Geno: "Maybe the expectations are too high. Maybe we're supposed to have one of those 6-7 loss seasons that other people have. We're in one of those lulls, and we'll have to work our way out of it."

And more: "We're not as good as we made it look last year. We went out and made something that should have been hard look really, really easy last year at times. It's not as easy as people think it is to do something over and over and over again unless you have a lot of talent. I think what's coming out right now is we may not be as talented. But I've always known that."

Taurasi: "“The whole game we couldn't get over the hump. We just couldn't get anything going on offense. Every time we got some momentum, we fouled. ... Including myself, nobody really stepped up to make shots.

Muffet: "We played with a lot of intelligence, and Batteast's block [on Diana] deflated them. I think they thought Taurasi could save the day for them.''

(Did you notice the extremely cold handshake between Geno and Muffet after the game?)

The Irish have slipped pretty far since the days of Riley, Siemon, Ivey, and Ratay. This year they've struggled, especially in their surprising loss to perpetually marginal Georgetown.

But last night none of that mattered. It was just like old times.