Michigan State 70, Minnesota 50
2/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2010
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Michigan State Head Coach Suzy Merchant
On the growth of the program since she has been at MSU...
I think it's really looking at the defensive, because that was the biggest change. Going from an all zone team to a man team, we had to play quite a bit of zone because we weren't quite there yet. Obviously that second year you could really see us down the stretch defensively and how much better we got by the second half of that season. Obviously we had to overcome some adversity with losing Brittney (Thomas). This year I think down the stretch our defense has been the catalyst for us. I think our defense and our bench, those two things. I think we haven't been as deep the first couple of years. I certainly feel that this year our defense coupled with our ability to go nine or ten kids deep definitely lends itself to an ability to do well at the end of the year because you're a little fresher.
Her feelings on the team at the Big Ten Tournament...
I think just like anybody that you have to play every game like it's your last, because it could be down there. The thing is in this league top to bottom everybody has proven they can beat anybody on any given night. You can't just say that, you have to understand that. We're a team that really understands that. We've been at a tough point in our season and battled ourselves completely right out of that. There are some very good coaches and great players and tough systems to go against. We're going to face it the first night no matter who we play.
On whether their seed placement matters this year...
It probably doesn't mean as much as it did in past years, because I think top to bottom the strength is there. We went and played at Purdue and they were vying for second place and had just gotten beaten by Illinois, who at that time was towards the bottom. On any night you can get beat by anybody. Indiana and Purdue both knocked off Ohio State like we did, so I just feel like it's a league that you have to wake them up every night and expect that anyone can come after you and beat you.
On if her team is built for the tournament, playing on game after another...
That's kind of how I feel; we're going to have three in a row to get to the finals. For us I do think our depth should be a factor. I think that maybe that was some of our success. We are able to run and transition more. I think our defense is getting stronger, because our legs are fresher. We do not have to rely on five or six kids' night in and night out. I think our scoring is coming from a lot of different people on different nights so we're a hard scout. Jasmine Thomas had a great night for us, didn't miss a shot, but prior to that she had struggled a little bit. So it could be anybody on any given night.
On taking care of the ball better...
If you look at Purdue we had 27 turnovers here, I think we are doing a better job. I think it's because we're sharing the ball a little bit better. We're making the extra pass and not trying to make the great pass. We don't always make great decisions all the time in the open court with transition, that's probably where we're turning over just a little too much. I like our intent; I think that's probably a silent positive that maybe people don't see as much. Also, our roles are becoming more defined. People know who is going to play. Porsche (Poole) didn't play tonight because she's sick. Obviously she didn't dress in the second half because she's been sick prior to the Purdue game. When we get her back and healthy and I feel like we're even deeper. She's been a big part of what we're doing. Just little things like Cetera Washington, her defense and her rebounding. It just seems like it's always somebody on a different night doing something whether it's offense or defense. It could be Lykendra (Johnson), it could be Aisha (Jefferson), could be Kalisha (Keane). It was Kal the other night. I just feel like we're in a good place right now top to bottom that we're really playing for each other.
On Cetera Washington and Jasmine Thomas...
I thought Cetera (Washington) was just phenomenal with her ability to rebound the basketball. She gave us a lot of energy. She and Lykendra (Johnson) could be great. You know how Lykendra is and I always felt that Cetera could be right there with her. She's really focusing on that the past few games and she is a defensive demon out there. She really gets after it and she really loves that side of the ball. She's creating some offense off of defense for us. She's obviously getting to the line a little bit with getting offensive rebounds. I really feel like she is a big catalyst for us at this point.
On how she wants her team to look at the Big Ten Tournament in terms of preparation for the NCAA tournament...
We have talked about that prior to this. It wasn't just coming into the Big Ten Tournament for seeding. We've been talking about that down the stretch. This is more about life in March and fighting for what is important now by becoming the best basketball team we can be now so that in the future we are poised and ready hopefully for the challenges that face us in March. The Big Ten Tournament is a do or die situation. It is back to back tough turn around against very good opponents in a venue that we don't play in that much. In a big arena that maybe isn't going to have our screaming green and white fans filling to the rim. I think it is a real challenge for us and it lends itself to that March post season tournament feel.
