March 22, 2004

Purdue vs. Villanova

Villanova

Villanova head coach Harry Perretta
Opening Statement:
"We are really excited about being here. Purdue is a very difficult team. They remind me of Penn State and are similar in that they both are extremely mobile, they are good athletically and skill-wise. Those are teams I really like to play; they can all shoot, all pass and dribble. My style of coaching fits a more mobile style of basketball. Tomorrow we are going to try to keep the pace slow and try to keep their skilled players from getting touch of the ball."

On Villanova's game:
"It doesn't matter who starts our game. It will depend upon who is playing well. We like to have the experienced athletes out on the floor, but we will try to filter in the inexperienced into the game. Coming off the bench, we are up and down. We have games when the bench will score over 30 points and games when they only rally four. We will just put them in and wait to see what happens."

"We are experiencing less pressure this year than the one before. We aren't as good as last year and the girls understand that. We have a good attitude and they understand what they are."

On Purdue:
"Purdue has the ability to score at all angles, they aren't a one-dimensional team. (Shereka) Wright will be hard to guard. They have four or five players that could play point, they are a very versatile team and that makes it difficult to guard them. We will be forced to play small the first five to seven minutes. We can't sag off and not guard this girl or that one. We have to guard them all and we have had trouble guarding versatile teams."

"We will just have to pace the game and play normal. They will press us a little bit, but this far into it, you just have to play the way you play. When you change what you do, you start screwing yourself up."

On his coaching style:
"Yesterday was one of my more animated games. I have to get them to focus on me, not the game, to get them less panicked. I want them to be more afraid of me than the game. I always told them, 'the day I stop acting is the day I will quit.' It doesn't phase my kids. In the first five minutes of the game (against St. Francis), they were frozen to the floor. That's why I intervene, to get them to not be afraid. They are a young team and most have never faced this situation before and sort of panic."

Villanova senior guard Kelly Nash
On Purdue vs. St. Francis:
"Shereka Wright played well, but it was the no-names that stepped up. Everyone was hitting shots and making threes."

On Villanova:
"Courtney [Mix] is our steady player, but any one of us can step up and score. If we all do, it means a great game for us."

On last year's NCAA team and making it to the Elite Eight:
"It's a different team this year. [Making it to the Elite Eight last year] helps us in respect that we have gotten there before. We can use it as a motivator to get there again."

Villanova senior forward Courtney Mix
On Purdue:
"Everyone can do everything. They are all mobile, they can all shoot and they can all rebound."

Purdue vs. Villanova

Purdue

Purdue head coach Kristy Curry
On preparation for Villanova's style:
"It's going to have to come down to our most intelligent defensive game of the year. We need to understand their tendencies and try to take some things away. We need to control the tempo and stop penetration. I think one of the biggest keys will be the bench play for both teams. Our bench is going to have to be ready to play."

On rebounding:
"It's really interesting when you watch them (Villanova) play. Courtney Mix concerns me greatly on the offensive glass. Whoever is guarding her will need to really box out."

Purdue senior guard Erika Valek
On team:
"We want to keep our season going. Every minute counts. I think our team has stepped up in the past couple of weeks. Everyone knows who Shereka (Wright) is and it's going to come down to everyone else playing well."

Purdue senior forward Shereka Wright
On Villanova's style:
"We haven't played anyone who has run the clock down to 10 seconds this year. I'm an up and down kind of girl. I'm very familiar with their offense and their team. They execute well, pass well and shoot well. Any team that can do that is exceptional."

On team's balance:
"It's not just me the focus is on. It's going to take everybody to win. It'll be important for us to be well-balanced tomorrow night, especially on the defensive end."