Q. So Maryland in their last game, they hit nine three-pointers, and I just wanted to ask you when it comes to trying to shut them down from range, do you think being a great three-point shooter yourself helps when trying to shut down perimeter shooters?
AALIYAH NYE: I wouldn't say necessarily. I think we just need to make sure that we have high hands when we close out on them, and just play them straight up and just don't let them get wide open threes.
Q. On the three-point shooting, you're shooting 45 percent, what makes you and the team so effective from deep?
AALIYAH NYE: I would say obviously working on my shot and secondly, I would say my coaches and teammates putting me in positions to get those shots. I feel like my coaches have put me in a great position just with the plays we run to get those shots, and then obviously my teammates giving me the ball is helpful, so yeah.
Q. Do you think that heading into this game, obviously a lot of Maryland fans are going to be here. How have you felt about your guys communication especially going on the road in the SEC in some of the greatest environments?
ZAAY GREEN: I feel pretty good about our communication, and I know we try to put an emphasis on that during practice. Got to talk and let people know, especially on the screens and stuff. I'm pretty well content on that part.
Q. I'm not going to ask you guys an ice cream we this time. Everybody is talking about March Madness but it is also Athletic Training Month. Talk about Alisha and what she means to the team.
SARAH ASHLEE BARKER: She's our athletic trainer. She means everything to us. I went down with an injury at the beginning of the SEC Conference play, and everything she did every single day just being the best athletic trainer I could ever ask for. She did exactly what she needed to do and she got me back way quicker than we even expected, and that's just because of how great she is and what she does.
It's not even how good she is at her job but it's how good she is as a person, too. She's there for us when we need her.
And she's always got this bright light about her. You can hear her down the hallway, you know Alisha's laugh. We just love her so much and we're so grateful. Because you can't do the sport of basketball without someone like that in your corner and someone like that helping you along the way, and that's what she does for us.
AALIYAH NYE: Yeah, I would say the same thing and I would say that she's like a mom/friend/counselor and everything in between. We can go to her with anything and it's definitely a safe space for us.
Q. You have some experience in the Big Ten -- (commercial interruption)
AALIYAH NYE: Like four years ago, I honestly don't remember that matchup and where I was, we weren't that good, either. I would say just play them how our coaches want us to scout and just don't come in like thinking that they are an easy team and just play Alabama Basketball.
Q. What has to go right for you guys to limit second-chance opportunities and try to get second-chance opportunities for yourself?
SARAH ASHLEE BARKER: I think the good thing is that we play in the SEC. So we faced South Carolina; we faced Texas; we faced LSU, and then even teams in the SEC that are not those top three, we have had to go against big bodies, tall people, athletic, great rebounders, just like Maryland. They are such a good team, such a good rebounding team.
Being able to keep them off the boards is the same as what we would have to do against South Carolina, LSU, Texas. So I think that we are prepared going into the board matchup.
But at the end of the day you can say you're prepared all you want, but if you don't go and do it doesn't really matter. We have to go and attack it, and that's what we've got to do tomorrow.
Q. I asked this question to Sarah Ashlee and Leah last time, but you're getting up there in age. You've been here for a long time. Me and you are about the same age now. With that being said, after a road win, we always get ice cream. What's your favorite spot and flavor?
ZAAY GREEN: It was Andy's for sure, and cookies and cream is always by go-to.
Q. For any of you, can you shout-out managers that you have and any stories you guys would want to tell?
AALIYAH NYE: So we have a manager, Logan, he started off as trying to be a practice player. I remember his first day because it was one of my days, too, practicing at Alabama and obviously he wasn't meant to be a practice player.
So they transitioned to him -- transitioned him into a manager, and I think that was like the best thing that they could have done. We all love Logan. We call him "Logo Logan." We support our managers at their intramural games. We just love them, and they support us all the time: Logan, Jane, Julia, Ashton. We have some nicknames for them, we aren't going to say them.
SARAH ASHLEE BARKER: Piggybacking off of her, with anybody, you're close to certain people and it ends up that way. Jane for me, she's one of my best friends off the floor, and it just kind of happened is that way.
She's been one of those people that's just been in my corner, and I think all of us have someone through the manager group that is just kind of like their rock and you just are close to, and for all of them we love their support.
Like I said, like we would not be our team without the coaches, the trainers, the media people, Dr. Lee sitting in the media right here. Anybody that's a part of Alabama, not even if you're on the floor, we are not Alabama without those people.
And so just a shoutout to our managers because they are just great human beings, and they honestly do so much for us that's unseen. Like I could just go on and on, just about them cleaning out the manager closet with all our stuff without even being asked. They do all that type of stuff. They always want to make sure that we have everything we need.
Like Julia will run for a rebound, and I'm like, "Julia, I can walk two steps and get my rebound. Like you don't have to run every single time." But we love them so much.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports