- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 431,296
- Reaction score
- 44
Mar. 21—STORRS, Conn. — South Dakota State isn't the only team arriving at UConn's Gampel Pavilion this weekend feeling ornery about their seed in the NCAA tournament.
The Jackrabbits (29-3) were given a 10-seed in the tournament despite being ranked in both Top 25 polls and taking a 19-game winning streak into the dance, but how do you think that makes their opponent feel?
Oklahoma State is 25-6, went 14-4 in the Big 12 with a handful of wins over ranked opponents and is ranked 20th in the country, and not only did that give them a mere 7-seed, but it put them up against an opponent that virtually everyone agrees is much better than your typical 10-seed.
Oh, and the winner gets to take on the 11-time champion UConn Huskies, who were denied a 1-seed despite being ranked third in both polls and first in NET rankings.
So Saturday's first round matchup between the Jackrabbits and Cowgirls (2:30 p.m., ESPN2) is basically two teams who are both less than thrilled about having to face each other.
"We're coming in here underrated," said OSU guard Stailee Heard. "And I think that's been our motive all season long. I think that fuels us and makes us better."
UConn coach Geno Auriemma has, of course, been around long enough to see everything. He's the winningest coach in college basketball history, and while his team has never played the Jackrabbits or Cowgirls he's not putting too much stock into the perceived disrespect in the seeding of the teams here for the weekend.
"Every bracket, if you ask the right people, they hate it," Auriemma said. "They don't like their bracket. They don't like their seeding. They don't like their opponent. They don't like their venue, where they're going to play. Do I notice anything different in our bracket than others? It's hard. It's hard. So is every other one."
OSU coach Jacie Hoyt went 0-5 against the Jackrabbits when she was coaching Kansas City, so she knows more than most just what SDSU is capable of, and how challenging that makes their first round game.
"I think it's about the toughest draw we could have gotten for a 10 seed," Hoyt said. "(The Jacks) know how to win. They are very well-coached. They're incredibly fundamentally sound. I think it's probably safe to say about every kid on the team grew up watching the previous teams, probably went to camps. They're like a bunch of well-trained robots out there.
"They know how to play the game, and they know how to win," Hoyt added. "It wasn't that long ago they were in a Sweet 16. This is a team that we certainly are not overlooking by any means. I've got so much respect for them and for their coach. So certainly, we felt like this was a very, very tough draw for the first round."
Interestingly, Heard said Hoyt hasn't said much of anything to the Cowgirl players about the Jackrabbits or her past history with them. Perhaps that's to keep their confidence high.
"Honestly, they're a really good team," Heard said. "They're well-coached. They play together really well. I think if we show up and just play our best basketball, we'll win the game. If we just play like us, I don't think they'll give us problems."
Oklahoma State uses a formula similar to the Jackrabbits to win games. They're tenacious on defense, holding their foes to 60 points per contest, and they don't overly rely on one player on offense. They can shoot the 3 and get to the basket. They're deep and they're disciplined.
"The way they spread the floor and shoot the ball is similar to what we do," said Jacks coach Aaron Johnston. "Watching them on film certainly they have some of the same concepts we have with spacing and timing. With the quickness and athleticism they have they can put a lot of pressure on you."
Those similarities stretch off the court and into program-building measures as well. Hoyt is still a young coach and admitted to learning from Johnston and the Jacks in how to develop the Cowgirls into a program with staying power.
"I think they're really great at just knowing what works for them and sticking to it," Hoyt said of the Jacks. "That's something that I am learning. From last year to this year, we've grown so much as a staff at just understanding what works, not just for us as a staff, but what fits at Oklahoma State. We're not for everyone, and we're okay with that. Everyone is not for us.
I think that (the Jackrabbits) just do a really good job of that," Hoyt continued. "They get the right type of kids that fit for them, and they do a good job of keeping them there. I would say that's definitely a program that I look up to in terms of that and what to model myself, and I think that we're on a really amazing path to do that right now."
Last year's run to the NCAA tournament was marked by the injuries South Dakota State had to overcome to get there. Notably, sharpshooter Haleigh Timmer and forward Kallie Theisen missed the season with injuries, while Madysen Vlastuin went down with one late in the regular season. Those three came back strong this year, but having to watch last year's first-round loss to Utah from the bench has them approaching this year's tournament with a greater sense of appreciation.
"It definitely puts everything in perspective," Timmer said. "I'm super grateful to be back in this position where I can play in this tournament. Obviously we still went last year and that was a cool experience, but I'm very excited to be back. Not every team gets to be in this tournament so it's very exciting."
Added Theisen: "It's unbelievable, and what makes it unbelievable is the people I get to do it with. I wanted to come back this year because of my teammates and coaches and Jackrabbit Nation. To do it all with them makes it all worth it."
Johnston said freshman guard Katie Vasecka should be good to go on Saturday. The former Tea Area standout missed the last two games of the regular season and the entire Summit League tournament with a foot injury, but the time off apparently gave her enough rest to return for the NCAA tournament.
Vasecka averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds as the Jacks' top reserve off the bench. She's shooting a team-high .430 from beyond the 3-point arc.
"She's been good," Johnston said. "She's been practicing and we expect she'll be available and ready to play her normal role and normal minutes going forward.
If the Jackrabbits beat Oklahoma State and UConn beats Arkansas State, the matchup between SDSU and the Huskies would pit Johnston against Auriemma. They are the two longest-tenured coaches with the same team in women's basketball.
"The two of us are relics," Auriemma quipped. "There certainly aren't a lot of us left, right? I guess we missed the note on the portal. We have to find out if there's a portal for coaches."
The Huskies own the longest winning streak in NCAA history at 111 games. They've had several other very long ones. Auriemma said he thinks some of those streaks went on as long as they did because it reached a point where opponents had no belief they could win against them. But he doesn't see that in the other three teams here for the weekend.
"When we had all those long winning streaks, I think there was this perception that when we play teams that, well, nobody else can beat UConn, what makes you think we can," Auriemma said. "The overwhelming feeling is, well, nobody else can beat them, so we have no chance. That wasn't necessarily true, but it helped us win. I don't think that exists anymore. People see us lose now. So because they see us lose, they go, well, hell, it ain't like they're invincible. And it's true."
"The fact that perception has changed is good because you don't ever want teams that you're playing to feel like I don't have a chance to win so why even bother," he added. "You want everybody you play to feel like we're here to beat UConn's ass, which is really good. Now, having said that, I hope this weekend these guys are scared to death, but I don't think they will be. I don't think they will be."
Continue reading...
The Jackrabbits (29-3) were given a 10-seed in the tournament despite being ranked in both Top 25 polls and taking a 19-game winning streak into the dance, but how do you think that makes their opponent feel?
Oklahoma State is 25-6, went 14-4 in the Big 12 with a handful of wins over ranked opponents and is ranked 20th in the country, and not only did that give them a mere 7-seed, but it put them up against an opponent that virtually everyone agrees is much better than your typical 10-seed.
Oh, and the winner gets to take on the 11-time champion UConn Huskies, who were denied a 1-seed despite being ranked third in both polls and first in NET rankings.
So Saturday's first round matchup between the Jackrabbits and Cowgirls (2:30 p.m., ESPN2) is basically two teams who are both less than thrilled about having to face each other.
"We're coming in here underrated," said OSU guard Stailee Heard. "And I think that's been our motive all season long. I think that fuels us and makes us better."
UConn coach Geno Auriemma has, of course, been around long enough to see everything. He's the winningest coach in college basketball history, and while his team has never played the Jackrabbits or Cowgirls he's not putting too much stock into the perceived disrespect in the seeding of the teams here for the weekend.
"Every bracket, if you ask the right people, they hate it," Auriemma said. "They don't like their bracket. They don't like their seeding. They don't like their opponent. They don't like their venue, where they're going to play. Do I notice anything different in our bracket than others? It's hard. It's hard. So is every other one."
OSU coach Jacie Hoyt went 0-5 against the Jackrabbits when she was coaching Kansas City, so she knows more than most just what SDSU is capable of, and how challenging that makes their first round game.
"I think it's about the toughest draw we could have gotten for a 10 seed," Hoyt said. "(The Jacks) know how to win. They are very well-coached. They're incredibly fundamentally sound. I think it's probably safe to say about every kid on the team grew up watching the previous teams, probably went to camps. They're like a bunch of well-trained robots out there.
"They know how to play the game, and they know how to win," Hoyt added. "It wasn't that long ago they were in a Sweet 16. This is a team that we certainly are not overlooking by any means. I've got so much respect for them and for their coach. So certainly, we felt like this was a very, very tough draw for the first round."
Interestingly, Heard said Hoyt hasn't said much of anything to the Cowgirl players about the Jackrabbits or her past history with them. Perhaps that's to keep their confidence high.
"Honestly, they're a really good team," Heard said. "They're well-coached. They play together really well. I think if we show up and just play our best basketball, we'll win the game. If we just play like us, I don't think they'll give us problems."
Oklahoma State uses a formula similar to the Jackrabbits to win games. They're tenacious on defense, holding their foes to 60 points per contest, and they don't overly rely on one player on offense. They can shoot the 3 and get to the basket. They're deep and they're disciplined.
"The way they spread the floor and shoot the ball is similar to what we do," said Jacks coach Aaron Johnston. "Watching them on film certainly they have some of the same concepts we have with spacing and timing. With the quickness and athleticism they have they can put a lot of pressure on you."
Those similarities stretch off the court and into program-building measures as well. Hoyt is still a young coach and admitted to learning from Johnston and the Jacks in how to develop the Cowgirls into a program with staying power.
"I think they're really great at just knowing what works for them and sticking to it," Hoyt said of the Jacks. "That's something that I am learning. From last year to this year, we've grown so much as a staff at just understanding what works, not just for us as a staff, but what fits at Oklahoma State. We're not for everyone, and we're okay with that. Everyone is not for us.
I think that (the Jackrabbits) just do a really good job of that," Hoyt continued. "They get the right type of kids that fit for them, and they do a good job of keeping them there. I would say that's definitely a program that I look up to in terms of that and what to model myself, and I think that we're on a really amazing path to do that right now."
Last year's run to the NCAA tournament was marked by the injuries South Dakota State had to overcome to get there. Notably, sharpshooter Haleigh Timmer and forward Kallie Theisen missed the season with injuries, while Madysen Vlastuin went down with one late in the regular season. Those three came back strong this year, but having to watch last year's first-round loss to Utah from the bench has them approaching this year's tournament with a greater sense of appreciation.
"It definitely puts everything in perspective," Timmer said. "I'm super grateful to be back in this position where I can play in this tournament. Obviously we still went last year and that was a cool experience, but I'm very excited to be back. Not every team gets to be in this tournament so it's very exciting."
Added Theisen: "It's unbelievable, and what makes it unbelievable is the people I get to do it with. I wanted to come back this year because of my teammates and coaches and Jackrabbit Nation. To do it all with them makes it all worth it."
Johnston said freshman guard Katie Vasecka should be good to go on Saturday. The former Tea Area standout missed the last two games of the regular season and the entire Summit League tournament with a foot injury, but the time off apparently gave her enough rest to return for the NCAA tournament.
Vasecka averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds as the Jacks' top reserve off the bench. She's shooting a team-high .430 from beyond the 3-point arc.
"She's been good," Johnston said. "She's been practicing and we expect she'll be available and ready to play her normal role and normal minutes going forward.
If the Jackrabbits beat Oklahoma State and UConn beats Arkansas State, the matchup between SDSU and the Huskies would pit Johnston against Auriemma. They are the two longest-tenured coaches with the same team in women's basketball.
"The two of us are relics," Auriemma quipped. "There certainly aren't a lot of us left, right? I guess we missed the note on the portal. We have to find out if there's a portal for coaches."
The Huskies own the longest winning streak in NCAA history at 111 games. They've had several other very long ones. Auriemma said he thinks some of those streaks went on as long as they did because it reached a point where opponents had no belief they could win against them. But he doesn't see that in the other three teams here for the weekend.
"When we had all those long winning streaks, I think there was this perception that when we play teams that, well, nobody else can beat UConn, what makes you think we can," Auriemma said. "The overwhelming feeling is, well, nobody else can beat them, so we have no chance. That wasn't necessarily true, but it helped us win. I don't think that exists anymore. People see us lose now. So because they see us lose, they go, well, hell, it ain't like they're invincible. And it's true."
"The fact that perception has changed is good because you don't ever want teams that you're playing to feel like I don't have a chance to win so why even bother," he added. "You want everybody you play to feel like we're here to beat UConn's ass, which is really good. Now, having said that, I hope this weekend these guys are scared to death, but I don't think they will be. I don't think they will be."
Continue reading...
