Saint Xavier are no strangers to the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament. They’ve participated in the tournament since the ‘02-’03 season.
Coach Hallberg’s team seem to have really hit their stride as of late and it could not have come at a better time. The Cougars will look to improve upon last season where they lost the championship game.
But how far will this team actually go?
To answer those questions and more, we sat down with Sean Anderson, the play-by-play announcer for WXAV 88.3.
First off, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to answer some question for us.
Sean: You’re welcome.
Since you’ve been covering this team since the ‘15-’16 season, how would you rank this team compared to the one that reached the finals last season?
The team is a whole is comparable as the bench has become deeper. However, the bench is missing the game-changing piece it had last season with Mikayla Leyden.
One of the biggest question marks heading into this season was how the team was going to handle the departure of Leyden. Were they able to fill her absence?
SA: With a player they weren’t able to fill her absence. But players like Krolicki and Fanter have been able to adjust their role and game to fill her absence.
We’ve seen this team be dominant throughout the season. Heading into the tournament, what are the type of team will give the Cougars headaches?
SA: Teams with an aggressive press. Teams with good athletes. Bigger teams due to the lack of size down-low aside from Collins. Finally, teams that can balance double-teaming Collins in the half-court along with closing down the shooters on the perimeter.
Any team, or teams, in particular fit that mold?
SA: One of the two teams that the Cougars lost to this season, the Concordia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have a fierce full-court press that the Cougars struggled with in December and their sophomore forward, Philly Lammers, gave the Cougars trouble defensively down-low. The other team would be the Southeastern Fire. The Fire are the #1 team in the NAIA Division II Coaches Poll. The Fire boast a lot of size to pair with their athleticism in the starting line-up. Southeastern has not had a tough schedule, however, they have defeated University of St, Francis, who the Cougars struggled with, in January. It remains to be seen if Southeastern is a true contender or not and the Cougars will have to find out.
What will the Cougars have to do if they plan to make it to the championship game?
SA: Kara Krolicki and Brittany Collins will need to be the stars that they were in last year’s tournament. If Krolicki and Collins do end up struggling, the remaining Cougars will need to have perfect performances to avoid being knocked out. We have seen throughout the season when Kara and Brittany struggle, that they’re able to contribute to the team outside of scoring. But when called upon, players like Meg Knutson, Chanel Fanter, Maddie Welter, and Tomei Ball, off the bench, cannot be shied away by the bright lights.
All that being said, where do you see this team finishing in the tournament?
SA: To win a National Championship in a tournament setting, you have to be perfect for five games. Last year the Cougars were only perfect for four but the experience gained by the four returning starters put them as favorites in the tournament. I think this team has the mental toughness to win the National Championship and they clearly have the coaching. However, it is so tough to predict where a team will fall. I feel confident that, at worse, this team will be an Elite 8 team. This team can definitely bring a National Championship to Saint Xavier.
Once again, we’d like to thank Sean Anderson for taking the time to speak with us.
The tournament officially begins on March 7th. We wish nothing but the best for Saint Xavier and hope they can bring a national title home. Good luck!
Ernesto Hernandez
Sports Editor