NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - BUFFALO VS TENNESSEE

March 18, 2022

Dyaisha Fair

Summer Hemphill

Buffalo Bulls

Media Conference

Q. How helpful is it coming into this game? You guys have such momentum on your side, winning nine straight 14 out of 15. Just what does that do for your confidence level coming into this one?

SUMMER HEMPHILL: We just take it one game at a time. We don't necessarily look back at our wins or losses. We do use them as information for our upcoming games, though, to just see what we did good, what we can do better, what we need to work on. But other than that, we like to look forward to who our next opponent is and how we can get the win out of the next 40 minutes.

Q. First off, what does it mean, for Dyaisha or for Summer, to be in Thompson-Boling Arena, kind of the house that Pat Summitt built, how at the same time, how do you not kind of let those feelings overwhelm you as you prepare for the tournament?

DYAISHA FAIR: We just look at it as another game, no matter where we are. So, I mean, although she was a wonderful coach and had a wonderful career, we just look at it as another game.

Q. For both Summer and -- I'm going to mess up your name, even though I've been trying to say it correctly. You all were in the tournament last year in the bubble and have been around a little bit. How different has this experience been so far? Have you gotten your swag box yet, and have you noticed anything that maybe stands out that's improved from last year?

SUMMER HEMPHILL: Well, to pronounce her name is Dyaisha. And for your question, we didn't make the NCAA tournament last year. So we didn't have that experience. But just to be here is a blessing. As far as swag boxes or anything, we've gotten sneakers so far; and, honestly, anything that we're given, we're thankful for. It's been a while since we've been to the NCAA tournament. I'm obviously a sixth year, so I've had that experience, but to see the underclassmen get this experience as well is tremendous, and I'm thankful that we're here, and hopefully we're able to just represent Buffalo in the best way possible.

Q. I think we've all seen over the years the mid-majors shouldn't be underestimated. For you guys coming in here, do you kind of have that chip-on-your-shoulder mentality coming into an SEC team's home court?

SUMMER HEMPHILL: I'm sorry. Could you repeat that? I'm so sorry.

Q. Do you guys kind of have a little chip on your shoulder being a mid-major coming into an SEC team's home court?

SUMMER HEMPHILL: I would say yes. Just the fact that mid-majors are honestly underrated, and people don't really give us the -- I wouldn't say press, but the recognition that we do deserve in a way. So just to be here on this court and obviously the history surrounded by Tennessee, we do want to put on for not only Buffalo, but for mid-majors and just show that we do deserve to be in this tournament and recognized.

Q. Summer, correct me if I'm wrong, have you been with this program every single time they've made the NCAA tournament?

SUMMER HEMPHILL: They made it the year before I initially came to Buffalo, which was 2016, which was their first MAC championship. But since then, it's been a while. But I've been with the program.

Q. Because the sixth year senior thing confused me. So you've been with this program three of their four trips to the NCAA tournament, and you've watched this program grow year after year. How special has it been to join this program all those years ago, see how much this program has grown and to see the success this program has continued to do year after year?

SUMMER HEMPHILL: It's honestly amazing, and obviously the players are the ones that are out there putting the points up, defending. But we got to give recognition to our coaches who put the scouts together, who put the time together, who leave their families to make sure that their student-athletes that they're coaching are getting the best experience from their college careers. So just to see the time that they've put in over the time throughout my six years, it just goes to show that without them, there's no us, and without us, there's no them.

Q. Dyaisha, when you look at the matchup with Tennessee, I know they've got a really dynamic blocker. They are going to be without their leading scorer once again, though. When you're watching them on film, how do you guys stack up against them, and what jumps out to you when you're watching Tennessee?

DYAISHA FAIR: The biggest thing I see is they're just bigger than us, and that really is the only thing that I see that's different. So I wouldn't say anything else other than that.

Q. Dyaisha, as a sophomore, you're the leading scorer in the school's history, but to have someone like Summer who's been around for so many seasons and been to this tournament before, what's it like to have her kind of be a leader for you guys and help you grow and settle into this role?

DYAISHA FAIR: I'm a junior. But being able to play with her finally for my first full year, and her having the experience that she has has been just a tremendous thing. It's nothing like having a vet, a true vet on your team.

Q. And building off that, Summer, you have been here your fair share of times. Dyaisha just called you a vet on the team. How much pride do you take in being a leader and showing these young ladies what it takes to get to a tournament like this and to succeed in a tournament like this, how much pride do you take in being a senior leader, sixth year senior leader, and really just your final hoorah of your career?

SUMMER HEMPHILL: I'm thankful. Obviously, I'm using my COVID year. So I'm thankful in a way that COVID happened, because without COVID I would not be here. And these last two years have been hard for me with my injury. So just to be able to be a vet and lead this team. And all the questions that they ask me throughout the season, very, very good questions that you wouldn't think a lot of underclassmen would ask. They ask me those type of questions, especially about not only this tournament, but the MAC tournament, and the questions that they asked and the answers that I provided allowed us to be successful, as well as Adebola Adeyeye, who also was with us in 2019 NCAA tournament. So the questions that they ask, they definitely prevailed us throughout the MAC tournament. So hopefully -- they've been asking away so far, and hopefully that leads to more victories.

Q. First, apologies, Dyaisha. And for both of you. Coming from the MAC, going on the road and dealing -- do you want a big crowd even if it's against you, and does it create energy in the building no matter who they're cheering for?

SUMMER HEMPHILL: I wouldn't say we necessarily pay attention to the crowd. But we're thankful for whoever comes and supports women's basketball. We're thankful for all the fans that do support women's basketball, because during these times it's starting to be brought to our attention that there are women's basketball players who deserve the recognition that is being given now. And women's basketball is a sport that needs to be watched and needs to be up there with all the other great sports that are always on ESPN. So we're thankful for whoever comes and supports.

Q. For both Dyaisha and Summer, you played against South Carolina earlier this year down in the Bahamas. What did you learn playing against a very good talented SEC team that you might be able to use in preparing for another very good SEC team tomorrow?

DYAISHA FAIR: Seeing that they are the No. 1 team in the country and the way we played against them, I would say that it showed that this team that I'm a part of can compete with anyone in the country.

SUMMER HEMPHILL: I would say that was very early in the season, and it was actually one of our first few games as a team, and we were still trying to feel each other out, trying to see what we're good at, where should I pass this person the ball, what are they good at. So I would say that game definitely showed us a lot, and it obviously showed our growth throughout the entire season. And we actually remind ourselves of that game a lot. Well, I do personally. Just to see our growth throughout the entire season. So whenever like we lost, I believe, one game in February, ask just to look back at the growth from the team from then and now, it wasn't really anything to hang our head over, especially with it still in conference play and not necessarily in post-season play. But to use that game for this game in particular, I would say it's a team effort, not really anything individually, but more so everything that we needed to work on when we played South Carolina, we've already touched upon it and our coach has already provided us with a lot of information that has transferred on to the court for this upcoming game.