Postseason WNIT | 4/4/2025 8:03:53 PM

Buffalo has shown remarkable calm in the face of stress during the 2025 Postseason WNIT, coming back from double-digit deficits and executing with precision in late-game pressure moments. Head coach Becky Burke shared her thoughts on some of the reasons why the Bulls (29-7) have reached the high ground of the championship game against Troy (24-13) on Saturday.
 
Q: Some coaches take over a program when it’s in a broken-down state, but Buffalo had been excelling on every level just before you took over in 2022. How tricky was that?
 
A: That’s one of the reasons I wanted to come to Buffalo; those were the expectations, the standard, something I welcomed. I love a challenge and was excited for the opportunity and to coach for a program that was in very good standing. At the same time, when I took the job I had one player returning, and I lost her. So this was a complete rebuild. It’s not like we were just handed players. The 12-16 record (in Year 1) and making the MAC Tournament as an 8 seed, taking the 1 seed (Toledo) to overtime, we did some really good things that first year. There was a lot to take encouragement from.
 
Q: What’s behind this ability to flip momentum and come back from large deficits?
 
A: It says we are resilient and we find a way, we never quit. We are mentally and physically tough. We’ve been in situations a lot this season, and there’s never been a time where we’ve felt uncomfortable or that we can’t come back and do something special no matter how much time is left. We’ve had to make our way through adversity, and it’s been fun to see us battle and find a way, time after time. It speaks to their character.
 
Q: Your defensive presence is profound, ranking No. 13 in the nation in turnovers forced per game. How did that get baked into the culture there?
 
A: Every program wants to day that they value the defensive end, but you can tell right away which programs preach it, teach it, hold players accountable. It’s a daily thing. It’s in the recruiting process, and it’s when you step on campus in June. We tell our players were the most defensive-minded team in the country, and it shows. We practice to the highest level. It’s what we value, celebrate, and we take no days off from that. It’s a foundational piece, been that way since I started my days as a coach. The fair-weather coaches vs. the real ones, you see it right away and it’s been no different this year.
 
Q: And with a great assist-to-turnover ratio (601 to 516), it’s not like you all just play with pure frenzy.
 
A: Our field-goal percentage is really good, always in the top of the league. You understand when you get those turnovers and you value the possessions, then you capitalize on it … and in the half-court offense we really are aware of who we are as individual players and what our roles are. We stick to those things. There’s no one on the team shooting 3’s who isn’t capable of making 3’s. Nobody driving the ball when they’re not capable of that. It’s clearly laid out.
 
Q: Like almost every team in the WNIT, you had to recover from a disappointing finish in your league tournament, this time a loss to Toledo who you’d played close to twice previously. How was the process of regathering spirits for the WNIT?
 
A: It's incredibly hard. There’s so much emotion, and you talk all year about winning the MAC championship, and when you have that letdown it is massive for 18- to 22-year- olds who care a lot about what we are doing and what we’ve preached about all season. You understand then that (the WNIT) is another opportunity, but does it mean as much as the MAC? It was tricky to get them fired up again for a real cool goal, but one we hadn’t talked about a ton. It was special to see them buy into the idea as the days went by, that we could win another championship. It’s special, nonetheless.
 
I told the team, if you care about two things for this game it’s transition defense and rebounding. We do that to the best of our ability, then we have a great chance to win.
 
Q: What makes a WNIT experience so valuable?
 
A: This is the furthest that any Buffalo basketball program has gone toward winning a national championship. It’s exciting, a testament to our administrators, the university and our program. We don’t take it lightly, and we’re very grateful and extremely happy to be a part of.