Tennessee Quotes:
Opening Statement:
“Obviously, excited about the tournament, and the opportunity to get to play in Knoxville. Just
the competition is outstanding, so these young ladies have been focusing in on our game against
Liberty and put in a lot of time, got some rest, and then put in a lot of time on some individual
things so that we are ready to go.”
Tennessee Player Quotes:
On watching film on Liberty and their rebounding on the offensive end:
Mercedes Russell:
“Well they are top five in the nation in offensive rebounding, and just from film, it seems like they
crash the board on every single shot no matter what. It is going to be a big key for us just to push
back and get good box outs.”
On the tradition on playing at home and being 56-0 playing NCAA Tournament games in
Knoxville:
Jaime Nared:
“I did not know that. I did see something about this being our 37th NCAA tournament this year.
Obviously, that is amazing just having the tradition and being 56-0 at home is amazing. We are
focused one game at a time from this point on. I think we are just worried about Liberty and just
play our game as well.”
On being in big stage game, being a team leader and playing within the system:
Jaime Nared:
“No, I would not say that at all. I think if we play our game we will be fine. Obviously, we are
watching film on them. We understand that they are a good rebounding team. We know that
everybody wants to win at this point. Us, everybody on our team, every team in country, and
every team is going to compete in every game, so I would not say its consciously doing too much.
I think everybody on our team wants one, and I think we are going to do what it takes to win.”
On how nice getting a break to recover is before the NCAA tournament starts:
Jaime Nared:
“It’s been good. Time heals a lot of things. Just taking time off and letting your body heal. Getting
good rest has been really good, especially as a women’s team. I know the men didn’t get a break.
Just getting time to heal our bodies because everyone is banged up at this time of the year, so
getting a break is really nice for us.”
Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick Quotes:
On being aware of the best players trying to do too much in big games:
“I think it depends on the situation. We’ve had players do it this year. I think Jaime has felt like
she’s had to do a lot. Mercedes has done that a lot, but our success has come from playing as a
whole on the floor. When we play together, we are outstanding. We’ve talked about these
underclassmen listening to the seniors because they’ve played in the tournament. We’ve also
talked about these seniors needing help from the underclassmen, so it kind of goes hand in hand.
We’re just asking our kids to do what you do best, not something you aren’t good at, just do what
you do best.”
On what Liberty point guard, Ashtyn Baker, brings to the table with her speed:
“You just said it, she’s outstanding. She’s been a great leader for her basketball team. She’s quick
with the ball, gets to the paint and makes sure players get the ball when they need it. I think she’s
had an outstanding year. To be a freshman on a young team with some experience is
outstanding.”
On importance of keeping the home streak:
“We really have not talked about that. We are excited to be playing at home, but does that
guarantee us to win? Absolutely not. But it should give us an advantage to be able to sleep in
your own bed and play in your own arena. I think Jaime said it best, they did not know about the
streak until now, so I appreciate you reminding them about it. I have tried to avoid it a little bit. I
will say that this group has really been good at taking one game at a time, and that is what we
talk about. We do not talk ahead of what we want to do, and where we are going to be. We have
really, truly focused on staying in the moment, and that has helped us so much, especially for the
young players. Our seniors have made sure that we stay in the moment and we don’t get ahead
of our self. It’s a great record, and we have been in every NCAA tournament since the NCAA
started, and we hope we continue that. We are excited. This is the first time we have played at
home in a while, so we are excited about it.”
On if she has crossed paths with Carey Green since he is from the area, and on what she thinks
it means to Coach green being back near his hometown
“Well yeah, I have known Carey since he was at Clemson, and he did a great job there. I saw him
today and I asked, ‘how long have you been at liberty?” Because I thought it was forever, and he
replied, ’19 years.’ And I said, ‘well that’s pretty much forever.’ He loves Liberty, and he does a
great job there. We do cross paths in recruiting, we go to the same events, and sometimes we
look at the same kids, and sometimes we don’t. But he is going to recruit kids to his system, and
we recruit kids to our system, but the bottom line is what you do with the kids once they are
there. He gets them to play, and he gets them to play hard. You mentioned that Liberty was a
great rebounding team, and they are. I think he gets the kids to be what he emphasizes. I don’t
know how many times he’s been in the tournament, I know a lot. I don’t know the exact number,
but they have been quite a bit, and they have one their league quite a bit. I am familiar with him,
and I’m sure he will have a lot of people here to cheer him on.”
On Liberty Head Coach Carey Green being from East Tennessee:
“The bottom line is what you do with these kids once you’ve got them, and he gets them to play
hard. You mentioned being a great rebounding team and they are. I think he gets the kids to be
what he emphasizes. I know he’s been to the NCAA tournament a lot and I know they have won
their league quite a bit. I am familiar with him and I am sure he will have a lot of people here to
cheer him on.”
On the talent in this group of teams:
“I think it’s a result of how good women’s basketball is becoming. You know (John) we lost in the
first round one year. We lost to Ball State and we were really talented, but they worked harder
than us. We’ve won in the first round, we’ve won a national championship. I’ve been in all
situations from getting out early to staying in late. All of these teams-Western Kentucky-you never
count them out. You can never count them out. I know their coach well and I know Scott Rueck at
Oregon State and he has done a great job too. It is difficult. It is difficult. And honestly I’ve kept
my focus on Liberty because I didn’t want to look ahead; because Liberty is just as outstanding as
well. It is a tough first and second round, but I think all of them are getting that way, I do. Two
years ago we went to Arizona State and played Green Bay and Green Bay was outstanding and
so was Arizona State. I think that is where the game is going.”
Knoxville, Tenn.– The Lady Vols will take on the Lady Flames at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. This is the 37th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for Tennessee.
Tickets: All-session and single-session tickets will go on sale to the general public at 8:30 a.m. on Tues., March 13, at AllVols.com. Youth pricing (high school ages and younger) is available in-person at the ticket office windows during normal business hours or on game day. For more information, call the Tennessee Ticket Office at 865-656-1200.
Ag Campus Parking (Free): Free parking and shuttle service is available on UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttle service begins two hours prior to the tip-off time of the first game of each round and will end one hour following the final game.
Arena Parking ($10): Parking is available closer to the Arena in lots designated on game day. The charge for those lots is $10.
Gate Opening Times: Arena gates will open one hour prior to the tip-off time of the first game.
Arena Dining Closed: The Thompson-Boling Arena dining facility will not be open to the general public during NCAA First and Second Round games.
Clear Bag Policy: A clear bag policy is in effect for visitors to Thompson-Boling Arena. For more information regarding UT’s clear bag policy, please go to //utsports.com/clearbag.
Travel Advisory: Fans travelling to Thompson-Boling Arena via I-40 should be alert for lane closures that will have a significant impact on travel times starting Friday at 8 p.m. and ending Monday at 6 a.m.
-UT Athletics
