>> YOU FINISHED UP NON-CONFERENCE PLAY AT 9-1.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE TAKEAWAY FA FROM THAT STRETCH.

>> LEADERSHIP.

I SAW THE THE CAPTAINS LED AND THEY WERE FOLLOWED BECAUSE THEY WERE DETERMINED AND LOCKED INTO THE LEADERSHIP WORDS AND THEIR ACTIONS AND THEIR BEING ON THE TEAM GIVES THEM A SENSE OF WE ARE GOING TO BE OKAY BECAUSE OUR LEADERS ARE WITH US.

>> YOUR TEAM DISPLAYS A LOT OF DEPTH IN THOSE MATCHUPS, COLGATE AND MERCY ESPECIALLY.

HOW DOES THAT HELP YOU TO KNOW AS A COACH THAT YOU CAN RELY ON PLAYERS DEEP INTO THE BENCH.

>> AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE ACC THAT WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW, THE NUMBER WILL HAVE TO CHANGE A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENED IN NON-CONFERENCE HAS ALLOWED US TO GO INJURY FREE AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO SAVE OUR MAIN PLAYERS AND NOW SHOW THE MATURITY OF A TEAM WHERE NOW YOUR NUMBER ISN'T GOING TO BE CALLED BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SHORTEN THE BENCH A LITTLE BIT TO 8 TO 9 PLAYERS.

ARE YOU STILL GOING TO BE LOCKED IN AND ABOUT THE TEAM'S SUCCESS?

THOSE ARE THINGS WE WILL FIND OUT ABOUT THE TEAM GOING FORWARD.

>> HOW MUCH DOES THE LEADERSHIP THAT YOU MENTIONED, HELP WITH KEEPING A UNIT LOCKED IN FROM TOP TO BOTTOM?

>> THAT'S MY COACHES.

MY COACHES ARE GOING TO KEEP EVERYBODY LOCKED IN.

WE DO A LOT OF FUN THINGS TOGETHER.

AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT MY EXPECTATIONS ARE, WHAT THEY SEE, PERCEIVE TO BE SOME LOOPHOLES WE MIGHT NEED TO PATCH UP PRIOR TO IT BECOMING SOMETHING BIGGER.

AND SO I'M RELYING HEAVILY ON MY COACHES AND I THINK THEY'RE THE RIGHT ONES FOR THE JOB.

>> SPEAKING OF FUN THINGS, RECENTLY ONE OF THE BEST DAYS IN THE DOME EACH CALENDAR YEAR IS SCHOOL DAY.

OVER 10,000 FANS IN ATTENDANCE.

YOU GUYS PUT ON QUITE A SHOW THAT DAY.

TWO BUZZER BEATERS SCORED OVER 100 POINTS IN THAT GAME.

HOW FUN WAS THE SHOW FOR THAT FOR THE FANS TO SEE.

>> SHE WAS LOCKED IN.

THEY HAD HER TRAPPED AND THEN SHE JUST CHUCKED THAT THING UP AND IT GOES IN.

WE CALLED THE PLAY AND IT WAS ACTUALLY COOPER DIDN'T GET OPEN AND SHE KIND OF WENT A DIFFERENT DIRECTION AND MADDIE COMES TO THE BALL AND ONE SECOND LEFT AND BANGS A THREE AND IT'S JUST, THAT'S HOW YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE FOR A VACATION AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THOSE THREE, YOU KNOW, FINDING MORE MINUTES ON THE COURT.

>> COACH, YOU MOVED BACK INTO CONFERENCE PLAY WITH THE ACC HOME OPENER VERSUS DUKE.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THAT PERFORMANCE AND THAT RESULT?

>> I LEARNED A LOT.

I LEARNED THAT WE CAN START OFF AND PLAY GREAT AGAINST A TEAM THAT WAS ARGUABLY THE ONE PREDICTED TO WIN THE ACC.

THEY'RE REALLY GOOD THEY ARE REALLY LONG, SEASONED AND ALL ALL AMERICANS ON THAT TEAM.

WE REALLY FACE A CHALLENGE I THOUGHT WE STARTED OFF PLAYING THE CHALLENGE AS IF WE DIDN'T SEE A DUKE, WE JUST SAW PEOPLE IN FRONT OF OUR DREAMS AND THEN IT GOT WEIRD.

WE GOT CALLS THAT WERE AGAINST UJ UJE AND WE HAD TO READJUST.

ONE THING THAT I DID WHICH IS NOT CHARACTERISTIC OF ME, I LOST MY CHARACTER I THOUGHT WE NEEDED TO PLAY THE LONG GAME AND TAKE HER OUT.

THAT'S SAFE.

WE DON'T PLAY SAFE.

NOT IN A WORLD LIKE THIS.

WE GOT ONE CHANCE.

WE JUMP, WE DRAWN, WE SWIM OR WE FLY.

I NEEDED TO TRUST HER AND I DIDN'T.

I DIDN'T TRUST THE WAY THE GAME WAS BEING CALLED AND I SHELFED HER AND LET HER SIT TOO LONG AND THEY WENT ON A 7-0 RUN AGAINST US DURING THAT TIME.

WE SUBSTITUTED UNCHARACTERISTICALLY OF US AS WELL AND THEN WE HAD SOME LONG MEETINGS AND WE HAVE A BETTER PLAN MOVING FORWARD.

>> FOR UCHE AS A FORWARD, WHERE SHE IS ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S BEST SHOT BLOCKERS BUT STAYING OUT OF FOUL TROUBLE, WHAT IS THAT FOR HER, THE INTENSITY AND STAYING ON THE COURT.

>> THAT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING BECAUSE I KNOW THAT UCHE FOULED THREE TIMES.

NOT CERTAIN ABOUT THE OTHERS.

IT'S A CRAP SHOOT.

THEY'RE NOT WRONG.

WE HAVE TO ADJUST.

WE HAVE TO KNOW IN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES.

IT'S GOING TO BE A TIGHT GAME CALLED OR A LOOSE GAME CALLED AND WE ARE GOING TO ADJUST AS WE SEE IF IT.

THE MORE THE WORLD IS GOING TO SEE HOW INCREDIBLE A STUDENT ATHLETE THIS YOUNG LADY IS AND I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PROTECT HER A LITTLE BIT MORE.

THAT'S GOING TO BE ON ME.

>> SPEAKING OF ADJUSTING, A NEW ROLE TO THIS YEAR FOR DOMINIQUE DARIUS BUT SHE CONTINUES TO SHOW THAT SHE IS READY FOR IT.

WHAT IMPRESSED YOU ABOUT THE WAY SHE HAS TAKEN THE BULL BY THE HORNS.

>> ?

SHE WAS OUR PROTECT PROTECTOR IN NON-CONFERENCE.

SHE SETTLED US DOWN, GO GET IN YOUR PLACE, COACH WHAT YOU WANT ME TO CALL AND WE RAN IT AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO PROTECT US AS MUCH ANYMORE, DOM.

YOU CAN LET IT GO.

YOU CAN RELEASE THE BALL SO WE WON'T GET STUCK AS OFTEN ANYMORE BECAUSE AS WE GO THROUGH CONFERENCE PLAY, WE WANT THE BALL OUT OF HER HAND A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE I THINK SHE IS A BETTER SCORER.

AND SO IF WE GET HER PUSHING THE BALL UP THROUGH A PASS AND THEN GETTING AND POCKETS WHERE SHE CAN BE GREAT AT, GIVE HER THE BALL AND LET HER MAKE IT DO WHAT IT DO, THAT'S GOING TO BE MORE HELPFUL.

IT'S GOING TO BE MORE HELPFUL WHEN I GET HER PLAYING THE TWO AND POINT GUARD SO SHE CAN SHOOT THE THREE BALL, GET TO THE BUCKET, GET TO THE FREE THROW LINE BETTER THAN ANYBODY ON OUR TEAM SHE DOES AND I THINK DOM IS GOING TO BE A LOT MORE SIGNIFICANT AS WE MOVE INTO ACC PLAY.

BUT WITHOUT HER, IN THE NON-CONFERENCE PLAY, WE WOULDN'T HAVE WENT 11-1.