Pressure of No. 1 ranking doesn't affect Chippewas
Junior forward Reyna Frost passes the basketball during the basketball game against Eastern Michigan on March 7 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Coming into the 2017-18 season, the Central Michigan women’s basketball team was projected to win the Mid-American Conference regular season.
The Chippewas, led by head coach Sue Guevara, checked that accomplishment off their list.
Now, CMU owns the No. 1 rank in the MAC Tournament and squeaked past No. 9 Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinal round.
Being the top seed doesn’t come with pressure for the squad from Mount Pleasant.
“We don’t really worry about being number one,” said junior guard Presley Hudson. “We focus on us and improving each game. With pressure, you either put that on yourself or you are relaxed. I don’t think we feel any pressure. We are just playing the game we love.”
Junior forward Reyna Frost is aware upsets are at a higher rate in March, but she sticks to focusing on playing hard and surviving.
“Everybody wants to win because it’s March Madness, but we just have to play our game and counter the punches other teams are trying to throw,” Frost said.
When it comes to the pressure of being the top seed, Frost believes it is a good thing for the Chippewas because it allows the team to shine in the spotlight.
“Some people think the pressure is a bad thing, but pressure creates diamonds,” Frost. “A little bit of pressure is felt by every team, but it’s not a bad thing. We embrace it and play our game.”
While Hudson and Frost notice the pressure, senior forward Tinara Moore, the MAC Player of the Year, does not believe there is any stress on the team to be successful.
Regardless of the ranking, Moore knows her team is the best.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure,” Moore said. “We know we are the best team here and we are just going to perform every day. There’s no pressure to win just because we are the number one seed. The first game is always the hardest.”
