University of Georgia Athletics
Lady Bulldogs Arrive In South Bend
March 18, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Coach Joni Taylor and Merritt Hempe talk about taking on Indiana and going through practice in South Bend.
March 18, 2016
Follow The Lady Bulldogs At The NCAA Tournament:
Georgia NCAA Postseason Media Guide // Georgia Tournament Central Page
Ticket Information:
For ticket information, visit Notre Dame's official athletic website at at UND.com or call the Notre Dame Athletic Ticket Office at 574-631-7356. All-session tickets are $32 for adults, $17 for children. Single-session tickets for the first round are $15 for adults, $10 for children. For the second round, single-session tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for children.
Game Information:
NCAA Lexington Regional - First and Second Rounds
No. 8 seed Georgia (21-9, 9-7 SEC) vs. No. 9 seed Indiana (20-11, 12-6 Big Ten)
NCAA First Round | Joyce Center | South Bend, Indiana | Saturday, March 19 | 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2 // Dave Pasch (Play-by-Play) & Debbie Antonelli (Analyst)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Radio Network by IMG (Jeff Dantzler, PBP)
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
SOUTH BEND, Ind.--The Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team met with media Friday afternoon to preview its matchup with Indiana Saturday at 9 p.m. ET in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
The eighth-seeded Lady Bulldogs (21-9, 9-7 SEC) return to the Big Dance for the 32nd time overall in program history. The Hoosiers (20-11, 12-6 Big Ten) enter the game as the No. 9 seed and are making their first appearance since 2002.
Saturday's contest will air on ESPN2 and will begin approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game of the day between No. 1 seed Notre Dame and No. 16 seed North Carolina A&T, which is set to tip at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Georgia is led by head coach Joni Taylor, the only first-year head coach in the field of 64 teams. Taylor led the Lady Bulldogs to five wins over top-25 teams in her first year at the helm and guided Georgia to seven wins in its last 10 games. UGA enters the matchup with 55 NCAA Tournament victories - the fifth most in collegiate women's basketball history.
Below are comments from Friday's media availability.
Head Coach Joni Taylor
On Georgia's midseason tournament run to make the NCAA Tournament...
"Our first four games (in SEC play) were against ranked opponents, so what we did differently this year is that we sat down and we broke our season into three different sections. Season one was our non-conference. Season two was conference play. Season three was postseason play. We talked about each season separately. When we got to season two, which was our conference play, we talked about starting on the road at Texas A&M and the challenges that might be presented there and coming back and having a really good Missouri team that is ranked. We had Kentucky after them, and then you look at Florida is ranked before you go down to Gainesville. So, we talked about what might happen and the position we could be in if things went exactly the way we wanted and also what could happen if things didn't quite go the way we wanted them to go. Yes, we were very disappointed in how we started, but I don't think it was a shock either. That helped our players because they were prepared for a tough start. We just knew we had to stay the course and trust ourselves and trust the work we had put in all summer, all preseason, and all non-conference to know that we were a good team. If we continue to fight and stay together, we can crawl ourselves out of that hole."
On the biggest obstacle to getting Georgia back to the NCAA Tournament...
"Marjorie (Butler) mentioned it. We have a senior-heavy team. We really challenged them to grow off the floor. In the past we've played well in spurts, but we weren't very consistent. We did a lot of things to challenge them to stretch themselves outside of the basketball court, with just their leadership, their presence and being accountable and being responsible and taking that accountability on themselves. It really showed this year, especially in tough situations for us. We knew we had to run and get out in transition. We knew we had to be a really, really good defensive team to give ourselves a chance."
On differences in style between SEC and Big Ten...
"The skillset is really good in both conferences. When I look at our conference, I think we're athletic. We have a lot of athleticism. When I look at the Big Ten and watch them play, I think of the number of people who can come off the bench and score. There are not just one or two people you have to focus in on, there's about four or five people that could really have big nights and go off. I think it's about understanding all of your personnel."
On proving themselves in the tournament...
"I think we're an experienced team. The biggest thing is, you don't come to Georgia to just get into the tournament. You want to make deep runs. That's why those kids came here and that's their motivation for being here now. You have to make sure they enjoy the moment and enjoy getting back to the tournament after not making it last year. After that, it's time to get down to business and focus on an Indiana team."
Senior Forward Merritt Hempe
On the turnaround mid-season...
"(We were) mostly focusing in on our defense and improving the little things that we were messing up in those games, understanding that every possession is important. Really studying the scouting reports and defending. That's what we focused on for a good portion of time, and I think that really paid off for us."
On what's different this year...
"I think one thing we've done really well this year is running in transition and getting out and trying to be more offensively-minded. Making sure we're studying our scouting reports, knowing what the other team's strengths and weaknesses are and attacking defensively."
Senior Guard Marjorie Butler
On what it means to be back in the tournament...
"Last year when we missed the tournament, I think a lot of us were extremely disappointed. That's a program expectation to make it to the tournament, and not being able to make it last year, we feel like we let ourselves down and the program as a whole. Being able to come back, be in the tournament, and be in such a great atmosphere is a great feeling. Although it's an expectation to make the tournament, that's not enough for us. It's also an expectation to win while you're in the tournament. It's a great feeling, but just being here isn't enough."
FOLLOW THE LADY BULLDOGS
For more information on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, follow the team on Twitter (@UGA_WBB), Instagram (@uga_wbb), Facebook (Facebook.com/UGAWomensBasketball) and Snapchat (@uga_wbb).
