March 17, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFathletics.com) - Playing what was, at the time at least, its biggest game ever in the Conference USA tournament last week, UCF responded with what can only be described as a championship effort. The Knights were cool under pressure, shot the ball with precision and scrapped for rebounds and loose balls as if it fully expected to win. That kind of coolness in the clutch gives the Knights the belief that they can do the same when they take on No. 18/22 Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
As champions of C-USA for a second time in three seasons, the Knights (22-10) earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament opposite the Buckeyes. It's a very similar plight to two seasons ago when UCF put a scare into North Carolina before losing 85-80. UCF feels that prior NCAA experience, like last week's clutch performance in the C-USA title game, will aid it come Saturday afternoon.
``Two years ago we were just babies going in and didn't know what to expect. The intensity was even higher than our (conference) championship game,'' said Jelisa Caldwell, the MVP of the C-USA title game with 27 points and 12 rebounds. ``Us five seniors know now that we have to play with more intensity. We'll be nervous because you wouldn't be human if you weren't nervous. But once the nerves go away we'll settle down and play our game.''
UCF coach Joi Williams said it was of little surprise to her that her team came out loose for last week's title game in El Paso and dominated virtually every phase against Tulane. Six Knights scored in double figures, UCF won the rebounding battle 45-32 and they held a staggering 30-7 advantage in points off turnovers. It's much the same swagger the Knights have played with for the past six weeks while winning 11 games in a row, the longest such streak in school history since 1984.
``They had nothing to be nervous (about against Tulane) because of their preparation and their trust in one another. And we have absolutely nothing to lose now,'' Williams said. ``According to everybody in our conference we were the underdogs against Tulane and we'll be that again. We understand that we're the little guys in this and we'll take that chip along with us.''
Ohio State (22-9) won the Big 10 Championship for a third consecutive season, is ranked No. 7 in the RPI and had the nation's fourth-toughest schedule this season. The Buckeyes feature 6-foot-4 center Jantel Lavender, the four-time Big 10 Player of the Year who averaged 22.7 points and 10.9 rebounds a game this season.
Naturally, the 13th seeded Knights are going in as massive underdogs and that's just fine with them.
``We always play with that chip-on-our-shoulder-feeling that no one respects us and no one gives us the credit that we deserve,'' senior forward D'Nay Daniels said. ``It just makes us want to play even harder.''
Added Caldwell: ``We can give respect to Ohio State because they are a great program, but we're up and coming, too. I feel like we've been overlooked and overshadowed because of their name. A lot of people are sleeping on us and I feel we can go in and give them a great game, win it and shock the world.''
UCF seniors Chelsie Wiley, Daniels, Caldwell, Angelica Mealing and Leah Page were sophomores two years ago when the team came out of nowhere to capture the C-USA championship by winning four games in four days. That team struggled with nerves early against North Carolina, but made a late run to get within three points of the lead late in the game.
Williams has seen a focus in her team all week that it knows the intensity it will take to fell the mighty Buckeyes on Saturday. She is convinced that her team will be ready to play.
``It will help us a lot having already been there before,'' Williams said. ``We'll know what that feeling is like when we get off the bus and show up at the arena. These seniors have talked about wanting to have that feeling again, and this is that chance to doing that.
``It's a quicker turnaround than we had last time because we had a full week before the tournament. It's kind of a good thing this time because you go right into game mode and we have one game on our mind right now,'' Williams continued. ``Ohio State is a very good team and we have to go in there and play with everything that we have.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.