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LOUISVILLE – Saturday will mark 13 days since the last time the University of Rhode Island women's basketball team took the floor for game action.
That’s a short time to wait when you consider a 30-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, but it is a drought nonetheless. The Rams are hungry to get to business here at the KFC Yum! Center, and they checked off a final few boxes Friday ahead of an afternoon tip with Alabama in Regional 3.
Albina Syla and Sophia Vital hit the podium prior to coach Tammi Reiss. Practice on the court – closed after the opening 15 minutes – started with post drills, guards attacking the rim and plenty of shooting. No. 11 URI and the sixth-seeded Crimson Tide were set for a scheduled 2:30 p.m. tip, and mental preparation took up equal importance to the physical
“You lose focus on why you’re here,” Reiss said. “You’ve got to keep them laser sharp.
“Over the past couple days, it’s really mental focus. It’s really approaching their mentality and trying to explain what they’re about to see.”
Free gear awaited players in their lockers and at the team hotel. Adjusting from the cozy Ryan Center and the Henrico Sports & Events Center that hosted the Atlantic 10 tournament also figured to be a challenge – only the JMA Wireless Dome at Syracuse features more home game capacity than this venue. Even a curtained upper deck leaves an expansive lower bowl with two suite levels ready to be filled.
“We're really concentrating on the way we start practice,” Syla said. “We like to practice how we play. We like to make practices even harder than games.”
That approach has served the Rams well to date. They shared a second conference regular season title under Reiss with George Mason and made their March breakthrough by taking out the Patriots in the title matchup. URI battled to a 53-51 victory last time out, the last of three straight on a neutral floor in Virginia. The Rams have already set a new program record for wins in a season and have every intention of adding a couple more here.
“Alabama is kind of like a mix of Davidson – they can shoot the ball really well,” Vital said. “George Mason – they're really physical. Also Richmond – they can also shoot the ball really well.
“Playing in the A-10 has really helped prepare us for this game.”
URI (28-4) offered a hint of what was to come with a November win at North Carolina State. The Rams controlled the fourth quarter in a 68-63 triumph, their first against a top-20 opponent in the national rankings. URI was paid a guarantee to go on the road and upset an ACC foe – it will be a similar setting here against a program from the powerful SEC.
“I feel like that NC State game prepared us for the rest of the season and all the tough teams that we played,” Vital said. “It prepared us to play all the tough teams in this tournament. We’re coming into this tournament to really compete.”
Alabama (23-10) ripped through its nonconference schedule at 14-0 before hitting some trouble against league foes. The Crimson Tide finished just 7-9 before tournament victories against Missouri and Tennessee offered some late momentum. Alabama was skunked by eventual champion Texas in the quarterfinals, an 83-60 setback that came all the way back on March 6.
“On this stage it’s really hard to prepare,” Reiss said. “Nothing is like a game.
“When those cameras come and the lights turn on and you’ve got Alabama looking you straight in the eye, they’re going to have to start really well and really disciplined.”
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island basketball practices for March Madness game vs. Alabama
Continue reading...
That’s a short time to wait when you consider a 30-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, but it is a drought nonetheless. The Rams are hungry to get to business here at the KFC Yum! Center, and they checked off a final few boxes Friday ahead of an afternoon tip with Alabama in Regional 3.
Albina Syla and Sophia Vital hit the podium prior to coach Tammi Reiss. Practice on the court – closed after the opening 15 minutes – started with post drills, guards attacking the rim and plenty of shooting. No. 11 URI and the sixth-seeded Crimson Tide were set for a scheduled 2:30 p.m. tip, and mental preparation took up equal importance to the physical
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“You lose focus on why you’re here,” Reiss said. “You’ve got to keep them laser sharp.
“Over the past couple days, it’s really mental focus. It’s really approaching their mentality and trying to explain what they’re about to see.”
Free gear awaited players in their lockers and at the team hotel. Adjusting from the cozy Ryan Center and the Henrico Sports & Events Center that hosted the Atlantic 10 tournament also figured to be a challenge – only the JMA Wireless Dome at Syracuse features more home game capacity than this venue. Even a curtained upper deck leaves an expansive lower bowl with two suite levels ready to be filled.
“We're really concentrating on the way we start practice,” Syla said. “We like to practice how we play. We like to make practices even harder than games.”
That approach has served the Rams well to date. They shared a second conference regular season title under Reiss with George Mason and made their March breakthrough by taking out the Patriots in the title matchup. URI battled to a 53-51 victory last time out, the last of three straight on a neutral floor in Virginia. The Rams have already set a new program record for wins in a season and have every intention of adding a couple more here.
“Alabama is kind of like a mix of Davidson – they can shoot the ball really well,” Vital said. “George Mason – they're really physical. Also Richmond – they can also shoot the ball really well.
“Playing in the A-10 has really helped prepare us for this game.”
You must be registered for see images attach
URI (28-4) offered a hint of what was to come with a November win at North Carolina State. The Rams controlled the fourth quarter in a 68-63 triumph, their first against a top-20 opponent in the national rankings. URI was paid a guarantee to go on the road and upset an ACC foe – it will be a similar setting here against a program from the powerful SEC.
“I feel like that NC State game prepared us for the rest of the season and all the tough teams that we played,” Vital said. “It prepared us to play all the tough teams in this tournament. We’re coming into this tournament to really compete.”
Alabama (23-10) ripped through its nonconference schedule at 14-0 before hitting some trouble against league foes. The Crimson Tide finished just 7-9 before tournament victories against Missouri and Tennessee offered some late momentum. Alabama was skunked by eventual champion Texas in the quarterfinals, an 83-60 setback that came all the way back on March 6.
“On this stage it’s really hard to prepare,” Reiss said. “Nothing is like a game.
“When those cameras come and the lights turn on and you’ve got Alabama looking you straight in the eye, they’re going to have to start really well and really disciplined.”
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island basketball practices for March Madness game vs. Alabama
Continue reading...
