NCAA Selection Show Quotes

March 11, 2001

Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale
"You know, it's funny. Last year, we were the very first name on the screen and this year, we're the last. We felt we had a solid chance to get a second seed and when we saw Texas Tech take the number two in the region before, we were pretty sure we were going to be in Duke's bracket."

On the Big 12 Conference and its seven NCAA Tournament bids:
"It's unbelievable. To not only have seven teams in, but to have three two seeds (Iowa State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma). I think that says two things: the caliber of teams in our conference and the fact that we were able to win the Big 12 with a two-game margin.

On the possibility of playing two consecutive season opponents:
"To start off with an Oklahoma team (Oral Roberts) is awesome in terms of getting the crowd at the Lloyd Noble Center. It's kind of strange if you're comparing this game to last year. We never faced BYU and this year, we've already played Oral Roberts, so it will be different."

On the loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship:
"I didn't think we played that poorly. I thought we guarded and rebounded the ball very well against not only a good rebounding team but a bigger one as well. Give Iowa State credit, they were terrific. I'm not concerned about the way we're playing. I felt that a couple plays at the end of the game made the difference. I can recount three or four plays, blow-for-blow, that were freak in nature and don't ordinarily happen during a game. That's when I said to myself, 'You know, its just not meant to be tonight.' Maybe it was good for us to get that poor shooting performance out of our system."

Comparing this year's team to last year's:
"We're a better basketball team. I think the main difference is experience. We're a little bit older, we've been there before and we know what to expect. We've played this season with an incredible amount of confidence and I think that's going to carry over to the tournament."

On hosting the first two rounds of the tournament:
"It's enormous and terms of not only playing well and advancing in the tournament but also in terms of building our program, increasing our fan base, and taking our notoriety to a different level. This is a huge opportunity for women's basketball at the University of Oklahoma. Although I think the best thing is our kids get a little break from the travel. Heavy traveling can take a toll on the mind and the body."

Junior Guard Rosalind Ross
Playing on an injured knee:
"I give credit to the team. They've helped me out a lot. My teammates have worked with me along the way."

On increased offensive productivity in the second half of the season:
"My teammates have put pressure on me to become more of a threat. Stacey (Dales), LaNeishea (Caufield) and Sunny (Hardeman) have put forth more effort to look for me when I'm open. I have a lot of confidence in myself right now."

On the state of the team:
"We weren't getting much recognition at the beginning of the year. Now, though, I think people are starting to realize the University of Oklahoma has a good women's basketball program."

On the prospects of winning a national championship:
"We're taking this one game at a time. We can't look too far ahead, but we can't look back either."

Senior Guard Sunny Hardeman
Impressions of the home-court advantage:
"For us, it's great to play in the front our home crowd. Not only could we be playing two teams that we've beaten earlier this season, but we're a much better team now. It's perfect. We had great crowds at the end of the season and they should be even better next weekend."

On the Big 12's three number two seeds: "That tells me this conference is pretty good. It's funny, you can't go out and play any team in this conference, top to bottom, and not be prepared to play. On any night, any team can win."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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