GREEN BAY, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team is taking on Alabama in the opening round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
The Phoenix are ranked 12th seed and are confident in their style of play against the Crimson Tide. They hope this, along with a neutral site, will help them win Saturday afternoon.
The Phoenix are making their 20th NCAA Tournament appearance, but it’s the first for head coach Kayla Karius, who’s in her first year at the helm at Green Bay. Although she lacks coaching experience in the tournament, Karius can draw from her experience as a player for UW-Green Bay in 2011, when the team made it to the round of 16. She said they have confidence in this match-up.
“The concepts are the same,” said Karius. “I think there’s a difference in body types and athleticism that we’re not going to shy away from. We understand that.”
Karius’ squad has seven seniors with NCAA tournament experience. Senior forward Jasmine Kondrakiewicz said they are treating this tournament like any other because they respect but fear no team.
“I think with this group, the experience that we have just going in and trusting each other, knowing that we’ve been there before and what to expect is going to help us a lot,” said Kondrakiewicz.
Senior Natalie McNeal has averaged nearly 15 points per game and played a vital role in the success of the Phoenix this season. She said this year feels different because this is the final year for her and a lot of her teammates. The Germantown native said she transferred to Green Bay to be a part of something bigger than herself and is happy she did.
“I think it’s really cool for her that we’re able to play for not only each other but also [Karius] who is one of those alumni that put the banners up to make Green Bay the program that it is,” she said.
Karius said the toughest teams make it to the next round, mid-major or not. She said they need to stay true to who they are, while being flexible in how they play.
“It’s going to take everything that we have,” said Karius. “Do we think that we can beat this team? We do. We have confidence... I’m not going to say that it’s going to be easy, but I think that this is a team. We have confidence going into the game to play against.”
The Phoenix will take on the Crimson Tide Saturday, March 22 at 12:30 p.m. in College Park, Maryland.
