(Saturday)
LEXINGTON, Ky. ? For the sixth time in school history and the first time since 1999, Kentucky will be participating in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats earned their first bid in seven years with a No. 5 seed, their highest since their 1983 trip to the NCAA Tournament as No. 3 seed. The Wildcats will square off with 12th-seeded Chattanooga at 2 p.m. EST Saturday in the tournament?s first round. The game will be aired live on ESPN2 and carried on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with Neil Price.
The Wildcats (21-8) are appearing in their sixth NCAA Tournament in school history and own a 3-5 record all-time in NCAA play. The Lady Mocs (27-3), the regular season and tournament champions of the Southern Conference, own the nation?s longest winning streak at 26 games.
?We are really excited to be playing Chattanooga,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?Getting to the tournament is something really special for us. I like our draw. It?s a team that we are familiar with in Chattanooga. I have the utmost respect for [Chattanooga head coach] Wes Moore and what he has done with that Chattanooga program. They?ve got the longest winning streak in the country at 26 games, so we will certainly have a challenge, but I am excited for the challenge. I told the players that you can either be playing in March or watching, and I?d much rather be playing than watching.?
In the last three games, sophomore center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) is averaging a team-high 16.7 points per game. Junior guard Jenny Pfeiffer (North Vernon, Ind.), who shot 50.0 percent from the floor, including an impressive 52.9 from beyond the arc during that three-game span, followed with 13.3 ppg. Sophomore guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) averaged 12.7 ppg.
On the boards, Kentucky is paced by 6-3 senior Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis), who averages 8.8 rebounds per game (fourth in the SEC). Sophomore forward/center Eleia Roddy (Columbus, Ohio) is second on the team with 6.7 rpg.
This is the second consecutive year UK meets Chattanooga in the postseason as the two met in the Women’s NIT last season. The Wildcats won that meeting – the first between the two schools in 24 years – 91-54 at Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky is 5-0 all time against the Lady Mocs.
This is Chattanooga?s seventh consecutive postseason appearance and seventh time in the NCAA Tournament. The last time the Lady Mocs were in the NCAA Tournament was 2004. UTC defeated Rutgers in the opening round played at the McKenzie Arena. Chattanooga has a 1-6 all-time record in the NCAA tournament.
Four Chattanooga players are averaging in double digits for the Lady Mocs. Senior Tiffani Roberson is the team leading scorer with 13.9 ppg, followed by classmate Katasha Brown with 13.3. Roberson and Brown have each scored more than 400 points this season and both are ranked in the top 10 in scoring at UTC for the Lady Mocs.
Kentucky Head Coach Mickie DeMoss
?We are really excited. I am glad that it?s getting closer to game time ? we are ready to play. It?s been a while, and I know that the players are probably even more ready than I am to play. Getting to the tournament is something really special for us. I like our draw. It is a situation where every team in the tournament is good or they wouldn?t be in the tournament. It?s a team that we are familiar with in Chattanooga. I have the utmost respect for [Chattanooga head coach] Wes Moore and what he has done with that Chattanooga program. They?ve got the longest winning streak in the country at 26 games, so we will certainly have a challenge, but I am excited for the challenge. I told the players that you can either be playing in March or watching, and I?d much rather be playing than watching.?
On whether she expected to get to the NCAA Tournament in her third year at UK?
?I didn?t have an exact time-frame. You have to take it one year at a time. I think the one thing that really boosted our confidence was the WNIT run last year. I think that kind of propelled us a little bit, and gave these young players some confidence. They got a taste of what the postseason is like and it has really built on that.?
On the importance of rebounding vs. Chattanooga?
?It has been a big part of both our offensive and defensive package all year. Our size has been really good to us. We are going to have to take advantage of it. I know that [Wes Moore] has probably tried to figure out how to counter that size. He is a smart coach. They?ll try to negate that size factor and get us in foul trouble. Their post people are really good off the dribble, so I would anticipate that they will pull us out away from the basket. The size is an advantage, but we?ve got to make sure we utilize it as an advantage.?
On how rebounding has helped the team this season?
?It?s been huge for us this season. To see it actually in a game situation ? in the Mississippi State game ? we needed to go down the floor and get a defensive stop and a board. Really the game boiled down to that, and we did it. I can remember the first two years, just hoping that we would do it. In that game, I had that confidence that if the ball came off the rim, we had a great chance of getting that rebound.?
On how the players have responded in practice?
?There have been some days that I have had to inspire a little bit, but it?s understandable. I was kind of anticipating that because of the long break that we had. Now, I am starting to see that focus that I saw during the year. Yesterday, we were a little bit better. We got up and down and scrimmaged a little bit yesterday, but we started losing our focus after an hour-and-a-half. Today when we came out, I saw them coming in with that focus and I thought ?Well, the game is getting closer.? We?re still such a young team and I?ve got to keep that in mind.?
On whether or not she is worried about taking a young team to the NCAA Tournament?
?I think that they are going to be okay. I have been more worried about our focus and how to handle this lay-off. The reason why I?m not as worried about it is because we have been so good on the road. We?ve proven ourselves on the road. I look at this like another road trip. I know it is certainly more than that, but it is a road trip and we are playing on a neutral floor ? it?s not like we are playing someone on their home floor ? so, I?ve developed some confidence in this team.?
On developing leadership for the NCAA Tournament?
?We talked to some of the upperclassmen after practice yesterday and told them that they needed to make sure that everybody was ready to go ? ready to practice and compete. Sometimes you do have to turn to the players to help you with that. We asked some of the older players to keep an eye on everybody and make sure everybody is ready to play and get re-focused.?
On what Chattanooga?s biggest weapon is?
?I just think that they have a well-balanced team. They?ve got a solid four/five player [Tiffani] Roberson, who leads them in scoring. She?s just a solid post. She?s a senior who plays very savvy around the block. She?s not real big, she?s a lefty who can face up and play with her back to the basket. She?s just a really gritty player. They?ve got good three-point shooting as well, so you?ve got to guard them inside and then you?ve got to cover their three-point shooter. They?ve got well-balanced scoring with four players in double figures. Their defense is really solid. They get after you on the defensive end. They get out in those passing lanes. They make you make plays. They are not going to leave you unguarded.?
On Chattanooga?s game plan last season of slacking off defensively on UK guard Chante? Bowman?
?I think last year, Chante? was playing at the four for us and most of her looks came from around the free-throw line area. Now that we?ve moved her to the three, it?s changed her shooting angle a little bit. She?s now getting shots on the wing and the baseline. Her shots haven?t fallen like she wishes they would have. She is probably one of the hardest working players on our team. She?s in the gym shooting all the time. We?ve talked about it. I keep thinking that any game, her shots are going to start falling for us because she works so hard on it. [Chattanooga] may come in here and do the same thing with her. She has been shooting the ball well in practice the last few days, so if they sag off of her, hopefully she will make them pay again.?
#00 Carly Ormerod
On the team?s practices this week?
?I?d have to say that the practices have been a lot better this week. Last week was a tough week. Coach didn?t want us to lose anything that we had gained all season.?
On whether she envisioned going to the NCAA Tournament her freshman season?
?In a way – it was our goal to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The whole year we have been pushing for this and our team did a good job of accomplishing that goal. We?re not going to stop here.?
#4 Sarah Elliott
On UK?s size advantage against Chattanooga?
?We could definitely take advantage of it. That would be a key for our high-low or to look inside. We still can?t overlook the fact that they are smaller than us, because you should never overlook anyone no matter what.?
On the difference between this year?s team and last year?s team?
?We have really worked hard this year. You can look out on the floor and see us having more fun and I think the chemistry is better. So many more things are clicking this year. We just really compete this year and a lot of good things have come out of it this year.?
On Coach Mickie DeMoss? previous NCAA Tournament experience?
?Coach DeMoss has all the experience in the NCAA Tournament. The only thing we can do is listen to her and do what she tells us to do because Coach DeMoss has been there and she knows different scenerios.
#11 Samantha Mahoney
On the team?s goals?
?I think that at the end of last year ? making that run in the WNIT ? we set this goal to make it to the NCAA Tournament this year. Now that that is a reality, we need to make a big run and a statement in that tournament for our years to come.?
