KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick and sophomore Evina Westbrook met with members of the media prior to practice on Thursday in Thompson-Boling Arena. No. 11 seed UT (19-12, 7-9 SEC) is preparing to play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in College Park, Md., where it will face sixth-seeded UCLA (20-12, 12-6 Pac-12) at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at the XFINITY Center.
Answering questions from the media, Warlick discussed how she found out the team had made the tournament and talked about the upcoming match-up with the Bruins.
The Tennessee-UCLA game will be televised by ESPN2, and the Lady Vol Network will have the radio broadcast.
Sophomore Guard Evina Westbrook
On waiting to see if the team made it into the tournament:
“It was definitely a little bit nerve wracking, I think, for the whole team and the whole program. This would’ve been the first year that we wouldn’t have been able to make the tournament, so it meant a lot to us and our team just being able to go out there and prove ourselves.”
On if making the tournament seemed to revive the team:
“Most definitely. Just to get the opportunity to play in the tournament means a lot to us as a team, so we really realized that coming in.”
On how Monday went with the bracket being released early:
“We kind of found out about it through practice. It was kind of going around. Then after practice, coaches had told us that the bracket had been leaked and we made the tournament. We were just really excited about it, but we wanted to see our actual name pop up. So we still had our little show down here (watched in the locker room) and to see our name come up was special for us.”
On what it was like seeing the team’s name pop up:
“It was amazing. I think some teams take it for granted because you get in every year, especially a team like Tennessee. But to kind of be on the bubble this year, it is a great opportunity to prove ourselves.”
On what the team needs to do to gain consistency throughout games:
“I think just come out and give your all. Any game can be your last at this point. The tournament is harder for our younger players to understand that, but they are mature enough to know to go out there and give it all they’ve got.”
On what she knows about UCLA:
“They kind of play like how we do. They run in transition. Their posts are really, really active down there. We just have to come out and take it to them.”
On what she has learned in her leadership role and how much of a challenge it has been:
“I just think I know for myself that as I go, the team goes. My team has to feed off of that energy every single game and practice because my team needs that from me.”
On if there are things she has learned from her teammates that she can go forward with:
“Most definitely. I know how every individual needs to be talked to. Some people need eye contact. Some people need encouragement or need me to get on them. It’s really just knowing your players and as a point guard that is my job to know.”
On if there is a different approach with needing a win or the season is done:
“I think so. But at the same time we should’ve had that same mentality from the beginning of the season. We don’t need to be losing to any team. But definitely now that it is tournament time and crunch time, it is win or go home.”
On if there is a game with a lot turnovers if she takes that blame:
“I really take responsibility for my own turnovers. But most importantly, if the team is having a lot of turnovers, that just says a lot about our offense which, obviously, I am running that. But I think taking into consideration just to be aware of our offense and defense the whole time.”
On if impatience leads to more turnovers:
“I think most definitely. We are just trying to get the homerun pass a lot. I think just playing at our speed and just playing calm.”
On what gives them confidence in this tournament:
“We just know that we can play. The beginning of the season was great for us. We know each other and we know our capabilities. So just getting back to playing like that.”
On what it will take to win a game against UCLA:
“I think getting up in the press and maybe some zone; switching it up on them. Our defense will be huge in this game. We have played teams that play like us as well. So just our defense will be big for us.”
On what she learned from the NCAA tournament from last year:
“It is really do or die. Once you lose, it was kind of a shock that the season is over. I don’t really want that feeling again.”
On if there were games that she felt like the team wasn’t playing together as well as they should:
“I think so, but I think that can happen with any team. At this point, you can’t have that in the tournament.”
On how to prevent having 20+ turnovers:
“Just taking care of the ball and handling the pressure is what it comes down to.”
Head Coach Holly Warlick
On what it was like on Monday with the bracket leaking early:
“We were just practicing and it leaked. And I said, ‘Are you guys sure?’ Because first of all, UConn was ranked No. 2, and that is just not right. That is why I thought it was false, not because we got in. But it was actually awesome and exciting. We got to talk about it after practice. We didn’t have to wait until 7:00 (p.m.).”
On if she was relieved about being in:
“Sure. I thought we had a great opportunity to get in. But getting the 100 percent knowing is always better.”
On how the team was feeling:
“They were excited. They have worked hard.”
On why she thinks they belong in the tournament:
“We have beaten some good teams. We have played with some good teams. I think the question was that we had a couple bad losses. But some of the losses were about one and two (points). I thought we finished the season strong.”
On the consistency they were lacking during the season:
“It is hard. It is really hard. When you are in practice and see what they can do, how good they can be, and it fades in and out. It is really difficult. We just have to have a little bit more consistency in their leadership, but we are young. We have to continue to grow, and these kids are young, but they are mature now because they have been playing this whole year. They have had to grow up in a hurry.”
On if it has been lack of focus or effort:
“I think it is focus. That in turn makes our effort not always there. Kind of like the uncertainty of what to expect or how we need to play. That kind of trickles to our effort and energy.”
On if UCLA is a team with a lot of effort and if the team will have to match it:
“Yes. To me, they are an SEC team. They are athletic and physical. They play hard and rebound the basketball. They are ranked ahead of us in offensive rebounding. Who is going to keep each other off the boards and get the rebounds? This is going to be an effort game.”
On what is the difference between how UCLA is playing now compared to earlier in the season:
“They are playing with a lot more confidence. They have shortened their package of what they are doing. Their point guard has gotten a lot better. They just play hard. The more I watch them, I understand the harder they play and the more effort they give. They beat teams. They are not necessarily the tallest, but they use their athleticism and get up and down. They are going to try and shoot four shots to your one.”
On what the common denominator is when the team has fewer turnovers:
“I think it is patience and us trying to make things happen in a short amount of time. If we move the ball from side to side and value the basketball, we are a really good basketball team. But when you see our turnovers go up, we will throw the ball away in a transition, which we shouldn’t throw. We try to create a pass that isn’t there. When we take care of the basketball, we are a very good basketball team.”
On if there is a benchmark number of turnovers for the team:
“I think eight or nine. Really, under 10 for us is great. If we can do that, we have done an unbelievable job.”
On what can be minimized to avoid having a bad quarter:
“We have done a great job with this time off on focusing in on practice and turnovers. What we need to do (is) move the basketball, not having to score in the first five seconds, unless it is a layup. We have really tried to identify what is a good shot or a bad shot, which will help us.”
On if the team is doing well on offense does it carry over on defense:
“That is part of it. But to me, when our defensive effort is up and we are running the basketball, that gives us energy. But you take it a step further and you run in transition, you have to capitalize on the turnovers that you created. In the games we have lost, we have created turnovers and then thrown the ball away. Our defense gets us energized. But we have to make sure we capitalize and take advantage of that turnover that we just created.”
On what the message is to the young players with the NCAA tournament:
“It’s a new season. We are 0-0 and what we are doing now is the most important thing. You have to learn from the past and learn from our mistakes. If there are negative thoughts, you have to let it go. You have to stay in the moment and practice is the most important thing. We are focusing on one team right now and that is UCLA.”
On how important Evina Westbrook is:
“She is one of our keys. She always has been. Evina is very capable of controlling and running our basketball team. And when she is scoring, she is outstanding. But more importantl than her offensive output is just getting kids where they need to be and the knowledge of the game and great passes. And just making sure our players have that confidence that they need.”
On if Evina Westbrook can do anything to help lower the number of turnovers:
“It is not just her doing it, so I can’t put it all on her. But just making sure we are in the offense we want to be in and trust our prep and the coaches.”
On if their seeding speaks to the parity of women’s basketball compared to other years:
“Absolutely. So many people have said that it is an open year. We don’t know who is going to win, which is unusual for women’s basketball. Usually you can say two teams are going down to the wire, and this year it is wide open. It is parity. Kids are starting early. They are getting coached more and playing more. There are better coaches at the college level. There is strength training now and nutrition. There is so much involved that has taken our game to the next level.”
On if she remembers playing against UCLA as a player:
“I do remember. We were ranked No. 1. We were going to play UCLA. We got beat by Maryland. We played UCLA, and we played in the Final Four in Greensboro I believe. We beat them. Let’s hope that carries over to Saturday.”
UT Athletics
