NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - UMASS VS NOTRE DAME

March 18, 2022

Tony Verdi

Sam Breen

Destiney Philoxy

Massachusetts Minutewomen

Media Conference

Q. For both of you, playing against a Power Five school means that you have to deal with a lot more size. How do you guys deal with that preparation knowing that you're going to have to play a little bit bigger?

SAM BREEN: I don't know, I think we had a lot of good experience with that playing Dayton in the championship game. They have a lot of size, so that really helped prepare us, and we've played against two other Power Five schools this season so that really got us prepared. Even then I don't think it changes our mindset at all, just maybe some more ball fakes and taking care of the ball in a different way. But as for like a mindset or something like that, I don't think it changes.

DESTINEY PHILOXY: I'm going to have to agree with Sam on that. Our mindset stays the same. We're still going to play UMass basketball at the end of the day. We might have to adjust here and there, but that doesn't take away from what we have to do and the goal.

Q. You're both experienced players and have been around the program for a long time. What has the last week been like knowing you were preparing to come here, and with travel yesterday what's it been like settling into the routine?

DESTINEY PHILOXY: It's been pretty cool just knowing that we're playing on a big stage. We've been hoping for this moment for a while and we finally get it, so we're just excited. A lot of emotions running through our body, but at the end of the day we're focused. And this whole week we've been focused on our main goal, and that's just to get Saturday done.

SAM BREEN: Kind of like what Destiney said, we've really been taking in the opportunity. We had obviously about two weeks off between games, so just really focusing on us for a while, and then starting scout on our opponent and really focusing on that and just focusing on all our game plan and all that. Like she said, we're definitely excited, taking in everything, not taking anything for granted and just super excited that we've been able to make it to this point.

Q. Are you two taking the mindset of building off the wins from the A-10 championship, or has it been more, okay, those games are over and done, now we're solely moving on?

SAM BREEN: I would say kind of both. I think we're definitely moving on. We're not harping on the past or anything, but just knowing what we're capable of when we play our game. I think we demonstrated that really well in the A-10 tournament, how well we can play. Knowing we can play at that level and taking that into this tournament, but then also kind of resetting, knowing our competition is very different, we haven't played a game in two weeks, so taking that mindset, as well.

DESTINEY PHILOXY: I'm going to have to agree with Sam on everything she said. It's a little bit of both. Like I said, us playing our best basketball against any team that we come up against, whether it was an A-10 or it's now, we're going to do what we do best. We're not focused on the past. Leave the past in the past, and focus on now, which is Saturday.

Q. You guys talked about how you started scouting, you had those two weeks to prepare and everything. What have you seen in their scouting from Notre Dame that you might have to deal with in the game tomorrow?

DESTINEY PHILOXY: Size. That's our biggest. I guess you could say problem, is size. But other than that we've got the heart and we've got the chemistry that we need. Yeah.

SAM BREEN: Yeah, no, size for sure. Obviously they're very talented. They have a lot of players that do a lot of different things really well. So defending personnel how we need to and then on the offensive side taking care of the ball, finding the open player, making the right read. Nothing we haven't done before, just had some time off, so kind of getting the jitters out and just refocusing.

Q. Sam, you've been able to accomplish a lot during your time at UMass, and we've heard a little bit this season about how you were thinking about stepping away from the game after your time at Penn State. I wanted to know if you could tell us what was it specifically that had you thinking that maybe it was time for you to step away.

SAM BREEN: I'm going to be honest. I just really wasn't enjoying the game really at all. It was really taking a negative toll on me both mentally and physically. At that point I just wanted to focus on myself and whatever that may have been, and that's why for a while I thought it was not playing basketball.

Obviously very, very happy I did not make that decision. Took some time off, kind of reset, thought about that and realized that in the right spot I could enjoy the game again, and that's exactly what I did. And I'm lucky because not everyone gets that second chance. Some people go in the transfer portal and their second school, they still don't thoroughly enjoy. But luckily for me, Coach Verdi, the whole staff, everything has just been incredible, and it's like -- I'm just thankful every day that I made that decision.

Q. Sam, college basketball sometimes is a big world and sometimes it's a small world. Is it kind of surreal that you're going against your original college coach, and what is your relationship with her?

SAM BREEN: Yeah. Like you said, it's definitely a small world. Of all the opponents that we could have been matched up against, all the teams that could have been a 12 seed, obviously it's a small world. I haven't had too much of a relationship with her since I left, but like no hard feelings or anything really. I'm sure once we see each other we're going to say hi or whatever. But I'm a fifth-year now, so it's been kind of a while since I've seen her. But that's going to be super exciting. Definitely a small world. Cool to be on the opposing side. But yeah, we'll see.

Q. Sam, I spoke to Destiney about this yesterday, and Destiney said she's seen you grow in ways that members of the media haven't over your time at UMass. Where do you think you've grown the most both on the court and off the court?

SAM BREEN: Off the court -- okay, I'm not the most social person, but I think I've definitely grown in that way a little bit just obviously with our teammates. My social is different than a lot of people's social. But just Destiney for one, like we've gotten a lot closer even though my social might be a little different than hers, so just in that aspect.

On the court I still have a long way to go, but I've definitely become more vocal and more -- like I show a lot more emotion when I play now. When I first got here, I didn't show too much emotion on the court, which I think now I show emotion after probably every single play. And Destiney has really helped me be more of a vocal leader. She definitely still has that, and I'm still learning a lot from her in that aspect.

But I have grown a lot in that way despite still having a long way to go.

TORY VERDI: We're really excited about this opportunity and excited about being here. More importantly, we expected to be here, and we deserve to be here.

I'm super proud of everything that this team has accomplished. This was one of the goals that we were working towards all year long, and now we're here, and we're excited to play.

I feel that we're as good as anybody here, and we're super excited about the opportunity to play this game.

I'll take questions.

Q. In terms of what you're expecting out of Notre Dame, Destiney and Sam mentioned how playing against Dayton with their size was good to prepare, but what are you expecting specifically from them?

TORY VERDI: Well, I mean, they're a lot different than Dayton, just their style of play. They're a little bit bigger than Dayton, and then what they do defensively, we're going to see a lot of zone throughout the course of the game. We'll probably see about 85 percent of it.

We've got to do a great job offensively of really attacking gaps, pounding the ball inside. The last thing we want to do is just rely on perimeter shots, so we want to be ultra aggressive and we want to get up-and-down the floor. They do a great job in transition, as well, so we've got to make sure that defensively we stop the ball, we push it to the sideline, we filter up, and we find people.

We know that they're capable of knocking down shots. They make five and a half threes per game. But more importantly they're averaging 73 points per game. They have the capability and the ability to score a lot of points, so we've got to do a great job of matching their physicality and boxing out and rebounding, and we've got to limit them to being one-and-done.

Q. You already mentioned the zone. At times this year your team struggled to crack through especially against Rhode Island, for example. Are you looking back on those games to think of things like, oh, this is what didn't work against the zone? What adjustments are you making from those earlier struggles?

TORY VERDI: Yeah, I think that we've had the opportunity to retool and rethink some things offensively, so I'm kind of excited to see those things on the court tomorrow night.

But regardless of it, we're better and we're in a better position. We're healthier. I know that offensively we will not be stagnant. We will be aggressive. We will do a great job of moving their defense from side to side and breaking it down, and we will have high-percentage shots. That's something that I know that we will do.

Q. Facing Notre Dame, two-time national champions, 67 all-time tournament wins, as the leader of a program that's undergoing a Renaissance and has never won a game in the tournament, do you derive some motivation from the fact that you're playing a blue blood in this game?

TORY VERDI: I mean, they have the tradition. They have the history. It's a great opportunity for us to do something special.

But regardless of our opponent, we're not concerned about the name on the front. It's an opponent, and just like everybody else, we respect our opponents. But we also go out there, and our team, our players are fearless, and we have a job to do, and that's to win the basketball game.

Q. When you go against a player that impacts the game on so many levels like Olivia Miles, how do you go about trying to slow her down and limit that impact when she does do it in so many different ways?

TORY VERDI: Yeah, she's really good. She's great with the ball in her hands, and she's their catalyst. She makes them go, and we've got to do a great job of really containing her. We can't allow her to be confident on the floor and just do the things that she wants to do. And I think that we're prepared for that, and our players understand what she's capable of doing.

But we can't allow her, like I said, just the freedom to go out there and operate offensively because they're really good when she starts attacking downhill, attacking the basket, not only creating for herself but creating for everyone else.

We plan on not allowing her to be comfortable here tomorrow night.

Q. It'll be about two weeks since your last game; what strategies have you and your staff been taking to make sure your players are not rusty physically or mentally?

TORY VERDI: Well, one, we've been scrimmaging throughout the week, so we had the opportunity to get up and down the floor. We're not going to be rusty. That I can guarantee you.

Our players, like I said, they're excited about being here. We're going to play ultra hard. That I know. If there's one thing about the University of Massachusetts and our women's basketball program, people have seen us play, they walk away and they understand how hard our players play. We expect that effort from them.

I expect a great basketball game, two teams competing at the highest level, and it's going to be a dogfight, no question about that.

But as far as being rusty, sometimes I think that people overthink that a little bit. Our players understand, and I think all players on all teams understand the consequences of it, and if you're not ready to play, then you're going home.

This is one-and-done. You don't get a mulligan. It's not golf. It's one-and-done. We understand that.

But we're here to represent the University of Massachusetts, and we expect to go out there and be ultra competitive.

Q. You talked about trying to limit Notre Dame to being a one-and-done and rebounding is something that your team has taken a lot of pride in this season. What do you expect from players like Angelique and Makennah or Sam who have been your go-to for situations like that?

TORY VERDI: Well, they're going to have to match their physicality, and we know that. Notre Dame does a great job of going after rebounds and getting second-chance opportunity points, and so we've got to make sure that we're physical. But more importantly it's just not about our forwards. Our guards have to be physical. They've got to do a great job of perimeter checking and bodying people up and then also going and pursuing the basketball.

Again, we did a great job in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and in the championship. Our players understand that Notre Dame may be bigger at some positions, but at the same point in time, we understand what it takes to win, and our players will go out there and they're going to do those little things.

We talk about this all the time, we talk about controlling the controllables and boxing out, rebounding. If you want to win a basketball game of this caliber, you've got to box out and you've got to rebound and you've got to play great defense, and I expect that tomorrow night.

Q. You're back in Norman, Oklahoma, which you said you're a little bit familiar with. Have you gone to any of your favorite spots yet?

TORY VERDI: I have not, and that was more kind of like a leisure thing, I would say. I have more important thing to worry about right now. I had the opportunity to really recruit this area when I was in the Big 12, but as far as getting out of the hotel, that did not occur.

We got in last night, and from that point forward just been spending a lot of time just breaking down game film and watching our opponent and preparing for this game tomorrow night.

That's the most important thing to me right now.