March 7, 2005
SAN DIEGO - Quotes from San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher
Opening statement:
"My congratulations to Ray Giacoletti for leading Utah to a great season. I don't think any of us are surprised he was named coach of the year. It is well deserved. Andrew Bogut and Marc Jackson were phenomenal all season. I think the voting was not a big surprise.
"We are playing Air Force on a quick turnaround. We played them a week ago today and lost at home. The score was not indicative of the game, which got away from us in the last three to five minutes. We need to do a better job in terms of how we guard and make a few more shots.
"Hope springs eternal for all of us now. We are excited to be playing. We have struggled to get a win for a long time but hopefully we will come in and find a way to win a close game. We are anxious to get started and I think it will be a great tournament. I am hopeful that we will play well and be playing after Thursday."
Q: With the year you made a run in the conference tournament, was there a key in your mind to making that run?
"We were playing exceptional basketball when the tournament started. We had won five of our last six and we were playing as good as anybody in the league. I don't think it was a huge surprise to a lot of people that we won. We won close games and I think in tournament play you have to be able to make baskets and make key stops, and if you do that you have a chance to move on. I do believe there will be a lot of close games in our tournament."
Q: If I made you pick an NCAA Tournament champion right now who would you pick?
"I've picked Illinois all season. Despite the fact they lost yesterday, they have been pretty good this year. They have three great guards. Bruce Weber has done a fantastic job coaching that team. They lost a terribly heartbreaking game yesterday. They are a terrific team in every regard and they are expertly coached. They are obviously going to be a number one seed. The guys that have performed well for them all year will be looked on to make plays and help them move forward in the tournament."
Q: Has anybody given you an explanation on why you are playing the 10 p.m. game?
"That thought has not crossed my mind."