TCU - 79, Virginia - 69
THE MODERATOR: We're joined by TCU head coach Mark Campbell and student-athletes Olivia Miles, Clara Silva and Marta Suarez.
MARK CAMPBELL: Man, what an incredible game. I want to give a lot of credit to Virginia on their March Madness run. What they accomplished over the last couple of games is what March is all about. And they're a team that's playing their best basketball. And it took 40 minutes to get that win. Coach is just doing an amazing job. I want to first give them credit.
Second, our group, what a second half. Down 1 at half. And I think we settled into a rhythm. I think one of the greatest attributes of our team is that we have a bunch of just veterans.
And the third quarter has been great to us all year. The players come out. They settle in. They understand the scout. They know who they're guarding. I'm telling you, every third quarter this group comes out and hoops. That was the separator.
I wish we would have finished up the game just a little cleaner with taking care of the ball. But any win in March is special. To get to an Elite Eight is incredibly hard. To do it back-to-back years, with what we inherited and only three years into our journey, is just really experiential.
Q. Olivia, you've talked a lot about how coming here was the right decision for you. First Elite Eight of your career. Is that even further confirmation that this was the right place for you to be?
OLIVIA MILES: Yes, finally out of the Sweet 16, I'm so happy about that. But no, that's just another bonus as to what I wanted to do here.
Ultimately I wanted to find my joy back, and that is very broad and can happen in a lot of different ways. But I feel the people around me have helped me to love basketball again and compete at a high level and hold people accountable and challenge people and be vulnerable with people that I know love me, support me and care for me.
These girls have been able to do that. And in turn it's helped me with my own confidence, so that's all I could ask for.
Q. Marta, you seem to have a good match-up going for you today. I'm wondering what you saw from the defense that allowed you to be so successful. And Olivia, what was that thing you were doing?
OLIVIA MILES: I don't know. That's it.
MARTA SUAREZ: What I saw -- I mean, I don't know, I was just hoopin', it was going in, I kept shooting to be honest.
But I think that's my ability as a player, I think that's what I take pride on, my ability to recognize the match-up and know that I can back somebody down. But I can also play from a triple threat and space the court with my 3-point shooting.
So I just came out and came out in a good rhythm and this team has a lot of great tools. And so just came down to that, so very grateful.
Q. Olivia, can you expound on the third quarter being good to this team? And what does it mean going into the half down a bit, maybe not playing as well as you hope, but then having confidence in the third quarter coming out of the half?
OLIVIA MILES: Yeah, it definitely gives us an extra edge. But I think our team, it's been all year, I think we just get a little too excited at the start. We have a lot of young pieces and people who are new. Obviously 10 new players. So still gaining that chemistry game by game.
But it just takes us a quarter or a half to settle in, take their punches and realize what they're doing to us. Like we've proven all year, we can settle down, be mature, be poised and find our rhythm offensively and defensively.
Q. Clara, what do you think allows you to become more involved in the offense in the second half especially coming out with that run right out of halftime in the third quarter?
MARTA SUAREZ: I think just having such a complete team, they can't guard us all and someone is going to be open. We have Olivia Miles as a point guard, so people have to double her, and just being ready to get the ball if you're open.
Q. Olivia, can you just take me through your mindset as you come off of ball screens because every time you come off a ball screen you see something different and you have something different occur whether you're going to score whether you're going to shoot it whether you're going to make a pass. You see things so well and I was just curious as you come off what you see every time and obviously it's going to be different team to team. But just what your process is as you come off one?
OLIVIA MILES: I think the first thing I repeat to myself is just patience and poise coming off the ball screen. And then I'm patient and poised coming off the ball screen and then I'm reading the back defender, even behind Silva's defender. So I'm reading the back-line help and if they stay I get to go and make a play or pass to Sylvia.
If Silva's man stays with her to get a shoot layup. I simplify it.
But ultimately I'm just looking at windows, each window that I can get through, the timing of it, the anticipation of it. Obviously sometimes I'm going to turn it over if I misread it. But I'm really looking to the defense, how they're moving and how they've been playing. It's hard to explain. It's just kind of a feel to be honest.
Q. Clara, we've heard the word "confidence" a lot. You had the big block at the first half and then you got fed for those two quick layups in the beginning of the third quarter. How much does that kind of sequence play into how you played in that second half?
MARTA SUAREZ: I think it's just about the people that I have around me. The coaching staff believes in me and my teammates believe in me, so I have to believe in myself.
And I just have great people around me. So it's a great opportunity for me, so I'm really grateful to be part of this.
Q. You mentioned how excited you are to be in your first Sweet Sixteen. Career high for you. What are the emotions you're feeling right now that you're going to the Elite Eight for the first time?
MARTA SUAREZ: Obviously the first time, very grateful, very blessed. I'm also at the same time I'm, like, okay next game. It's a pretty quick turnaround. I'm excited we got the win. I'm kind of ready to get going, to be honest.
Q. Olivia, you had some exchanges with Virginia fans throughout the game. Do those exchanges fire you up? How were you able to feed off the crowd?
OLIVIA MILES: I think they were telling me that I can't go left and I can't make a left-handed layup. It just makes me laugh because ultimately, like, we're the ones out there playing and if roles were reversed I don't know if they could take my place and do what I'm doing out there. It just makes me laugh.
I love banter like that. It gets me going. It's part of the game. Fans are passionate. They want to win. I love making them upset at the end of the day.
Q. You guys really dominated in the paint, from Marta, you getting to your spots; Olivia, you getting to the basket at will, especially when fans talking about you can't go left, can't do this, can't do that. And Clara yourself down low. At what point did you guys see the mismatch down low or see that you can get to your spots, whether you're driving going downhill or whether it's off the pick-and-roll? At what point were you able to find those mismatches and find those holes and exploit them?
MARTA SUAREZ: I think pretty early on we had great runs. There were some moments, some ups and downs. That's basketball. That was the game.
But I think we were very clear with that. We also had a great scout that we understood what their game was, what their playing was, so we knew where to punch.
But also at the end of the day we trust in our game and in our team, so it always comes down to just being the best version of ourselves.
Q. It was really neck and neck through the first two quarters. I want to say it was about a minute left that the common foul was upgraded to a flag grant foul. Obviously coming out of the second half you guys went on an 11-0 run. I'm just wondering was there anything that was said at that point in the game when that flagrant foul happened and then going into the half that sparked that run?
MARTA SUAREZ: Not necessarily. The same thing my answer is pretty much the same. We understand who we are. It's kind of like, it always comes down to us. We never put it on what are they doing, what did they call, what happened. We show up as the best version of ourselves we can beat anybody. That's our responsibility.
Q. Olivia, we saw the no-look passes, the behind-the-back passes. You've talked about playing so freely in this system. Where does your showmanship come from?
OLIVIA MILES: I think just being around coaches growing up who have allowed me to be me and be creative and try things. And luckily, I said this before, but luckily I haven't run into a coach that's, like, girls can't do one-handed layups or girls can't make one-arm passes.
And I've heard that and I've heard players that have had to put themselves in a box because they're not able to be creative.
Thank goodness I was around people who always inspired me to try new things. And my coaches have always been if I see you do it in a practice go ahead and do it in a game.
It's translated and because I've practiced it so much it's like second nature at this point and I'm so confident when I do it. And he allows me to do it as well -- sometimes, very sparsely, but most of the time.
Q. Olivia, everyone loves to talk about the offense and what you guys did offensively, but defensively Donovyn Hunter had a one-on-one assignment with Kymora Johnson who's as good a guard as there is playing right now. Can you talk about that effort and just the unselfishness to take on that assignment for 40 minutes?
OLIVIA MILES: Just incredible. I've said it all season. Dono is such a hidden gem. She does everything for our team defensively and contributes where she can offensively as well.
So she's just amazing. You know, Virginia runs a lot of screen-the-screener, chasing, staggers. She's getting hit left and right. She's staying down on pump fakes, stuff that I don't want to do and the rest of our team does not want to do.
But she just is incredible and so strong minded and so selfless that she's, like, guys I got you. And we're all, like, what do you need from us on defense? And she tells us, like, I need you to talk more. I need you to be in help.
So we just feed off of her. And I have the utmost confidence in her that she's going to stop anyone that's kind of coming at her. So I'm just so proud of her.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach.
Q. You're a fan of the game. Do you sometimes catch yourself marvelling at what these girls can do, especially Olivia and her creativity? And also, a second part, this is exactly what you signed up for -- to get here and building this team. Can you just also talk about your excitement on this team rising?
MARK CAMPBELL: Olivia, there's maybe five women on the planet that can do what she does, men or women.
Her basketball vision, her IQ, her understanding of the game is magical. It's a gift that she has.
It's been really fun as a coach to try to figure out how to put her in position and space the court, to give her the freedom to go do what she does. That's been just really special.
Then Marta is a unicorn in her own way. She's a rare stretch 4 that's powerful and strong that can post, and then she has guard skills that can shoot 3s.
So it's been really fun trying to figure out how to create a two-man game with those two players. They're both going to have really long pro careers. They're two of the best players in the country.
And what they're doing, you guys, when you zoom out, to do it in seven months, eight months where you're a new system with new coaches, with new teammates and a new city, and to do this and have it all come together, it's incredible. They're amazing teammates on top of all their basketball skills.
Second, this is what you sign up for when you're at the Power Four level is to try to put together a roster that's talented enough to win at the highest level and try to do it with people that you just enjoy being around.
This stuff's hard. And so I think our staff's just been very intentional with identifying both the basketball piece and the human element.
It's been a magical journey this season with this group. And I'm just thankful I get another 40 minutes to go to battle with them.
Q. Olivia just talked about the impact of Dono. How much did her defense, especially after the first quarter kind of change the game for you guys?
MARK CAMPBELL: That's what Dono's done for the two years she's been with us. I think she's one of the best defenders in the country. Like Liv says, as you put a puzzle together and you build the team, Dono complements Liv and Liv complements Dono.
And as you assemble a roster and you put it together, Dono's role is every bit as important as Liv's. And what's special is the team understands that.
But Dono's played against the other team's best player every single night. She takes that assignment. She does it willingly.
She's the backbone of our team. And Donovyn Hunter is the backbone of our program.
Q. What does it mean to you to hear Olivia talking about falling in love with the sport again and just developing, evolving at TCU?
MARK CAMPBELL: I think it's really hard in today's landscape of college athletics because of the portal, because of NIL and all the variables. We try really hard to create an environment where young people can blossom and flourish and enjoy the game of basketball.
And I think we're doing that as well as anybody. We try to be very intentional with that. Because all of us -- it's a hard industry right now at this time in this landscape. It's tricky for coaches to navigate. And these are 18 to 22-year-old kids that have a lot of pressure on them. So the last thing I want to do is add to that.
So I think between last year's group and this year's group, I think there's been a common theme of our players that have just gotten their love back.
We've built our program literally all through the portal, for you guys that haven't followed us. I think we've had 18 portal players, six each year. And our program's come a long ways. There's a lot of negative you hear about the portal. I think there's a lot of positive too.
There's really good kids in there. And so it's great to win at a high level, but if you can enjoy the journey and win at a high level, then it's really special.
Q. A lot of times when teams play in the NCAA Tournament and they lose a game and they're not seniors it fuels them for the next season. You have so many new players that (indiscernible) from last year's Elite Eight loss, but you were there. What did you learn from that loss that may help you on Monday?
MARK CAMPBELL: Yeah, you learn a lot. You're 40 minutes away from a Final Four. There's a healthy amount of pressure that comes with that. Getting to an Elite Eight, there's coaches that have coached a really long time that are really good that don't get the opportunity.
And so that first one, it's a blur. And the media obligations and everything that comes with being in the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight. So I'm much more prepared in leading our team and understanding and navigating the next 48 hours.
Then your margin for error, once you get to an Elite Eight, the teams that you're going to face are just incredible. We have done a better job as a staff getting ahead of that scout and getting a game plan dialed in.
So there's been a lot of wisdom and nuggets. But like you mentioned, we're doing it with 10 new players. For them it's new. I know I'm more prepared. Hopefully that helps translate.
Q. Olivia and Marta accounted for 61 of your 79 points tonight.
MARK CAMPBELL: Yeah.
Q. Against South Carolina, do you need more offensive balance than that?
MARK CAMPBELL: Well, yes, ideally. They're really good. So, yes, even tonight it's not like our game plan is Marta and Liv, go score for us.
I think one of the things that's made us hard to guard is we do have a wide range of weapons. Taylor Bigby and Silva have been on a tear during March Madness and playing their best basketball. So it's kind of one of those pick your poison.
But our actions and what we run and how we built this team is to have Liv and Marta put a lot of pressure on teams. They get a high usage rate because of their unique skill sets.
But to answer the question, we need everybody. In order to beat South Carolina, we've got to play the best game we've played this season. We're capable of doing it.
As we've built this team, we're an old, veteran team. So they're going to be ready. They're going to be excited. And hopefully we can put together an awesome 40 minutes against these guys.
Q. Welcome back to Sacramento. But how does it feel to get a tournament win and obviously advancing to the Elite Eight in a city where you took a program and turned them around?
MARK CAMPBELL: This week for me and my family has been awesome. It's been really special. I started my head coaching here at Sac State. I'm forever thankful for Mark Orr. I don't know if he's here. But he's the athletic director that took a chance and allowed me to become a head coach and to figure out how to build the program. And so there's been a lot of fun things seeing all the faces that were a part of Sac State when we were here.
I mean, on the dang court, there's a Sac State logo, which was really, really special. During the starting lineup, I was literally standing on it on accident. I looked down and saw it. It's been neat. I owe a lot of my success and a huge part of my career to my time at Sac State. So to advance and to do it here -- obviously, I'll say this, I do wish we were in Fort Worth. We tried hard to land there, but we didn't quite get there. But this has been an amazing consolation, and in some ways even more special.
Q. How long do you take to enjoy this? Do you just go right back to the locker room and get ready for South Carolina?
MARK CAMPBELL: 100 percent. You've got to turn the page as soon as I walk off the stage and dive into the scout. We'll do film tonight. Kids will get their treatment and massages and ice baths and all that.
Again, that's learning from last year of staying locked in and turning the page. You really don't get a chance to celebrate. You've got 48 hours to get your team right and get a game plan installed and try to have a chance of winning the next one.
Q. Who had the scout tonight?
MARK CAMPBELL: First of all, Nia Jackson is on the next one, but Minyon Moore did a tremendous job with this scout and was locked in. They're a hard team to scout. They have one of the best playmakers in college basketball. And then their actions, they run so many sets and they execute and they're physical and they have posts and they have shooters. So we had a hard time guarding them. I mean, they still shot 41 percent from the field, 44 percent from 3. But we got enough stops to get it done tonight. So, yeah, Coach Moore did a tremendous job.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports