Tilley delivered a handful of Kennesaw-bashing one-liners, comments that drew chuckles from other Elite Eight coaches and media.
"We play a shake defense," Tilley said. "We're scared all of the time. I don't know if we can stay with them."
Another Tilley one-liner: "All of my coaching peers here have said how excited they are to be here. How excited can you be about playing North Dakota?"
UND coach Gene Roebuck wasn't that amused. He knows the Sioux won't have an easy game against the taller Owls, a team that hopes to take UND out of its successful transition game.
"I don't believe in mind games," Roebuck said. "If you're in the Elite Eight, you're one of the top teams in the nation.
"I want our team to respect our opponents. At this stage of the season, you only take one game at a time. Our players understand that from being here last year."
And UND also understands a third straight NCAA Division II national championship depends on its transition game, deadly 3-point shooting and strong post play, the ingredients that have led the Sioux to the past two national titles.
Tilley may be sandbagging. The Owls have been impressive in the postseason, beating highly regarded Francis Marion of South Carolina on its home floor in the South Atlantic Region final.
"They have as good of a high-low post game as any team we've played this season," Roebuck said.
Justyna Stanioch, a 6-foot-1 senior, leads the Owls (16.3 ppg). Her play in the post is complemented by 6-3 senior Dion Thornton (15.7). And Kennesaw's point guard, Rima Petronyte, is among the nation's leaders in assists (8.2).
Those three players could be deadly in a half-court game. And that's what UND wants to avoid.
For most of the season, however, few teams have been able to contain UND in a half-court game. The Sioux, led by the transition play of Katie Richards and Jaime Pudenz, have blown away most of opponents this season. And UND's transition game is complemented by Jenny Crouse's dominating post play.
But, Roebuck said, "We need to play very, very well to survive our first game."