March 25, 2005
Baylor Head Coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson:
Q: You have the same inside post matchup against Minnesota as you did with Oregon...
"This time around you've got a lot of great players and we do understand what lies ahead with Minnesota and their strengths. Those three post players that they have that get significant minutes are outstanding players. They're big and physical and we've got our hands full. It's going to be an interesting matchup inside."
Q: Can you expand on what you've seen on tape about (Janel) McCarville and (Jamie) Broback?
"When you look at McCarville she has Final Four experience, she's an All-American and she is a leader of their basketball team. She plays with her back to the basket and can face up. I think a significant part of her game is her passing ability. With her size and strength you'd better know where she is when the rebound comes off the glass. Broback, being a sophomore, faces the basket more. She shoots from the perimeter more. I thought in the Virginia game with McCarville being in foul trouble they didn't miss a beat. I thought she (Broback) was big in that game for Minnesota. I don't know that it's (Baylor's style of play) all that contrasting. We have players in the paint that face up and run the floor well and also play with their back to the basket. We're no pushover. I think we play pretty physical ourselves. The Big 12 is a league that is known for physical play. If we need to bang we'll bang."
Q: How much did the game with Oregon prepare you for another physical game with Minnesota?
"It would help to play a physical team and a big team like that. But each step of the way the more you win the tougher the competition. Minnesota has been in the Final Four and we have not. They've seen competition at each level higher than we have. We were fortunate to make it to the Sweet Sixteen last year and face Tennessee. We feel like we've played a lot of teams that play aggressive defense and Minnesota is not going to be any different."
Q: Do you look at Arizona State as a team that can sustain this kind of winning year after year?
"I remember we played Arizona State in the NIT when neither one of us made the tournament a couple of years ago. I thought at that time that program was on the rise. She (Charli Turner Thorne) had a lot of youth in her lineup. They are very similar to Baylor in that they're experiencing things for the first time as well. I know they're excited to be home. I sure would be."
Q: Talk about Minnesota's defense...
"Their defense is very aggressive. They are very active and they play with a lot of energy. I noticed in their statistics they don't play a lot of players. Only seven players average double figures in minutes and that's a big difference between our team and their team."
Q: If the big matchup underneath for each team ends up canceling out, what would be the next determining factor?
"At this stage it's about making plays. People are going to have to make plays down the stretch. At this stage of the NCAA playoffs the teams are too good. Everybody has scouted everybody. It's just going to come down to players making plays at the end of the game."
Q: Can you speak about the school morale of Baylor?
"It's no secret about the tragedy of the men's basketball program a few years ago. We're beyond that. Baylor University is not going to be identified by one tragedy in its athletic department. It was awful and terrible for all of us because we have a lot of pride in what we do. But I think it was erased by the impact our tennis team had in winning the national championship, two Olympic gold medals and the Sweet Sixteen run we had last year. I think we went to work as coaches at Baylor and understood we still had a job to do. That one incident is not going to identify Baylor University."
Q: What are your thoughts on the pick McCarville set?
"I thought it was a legal pick. I didn't see anything wrong with the pick. The young ladies for Virginia didn't see it coming. It caught everybody off guard with the angle it was set. You know it's coming when you play Minnesota. You may be so focused on who you're guarding you may receive a screen like that sometimes. That's part of the game. Our players welcome physical play. I think you'll see two teams that will respect each other and play very hard."
Baylor Players - Junior Sophia Young & Senior Steffanie Blackmon
Q: Sophia, how do feel about your mom and dad coming in to see you play and when do they arrive?
Young - "I am excited that they are coming in tomorrow and they arrive at noon."
Q: Sophia, can you elaborate on that, is this the first time they are seeing you play?
Young - "This will be the first time my mom has seen me play, but my dad has seen me play all three years."
Q: Would it be a disappointment to not advance past this round?
Blackmon - "I'm just concerned with playing the game, I'm not thinking about not winning."
Young - " It would be a disappointment as an athlete not to advance. It would be disappointing to not win."
Q: Your coach mentioned that she welcomes physical play. Does the team welcome physical play?
Blackmon - " We know that Minnesota's a physical team and we will match that. We won't back down, we are pretty physical ourselves." Young - " Yeah we are just as or more physical as Minnesota."
Q: Your Coach mentioned seeing tape on McCarville, and compared her to Stacy Stephens. What do you think about her?
Blackmon - "I agree, Stacy was physical, but McCarville is more agile and does more spinning. And we need to recognize what she can do."
Q: With the matchup this should be a pretty physical game, do you want the game to be called tight?
Young - "I just want the game to be called fairly and for us to play hard and come out aggressive, and for refs to call things as they happen."
Blackmon - "I just want them to be consistent. "
Q: What do you gain from the Sweet 16 last year that you can apply the second time around?
Young - "Steffanie wasn't here last year, but for me experience and confidence in having her here this year."
Q: What goes through your mind thinking about tomorrow's game?
Young - "We're not dwelling on the past. I'm just thinking about playing and doing our best. I'm not thinking about the past. Just the present and the future is all that matters now."
Blackmon - "We learn from our mistakes."
