C-USA tournament preview: women’s basketball draws UAB in opening round

[Skipper]

With her second regular season under her belt, head coach Jalie Mitchell led the North Texas women’s basketball team to the No. 8 seed in the Conference USA tournament with an 8-10 conference record. From 2008-2015, the women’s program only won eight conference games one other time (2013).

Despite her program showing substantial progress in her sophomore season, Mitchell refuses to settle for simply making the tournament.

“We have to win our first game,” Mitchell said. “It would be something we haven’t done, and making that round of eight shows that you belong up there.”

The Mean Green will face the No. 9 seed, University of Alabama, in Birmingham in the first round. While this is a team they have beaten before, they have one advantage that separates them from every other team in the tournament.

“UAB is technically the home team because we are in Birmingham,” Mitchell said. “I think they’re a tough team, so we have to come to play.”

With the same conference record and one past game decided in overtime, which North Texas won, these two teams appear somewhat even on paper. The only possible edge could be the fact that the tournament is being played on the Blazers’ home court where they are 9-6, a sharp contrast to their 5-8 road record.

With UAB playing well at home, North Texas will turn to its three seniors for guidance.

Guards Kelsey Criner and Candice Adams and forward Terra Ellison were relied on heavily in both tournament games last season. Criner averaged 14.5 points in the two games, while Adams and Ellison averaged 14 and 12.5, respectively.

And the seniors continue to be key cogs for the team.

“We have experience of the atmosphere and what it’s going to be like,” Ellison said. “We just have to make sure we let the new players understand what it’s going to be like and how important and serious it is at the tournament.”

Along with their experience, their scoring and hectic defense could cause problems that allow them to make a run.

Their defense creates roughly 19 turnovers per game, which generates transition and three-point opportunities. Getting hot in a single-elimination tournament is not uncommon, and this team has the guard play to do so.

When the Mean Green have been forced to face a set defense in halfcourt however, they have struggled and become stagnant, especially against zone.

A possession from the wbball game against Marshall, their ability to attack a zone will determine how far they can go in the tournament. pic.twitter.com/E69Jkwy3xb

— Matthew Brune (@mattbrune25) March 7, 2017

“We can improve our communication on defense so that we’re all on the same page,” sophomore guard Tyara Warren said. “[Also] just knowing our offense because we’re going to get zoned.”

Mitchell believes there’s a simple explanation to why opponents have gone to a zone.

“Teams are going to that because we’re not hitting [from outside],” Mitchell said. “That is something we definitely need to fix.”

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