NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - WEST VIRGINIA VS ARIZONA

March 16, 2023

Jade Loville

Cate Reese

XFINITY Center

Arizona Wildcats

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us, everyone. We're joined by the No. 7 seed Arizona Wildcats. A pair of fifth years, Cate Reese and Jade Loville. If you have a question, please raise your hand and we'll get you the mic. Direct who your question is to, whether it be Cate or Jade. Start here in the front.

Q. This one is for both of you. You're here. What does it feel like to be almost 24 hours away from playing your first game in this year's NCAA Tournament?

CATE REESE: We're excited. We have been preparing, you know, since last week. And now finally, you know, knowing the team on Sunday was really exciting. You know, it's different, being on the east coast, you know, kind of far from Tucson. We're really excited to be here.

JADE LOVILLE: Yeah. It's been a few years since I have been dancing, and it feels really good this time. Like Cate said, we have been preparing and finally being able to dial in on who we're playing, and knowing it's a matter of hours away, couldn't be more excited. Fifth year, obviously, we want to go out with a bang, so that's in our plans and we're excited to practice and get on that east coast time and then wake up and really do it.

Q. Anything fun that you guys did last night after you got in?

CATE REESE: The flight is kind of long, so we got in, had dinner, and kind of just relaxed. Probably did some homework, some of us. I watched a movie. We didn't really have anything planned.

Q. Did you do anything fun on the flight to, you know, spend all those hours on the flight? Because sometimes you guys -- mostly you guys sleep on those flights, right?

JADE LOVILLE: Yeah, it was just a lot of rest. I mean, I watched 'You'. Besides that, a lot of rest, took a nap. Usually I can't sleep on planes, but it didn't feel too long. I was excited, so I think that helped. But, yeah, just a lot of resting.

Q. And Jade, have you given any advice to Esmery because she's playing her former team, and you did that earlier this season?

JADE LOVILLE: Yeah, it's a new team. And that was kind of similar for me as well. I know she's excited. She's back on east coast time, so it's something familiar for her. I think that's just, you know, even better for her. She kind of gets to see some familiar faces. It's exciting to play against old teammates, so I think she's excited to get out there and see some of her friends. It's going to be fun. When the tip goes up, we're not friends, but it'll be fun for her.

Q. Cate, can you tell me anything about -- what do you think the keys are going to be, especially for you in the post, in tomorrow's game?

CATE REESE: I think, you know, being patient, being smart, waiting to see if a double team comes, pass out, don't force shots. I think ball rotation is big for us, passing the ball around, not letting them bait us into taking shots early on.

Q. And, Cate, we talked a little bit about this before, but this time out you can go all out this year. You're not hindered by your shoulder like you were last year. And so how does that feel in this moment, right at this point? We talked about it a couple weeks ago. Do you feel any differently now about it, or anything else?

CATE REESE: I mean, compared to last year, it's a lot less stress and pressure. I knew going into it I was injured. I was going to have to get surgery after season. That was definitely something on my mind. Now I can play free. I don't have to worry about anything, like you said, so that's really exciting. Taking it one game at a time. We're all really excited. I think the time difference is kind of an adjustment right now, but we're really excited about tomorrow.

Q. For either of you, you know, you're a 7-seed. You had a chance to be a 4-seed, a 5-seed, a 6-seed. Does that give you a little extra chip on your shoulder because you know what you can do and maybe others haven't seen it, or they didn't see it right now?

JADE LOVILLE: Yeah, I think, you know, 4-seed, 5-seed, 7-seed, we're here to play basketball, we're here to do our job. I think whoever is in front of us, that's our plan: To go in and do our job and get a win. Doesn't matter where you're seeded to go on a run. Me personally, I'm used to being an underdog. It doesn't phase me. I'm just ready to get on the court, and I think that's the case for the rest of my teammates. We're excited to play basketball. We have coaches that have a great plan for us. I think we'll take it one game at a time. Whatever seed they put us at, we're going to show up and do our job.

Q. This is it. This is your last run. Does that give you a little extra motivation going into this game?

CATE REESE: Yeah, I mean, you know, it's a one and done thing. I think we're really excited, but this is our last year, these are our last games. So I think we're just trying to go out there and leave it all out on the floor.

JADE LOVILLE: Yeah. You really envision these moments your whole career to play on a national stage. It's my last year -- both of our last years, fifth year. And it's been a long road, a long journey for both of us. And I think looking back, yeah, you cherish these moments. And you want to take in the travel days, the waking up early and getting on the flight. Everything is so exciting right now, and I think most definitely it weighs a little bit more. But it's going to be fun to go out there and take each one at a time.

THE MODERATOR: All right. I think we're good. Thank you both. Good luck tomorrow.