New Mexico: the Land of Enchantment. That’s where the Kentucky women’s basketball team will find itself in the first two rounds of play in the NCAA Tournament. The Cats were tabbed a four seed in this year’s bracket of 64, scheduled to face 13th-seeded Hampton on Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., in the Spokane Region. It’s UK’s eighth NCAA Tournament appearance overall and second straight invitation. The at-large berth is the first time Kentucky has made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons since 1982-83.”I’ve always wanted to go to Albuquerque, so now complements of the NCAA I’m going to be able to go,” Mitchell said. “I hear it’s beautiful in Albuquerque this time of the year.”If anyone was upset with Kentucky’s cross-country draw this season, Mitchell made sure to point out the positives.In a speech he delivered to his team at a Selection Show party at his house, Mitchell pointed out the advantages of going to the West, chiefly the opportunity to draw a four seed and stay out of a team’s local region, such as Maryland in College Park, Md. “As far as the NCAA considers you, you’re one of the top 16 teams in the country,” Mitchell said to reporters. “That’s a tremendous accomplishment for this particular team. As it relates to our program, it’s great to go back to back for the first time in a long time, but I’m more excited for this team because this team had to overcome so much. We’ve had so many obstacles we’ve had to clear and so many times of adversity where we’ve had to bounce back, and they’ve done that every time. To land inside the top 16 is a tremendous accomplishment for this particular group of players.”The main obstacle facing Kentucky entering the season was the loss of starting point guard Amber Smith. After guiding the Cats to the Elite Eight a season ago, Smith tore her anterior cruciate ligament over the summer. The team held out hope that she could return by season’s end, but Smith recently decided to redshirt this year and return for next season.Even if she would have come back, the Cats weren’t guaranteed to even make the postseason. Although 2010 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap was back for her senior year, six newcomers made up the roster. Kentucky navigated through some bumps along the way, but the Cats still managed to finish with a 24-8 record and a second-place finish in the SEC. Making it back to NCAA Tournament, a place where the school has been unable to secure frequent visits, was a big step forward for the program.”They can’t say last year was a fluke,” sophomore guard A’dia Mathies said. “We came back this year and played very well. We had a decent season and we’re looking to take it even farther.”UK’s draw is potentially treacherous. On the way to the Final Four, Kentucky could play traditional power North Carolina, No. 1 seed Stanford, and No. 2 seed Xavier or archrival Louisville. But if last year’s Elite Eight run proved anything, it’s that UK is a team to fear as well because of its aggressive, full-court-pressure defense.”I still think that will be key in the tournament, trying to play as close to our identity as we can,” Mitchell said.Mitchell spoke at length before the SEC Tournament about his team’s advantage in style of play. The ability to wear down opponents paid off in the SEC Tournament as the Cats advanced to the championship game for the second straight year.The opposition in NCAA Tournament will have the luxury of an extra day of preparation, but there’s no mimicking Kentucky’s defensive pressure, especially in the high altitude of New Mexico, where conditioning could play a major role.”If our players will play hard and do what they’re capable of, I really think our team is really built for tournament play,” Mitchell said. “It’s tough to prepare for, especially if you can get through one game and you have a team that has one day to prepare for you. It’s a good style of play for a tournament. It’s very hard to play and very hard to get yourself where you can legitimately play pressure basketball defensively.”Unlike the SEC Tournament, there’s unfamiliarity with Kentucky. While UK’s league foes are used to the in-your-face style of play that the Cats like to employ, most teams around the country haven’t seen it or experienced it. That was evident last year when the Cats knocked off a strong Michigan State team and No. 1 seed Nebraska.In that same thread, last year’s run could also be a curse.  While the Elite Eight trek provided a ton of experience and confidence, there will be some people who expect Kentucky to do it again even though the pieces are different. That can create pressure.”It’s not the same team,” Mathies said. “It’s a whole different team, different players.”Asked if he could take any positives out of last season’s run and apply it to this year’s team, Mitchell chose only to look at this year’s objective – enjoying the Land of Enchantment and moving on to Spokane, Wash.”The experience helps you and I’m certain that some of the veteran players can gain some positive feelings from any experiences they had or any positive things that happened for them, but I thinks it’s probably a little bit overrated,” Mitchell said. “I think you need to focus on getting this team ready and this team has to do certain things. What we did last year won’t help us a whole lot.”