus on Lindsey. You've got to have other kids handle the ball. Talking about versatility, we have four ball handlers on the floor a good portion of the time. The fact that Kelsey has the ability to handle the ball, Yvonne and 'Nique can both do that for us. Hopefully that will help us tomorrow night.

Q. Just curious, you mentioned you talked about Victoria Dunlap and what type of athlete she is. What do you see between her and Kelsey Griffin, how that match-up will play out tomorrow?
COACH YORI: Well, I don't know what they're going to do in terms of match-ups and whether they're going to use her to guard Kelsey or not. I haven't been in their scouting report sessions. But I do know what we're doing to do, so you're talking about two very athletic players.
You're talking about two players that run the floor very well, get easy baskets in transition in both cases. You're talking about two very good rebounders. You're talking about two versatile players who can put the ball on the floor who are both very good defenders. So there are a lot of parallels there.

Q. Do you think that as much problems as a pressure defense can have on an offense, do you think it kind of plays into your style of play and that you can score quickly and create mismatches?
COACH YORI: Well, you've got to handle the pressure. You've got to handle that first line of defense and then more so you've got to handle that second line because I think they do a really good job not in just their first rotation or first line of defense, but they do a pretty good job in the rotations, as well. We're going to have to handle the pressure, and if we can do that, that's what pressure does.
If you can handle it -- there's a couple different ways you can look at it. You can handle it and look to attack and try to get easy baskets or you can handle it and set up your offense. We're going to have to be smart in, first of all, handling it and then take our moments where we can be aggressive and then also be smart if we need to pull it out.

Q. A follow-up to the answer you had about Lindsey Moore a few minutes ago. I know she's proven herself to you all year and you don't really consider her a freshman 34 games in, but did she do anything in the first couple of rounds with her poise and especially the way she handled the defense against -- the UCLA defense that impressed you even more?
COACH YORI: I watched Lindsey play a lot in high school. My assistants watched her a ton in high school. We knew we were getting a very good point guard when she came here to Nebraska. We knew the kind of poise that she showed. We know the kind of competitor that she is. So what she did in the first two rounds did not surprise me. I just think that's who she is. I think she's a very competitive kid who may not make the right play every single time, but she will learn from her mistakes and then try to correct them.

Q. First game in Kansas City since the only loss of the year. Are you kind of glad it's not over at Municipal and it's at Sprint?
COACH YORI: Well, I'll just tell you what, our locker room is a lot nicer than Municipal. We've got a 60-inch flat screen TV in our locker room right now, so that's kind of sweet. No, we don't mind playing at Municipal, but obviously this is a great facility. We're glad to be at the Sprint Center.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, congratulations on a great season. We'll see you tomorrow evening. We're now joined by our Nebraska Huskers student athletes, Kelsey Griffin, Dominique Kelley and Cory Montgomery. We'll take our first question for the floor.

Q. Cory, have you noticed the similarities and the parallels between your team and their team? You both have the Conference Coach of the Year, you both have the Conference Player of the Year, both have under .500 disappointing seasons last year and this year you're having the best season in program history. That seems quite a coincidence, isn't it?
CORY MONTGOMERY: It is. Someone actually pointed it out to me the other day about all the similarities. There are a lot of similarities. They're a really versatile team. They love to push the ball, play tough defense, and those are some of the qualities we use in our game in our style of play. It's kind of like playing yourself in a way for some of the things that they do, and you know, they're a tough team and they're going to be a tough opponent.

Q. Dominique, can you talk about the challenges that your backcourt is going to face against a lineup that a lot of times has four guards on the court and just if you've seen anything similar to that through the season and what you expect?
DOMINIQUE KELLEY: Yeah, well, we play in the Big 12 conference, so we're used to the quickness and the get-up tempo. But they're definitely -- we've seen a lot of similarities actually in the UCLA game in that they're going to get up, throw a lot of defenses at us, they're going to pick the ball up in the backcourt and just pressure us for 40 minutes.

Q. Kelsey, can you talk a little bit about Victoria Dunlap and what kind of problems she poses for you guys?
KELSEY GRIFFIN: Definitely. Her athleticism, I know about being a little undersized so that by no means can't -- that by no means means she won't be able to score in the low block. She's very quick off the dribble, a versatile player. So yeah, she's going to pose a lot of problems. But not only that, she can also get up and defend, as well. She's definitely a focal point.

Q. All the history that's been made this season, now you're 24 hours out. Can you describe the anticipation?
KELSEY GRIFFIN: Yeah, you know, it's great, but at the same time, it's more than just a game. You know, we're enjoying hanging out. I don't know how long I'm going to get to hang out with these girls on a day-to-day basis, and so we're excited about the game. We're ready to play, but at the same time we're going to make the most of this experience.

Q. Kind of a question for all of you. Last time you guys were in Kansas City, you lost. Do you have to exorcise a demon at all here or is it just good to be so close to home?
KELSEY GRIFFIN: Well, we don't really look at it as comparing then to now. We're not even playing in the same building or the same court, you know, so -- I think it just depends on a game-to-game basis. We're going to come in and we're still going to shoot with confidence and play our game of basketball and we'll see what happens once game time comes. But we're not playing in the same arena. We're not looking to the past. We're only focusing on the task at hand.

Q. I know you always want to win, but there's been a couple weeks now and you've had some other games now since the loss in the Big 12 tournament. Did it relieve any pressure at all no longer being "undefeated"?
CORY MONTGOMERY: I think it does. We didn't focus too much on the fact that we were undefeated. Every opponent is going to give us their best. We have to prepare and we have to be ready for that. We do have less pressure right now that we feel, you know, we've gone to the Sweet 16 and we're showing that we're a good team and we worked hard to get to where we're at. So we're going to just keep going out and playing Nebraska basketball and keep playing as a team and doing the things we've been doing all year long.

Q. Dominique, Kentucky has been described as a high-pressure kind of a high-octane team, but do you think that that type of style can play into the strengths of your team and that you can score quickly and that you can take advantage of mismatches and handle adversity?
DOMINIQUE KELLEY: Well, like Corey said, I think we see a lot of similarities in our ballclub that they have, as well. I think it's going to just be more about seeing who can take care of the ball, who can handle the pressure and always a big focal point for us to rebounding. We feel like if we do those things, then we'll put ourselves in a good position going into this game.

Q. Kelsey, can you speak to the suggestion that there's less pressure on you guys now and how exactly that works? It seems like Sweet 16 would be a time where pressure is kind of heightened?
KELSEY GRIFFIN: Yeah, it's true, but the thing about this team is, you know, after our wins and our losses, we've always gone back to the drawing board. We know we've made mistakes, and this year has been about continual improvement and making the most of the opportunities given. So where it may seem more pressure has been added, we know we've prepared really hard and we've put the time into the gym, not only in the weeks prior to this but even over the summer, that you deserve to make the shots because you've worked hard to get in the gym and make those shots.
So for us, yeah, there may be pressure, but as far as making history for our program and things like that, it's just all about the ride. We're just enjoying the experience.

Q. Kelsey, as it goes with most teams Kentucky is better at home than they are on the road. Do you expect this to be kind of a home court advantage being three hours from Lincoln?
KELSEY GRIFFIN: I sure hope so. We have some awesome fans. I believe even though it's a late night on Sunday, the Nebraska people are just crazy enough to make it out and pack the gym. So I sure hope it feels like a home court advantage. However, we're not -- we don't prepare for home games differently than away games, so that doesn't change the game plan a whole lot. But I know our fans are amazing, and I'm expecting there to be a lot out there on Sunday.

Q. Can you guys just talk a little bit about Lindsey Moore? Obviously she's been great all year, but coming off the game she had in the last round, career high in assists, and especially going up against a team like Kentucky who turns the ball over, how important is it to have confidence in a young player like that in how she'll do?
KELSEY GRIFFIN: Yeah, Lindsey, if you didn't look at the roster, you wouldn't expect her to be a freshman. She knows the game obviously really well. She's a smart player. She knows how to play under pressure, doesn't seem to phase her. I wish I had more years that I could play with her to be honest.
I'm not expecting anything different or anything less than what she gave, probably something more, if I know Lindsey at all, for our game against Kentucky. I think it'll be a challenge. They bring a lot of pressure, but I know she's more than willing to rise to the occasion.
THE MODERATOR: Okay, ladies, thank you all very much. Congratulations on a great season. Good luck tomorrow night.

End of FastScripts

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