March 18, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio (UCFathletics.com) - In so many ways, UCF's NCAA Tournament game against Ohio State on Saturday has the feel of a David vs. Goliath matchup.
In one respect, the Buckeyes (22-9) start a 6-foot-4 All-American (Jantel Lavender) and 6-foot-5 power forward Ashley Adams, while the Knights (22-10) don't have a starter taller than 5-foot-10.
Tradition-rich Ohio State will be making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its ninth in as many years, while 13th seeded UCF is in the tourney for just a second time and the first time since 2009.
As if that weren't enough, the Buckeyes and Knights will be playing on Ohio State's campus at historic St. John Arena.
But when the first-round NCAA game tips off Saturday at approximately 1:30 p.m. none of that will matter to a scrappy UCF team looking to continue its late-season surge and pull off the shocker of the women's tournament. UCF hits Saturday's game having won 11 games in a row and thinking that it cannot only take down the mighty Buckeyes, but also send a jolt through the women's basketball world.
``I think we'll be a good kind of nervous. And I don't think that any one of them is scared and I think that starts with our seniors,'' UCF head coach Joi Williams said at Friday's news conference in Columbus, Ohio. ``We have absolutely nothing to lose. There's not one of you (media members) in here who thinks that UCF can win this game, and we realize that. But we believe in what we do. It's taken us a long way and so we're going to try to keep that attitude and see what happens.''
What the Knights hope to have happen is a result similar to last week's Conference USA title game when defending champion Tulane was picked by many to repeat as champs. But the Knights dominated that game by getting six players in double figures in scoring, holding a 45-32 edge on the boards and outscoring Tulane 30-6 in points off turnovers.
Now, even though the Knights will be grossly undersized, they feel they have the grit and mental toughness to fell the giants from Ohio State and pull off what would easily be the biggest win in school history.
``We respect Ohio State because they're Ohio State, but at the same time we can't be scared of who they are,'' UCF senior forward D'Nay Daniels said. ``Everybody's a good team. That's why we made it this far. So we have to go in with the game plan and rebound. If we rebound and shoot, we should be just fine.''
When studying the Buckeyes on tape this past week, UCF easily noticed the talents of Lavender, the four-time Big 10 Player of the Year and Ohio State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. And the Knights certainly understand the need to slow down point guard Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State's all-time assists leader.
But the Knights are confident that their rugged nonconference schedule combined with their dominant play in C-USA will prepare them for the Buckeyes, the nation's seventh-ranked team in the RPI rankings.
UCF's belief is buoyed by some telling facts. The Knights have outrebounded foes in each of the past 14 games, and the belief is that toughness will allow them to hold strong inside. And Ohio State has proven beatable against strong defensive teams, going just 3-7 this season when scoring fewer than 70 points.
And just for karma sakes, the last time that Ohio State was a fourth seed and faced a No. 13 seed, they were beaten by Marist in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
``Our team is just focusing on one game at some time and just staying in the moment. Our coach preached that in the locker room, just enjoying the moment,'' senior guard Chelsie Wiley said. ``Us just focusing on the moment and focusing on just the right now, it will help us get rid of the mental clutter and distractions that's outside of us. I think just focus on the moment right now will keep us in the tournament.''
UCF's seniors are hoping to use their experience from two years ago to benefit them this time around. In 2009, UCF reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade and put a scare into North Carolina before losing, 85-80.
That game was in Chattanooga, Tenn., and not in the Tar Heels backyard like Saturday's game for the Buckeyes. But Daniels has vowed that nothing - not Ohio State's size difference, homecourt advantage or tournament lineage - is going to deter her Knights now.
``We know it's going to be pretty crazy and it's going to be a home crowd so we have to use that to motivate us and keep playing our game,'' said Daniels, who spoke earlier in the week about playing with a chip on her shoulder because of having to face OSU on its homecourt. ``We can't let outside things affect us. We have to focus on what we have to do and just the game. Basically, we can't really worry about how many fans they'll have or anything like that. It's going to be an overwhelming environment, but I really believe we'll be OK.''
==== John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.