March 17, 2011
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2 | Photo Gallery 3
Highlights | Postgame: Fisher | Postgame: Gay | Postgame: Tapley | Postgame: Rahon | Postgame: Carlwell
SDSU PC Quotes | SDSU Locker Room Quotes | UNC PC Quotes | UNC Locker Room Quotes
Postgame Press Conference
Tuscon, Ariz.
San Diego State
THE MODERATOR: We're going to let Coach Fisher make some opening remarks.
COACH FISHER: Feels good not only to be here, but to win and to advance. (It's been) well documented this is our first NCAA postseason win. Our players don't care about that. They've only been a part of one other and they like this a whole lot better than a year ago.
We got what we wanted, and we had a great group of San Diegoans who came here to support this team. It felt like a home crowd. It felt like a home court and that's immensely helpful.
We knew this would be a hard fought game. This is a good team we played. And we found, like we have in 32 other victories, a way to win games and we're a good spurt team. We can get points in bunches. We did that again today. And everybody contributed. So this was a really good team victory and we're very proud of them.
Q. Kawhi, you look like you really had your shot going early in that game. Did you want to explore your offense in this one when you felt like you had it?
Kawhi Leonard: No. You know, Coach Fisher just did a good job the day before at shootaround letting us put up some shots, getting our rhythm on the court. And today my team did a good job by penetrating and just giving me wide open looks and then I just felt confident shooting the ball.
Q. Just for all you guys, do you guys feel any sense of relief here?
D.J. Gay: Relief? Kind of. But we're not, you know, satisfied just yet. We know that we're a very good team that's capable of making a run. And this one feels good. But if we win the next one, that one will feel a lot better.
Chase Tapley: I mean, like D.J. said, it was a relief, but we still have work to do. We still have a big game on Saturday and keep moving. Keep the winning streak going on.
Q. D.J., what does it mean to get this win for Coach Fisher, knowing it's been 12 years wanting to get a win here for San Diego in the tournament?
D.J. Gay: Just shows how Coach Fisher's been patient with this program, and how he's built it up to what it is now. It feels good to, you know, to give back and in a special way that the team can. You know, this win was for Coach Fisher. It was for us. And it was for everybody back in San Diego.
Q. D.J., what kind of boost did Rahon give you off the bench tonight?
D.J. Gay: Rahon is a spark for us. He can come in the game and knock down shots when we're struggling offensively and he is a good defender as well. So when he comes on the court we don't lose anything at all. He comes in and he helps the game go up to another level. We can always count on him. And when he gets an open shot, everybody in the gym expects him to take it.
Q. Kawhi, in your early looks in the first half when you were hitting threes, were you getting another second to square up and look that you normally wouldn't get?
Kawhi Leonard: A little bit. I guess, the game plan was letting me shoot the three without closing me out. They were just closing me out with no high hands at all. Then the shot was basically wide open for me to shoot. You know, I just felt good shooting it.
Q. D.J., you haven't scored in so long, what did it feel like when you finally made one?
D.J. Gay: It felt good, you know, to finally hit a shot. You know, I've been in a slump lately. My offensive game hasn't really been what it has been in the past. But, you know, the key thing is doing other things to help this team. If I'm not scoring the ball, then it's getting the ball to the hot hand, help running the offense. And on the defensive end as well. So, I mean, you know, my shot will come. And I just got to stay confident in myself. And when I get the opportunity, take it.
Q. Now that all is said and done, was guarding Beitzel anything like guarding Jimmer Fredette?
Chase Tapley: They're similar. I mean, Fredette really takes you off the dribble and Beitzel really comes off screens, but they're both really good players and really can shoot the ball and he was on today.
Q. D.J., you say sometimes your job is to get the ball to the hot hand. Is it easy to recognize, for instance, a 13-0 run in James Rahon knocking down points, is it easy to tell he is the guy to get the ball to?
D.J. Gay: Absolutely. But it wasn't just James Rahon. We had four guys in double figures today. This is our team in a nutshell. We can win on the inside. We can win on the outside. We had guys knocking down shots. Billy, Kawhi played big for us. When James is hot like that, we do have to find a way to get him the ball, just like my other teammates.
Q. D.J., this is a game you used to play 40 minutes in. You got 34 minutes tonight. Can you talk about the rest and why you rested?
D.J. Gay: I think that coach is doing a better job managing my minutes. Early in the season my body hit a wall after a certain point. And, you know, this rest has given me the ability to, you know, catch my breath even quicker, to see the game from a different point of view, and to observe. So when I go back in, I can adjust.
Q. Kawhi, can you talk about when they would cut it to five and kind of keep themselves in the hunt what your focus was on, you know, the next possession to at least come out of there with points. If you remember back off a miss from somebody when you went in for the rebound and went up and caught it just right and almost dropped it and what that felt like. Do you felt like that gave you some momentum at that time?
Kawhi Leonard: You know, if the lead's close, me and my team know that we need to get a stop on defense in order to build up the lead. So we just all zeroed in just on defense and was ready to get out there. But, you know, I just crashed the boards like I usually do. And I lucked up and got the offensive rebound and put it back in.
Q. Billy, can you talk about how the size and length of your front court seemed to frustrate them and handicap them tonight?
Billy White: We just, you know, just tried to play like we usually been playing. You know, coach just told us to crash the boards a little bit more. We knew that they're an offensive team, they like to crash the boards. We just try to use our length and try to make them take hard shots. That was our game plan.
Q. Billy, how did you prepare for Northern Colorado's post players now that you got to play against them in person, was it kind of what you expected?
Billy White: Yeah. We knew they're physical. We knew that they're a physical team and they like to get rebounds. So we just watched tape on them and just prepared on them. We just tried to play our best. And that's what we did. We just used our length like we usually do and just got rebounds.
Q. D.J., not exactly the Viejas Arena, but can you talk about the show and the students you could hear out there and how they supported you?
D.J. Gay: They've been big for us all season long, whether on the road or at home. They stuck with us from our first exhibition game until now. We all appreciate what the fans do for us. If things seem to the energy seems to get low, the fans do a great job of standing up, clapping and cheering and getting us all energized. We call them our sixth man. And, you know, we couldn't ask for a better sixth man. The show and the fans that made the trip out here, they help make this a special season.
THE MODERATOR: Okay, guys, thank you very much. We'll open it up for Coach Fisher.
Q. Steve, you talked in your press conference on Monday and then talked again and made a point of it yesterday, I guess, when you talked about them and how well they rebound, and how they came into your place three years ago and you saw how well they rebounded. Obviously, that was a point that you wanted to address. What did you do to help your kids create so many lanes or whatever openings to get, especially on the offensive board. Was there something in particular you saw that was going to work?
COACH FISHER: No. We've got length. We've got athleticism. And we have the ability to go after the ball. Kawhi's the best offensive rebounder I've ever coached. And he only had one. The one you talked about where he put it in. Billy White has had back to back seven offensive rebound games. He's had seven straight, I believe, double figure games. And several back to back double-doubles. So we've got a variety of people that can go after balls. And we've got length. And we pursue the ball.
What we did, we showed them clips of the Northern Colorado game; both game one when they beat us in our building, game two when we had a narrow victory back up in their building, and how they did it. They wedge as well as anybody in the country on the weak side rebound. And you have to hit first. And they got several tonight. This is a good team. This is a well-coached team.
So we prepared our kids, not that they needed to, but to say, This team beat you. And this team expects to beat you. And you have to see how they beat us in our building.
I think it was helpful that we were able to show them some of those clips.
Q. Can you talk about the role team defense played in tonight's victory?
COACH FISHER: We're a good defensive team. We led our league in field goal percentage and three point field goal percentage. We've done a really good job of not giving teams transition open looks. And that wins for you.
We say, contest the three. We wanted to contest the threes with this ball club tonight because they make eight or nine a game. So we have a defense that we hang our hat on. And that allows us the kind of ebb and flow and ebb and flow and all of a sudden get that 10 nothing spurt, get that 13 nothing spurt. And we've done that with some consistency this year. And it starts with how you guard. And you got to finish guarding with rebounding the ball.
Q. How concerned were you when Beitzel went on that run early in the second half to cut it, I guess it was three? Then what did you do after the to slow him down and the rest of them down during that, I guess it was about a seven minute scoreless drought?
COACH FISHER: Beitzel, not unlike Jimmer Fredette, he wears No. 32. And he plays the same way. Chase made a good point. He gets a lot of his looks off of multiple screens. Fredette creates a lot of his own shots. But I've got great admiration for Beitzel and how he played.
I think at one point he had every point they scored in the second half. He scored their first 11, 13 points in the second half. And some of them we were on him. He just made some hard shots.
And what we did is rotate a body or two on him. Chase started on him, Chase Tapley. Rahon guarded him. Then we said, If it's a screen, you know, Billy, you got to be prepared. Malcolm, you've got to be prepared to drag and help until he gets back. So we, as the second half went on, we made it a little more difficult for him. And he missed some shots.
Q. Coach, I was going to ask if you could talk at the beginning of the game, maybe the first 14 minutes when it was back and forth three point game, what were you telling your players in time outs and if you can just touch on again what Beitzel's performance kind of showed you tonight?
COACH FISHER: We said you have to continue to compete. You are not going to score 10 points in a possession. We are playing against a conference champion, a conference tournament champion. We're playing against a good team. Be patient. Don't get frustrated.
We had multiple shots, I thought, early that, you know, Malcolm had that didn't go in. We had a lot of inside shots that didn't go in. I think we got a little bit frustrated offensively.
I thought we shot a few quick shots that were good shots as opposed to making an extra pass, swing it from the right side to the left side, and turn a good shot into a great shot, and let them get a little tired. We got tired chasing Beitzel. So we said, Let's make them chase you a little bit. I thought we did a better job of that in the second half.
Beitzel is a terrific, terrific player. And a great competitor. We knew, they knew they wanted to get him multiple looks. As he came out in that second half, he got them and made them. Most of them we were at least able to get a high hand up. And some of them we contested hard and he still made them. He is a very, very good player.
And I told him after the game that, congratulations on a fantastic career. And I watched him since they beat us when he was a freshman. He might have been a red shirt freshman. He came into our building and I told our players he played 20 minutes, he had 7 for 13 or 14, he had 15 points in our building when they beat us and he made shot after shot after shot. And he's done that for his career there. He is a very good player.
Q. Lute Olson had a chance to talk to you and your team after the game. Can you talk to us about the message he gave to you and your players.
COACH FISHER: Lute and I have been friends for a long, long time. He came in his locker room, which is the locker room we have, and he went around and talked to some of our players individually. And he just talked about our team and the length that we've got and how we can do what we've talked about all year. Score in multiple ways. We're hard to score on even when it looks like they're good shots. And was very, very complimentary. Then he went around and shook several hands and told them the same thing.
Q. Coach, D.J. seemed very proud to get the win for you. He said this win is for Coach Fisher. How does that make you feel and did the players say anything to you in the locker room?
COACH FISHER: This win wasn't for me. You made him say that. (Laughter.) This win was for our program, our team and everybody that's been involved in our program.
I've been there 12 years. D.J.'s been the cornerstone of our team for four years. He's been a phenomenal leader, a great ambassador for San Diego State. Forget about athletically. San Diego State University. He is eloquent when he gets up in front, does all the right things.
So this was a win for everybody that's been associated with San Diego State. And maybe not even I need to go beyond our 12 years. For everybody that's put on a San Diego State uniform or walked the halls and gone to class there, we got a lot of proud Aztecs today. And we are proud also.
Q. Couple of things. One, how about the coach? Is there relief in the coach? Do you feel like a load has been lifted? And, two, did you want the team to shoot that many three pointers early?
COACH FISHER: You know, Nick, I'm not going to say "relief." I would have been despondent had we not won, obviously. But I was not extra nervous about a game that we were supposed to win. The first time in my tenure at San Diego State that we were supposed to win a game. And we did.
So it feels good to get a win. It feels good to say we're coming up last to talk, that we're going be playing on Saturday. So from that standpoint, it does. It feels good.
I don't know that I would use the word "relief" though. I'm proud. I'm proud to be part of what this program is.
Q. Three pointers?
COACH FISHER: Oh, three pointers. You know, you can't tell them not to take open threes. I'm going when Billy White made his three, I'm going no, no, no, no. And he made it. So you can't be afraid to take a shot. We were 4 for 8 in the second half. We were 5 for 14 in the first half. And I thought most of them were good looks.
I think what we said at halftime was if you are a bit more patient you will get better shots. So we only took eight in the second half and made four. That is pretty good.
So we were better in terms of moving the ball in the second half and passing up a quick early shot to get a better shot.
Q. You talked about your spurts, particularly in the second half. This one was key not only by Kawhi and Billy, but James Rahon. Can you go through that run in the second half.
COACH FISHER: James Rahon, well documented. We recruited him when he was a sophomore in high school. He is from Torrey Pines High School right down the street. He opted to go away to Santa Clara. Then he opted to come home. We were so excited when he transferred in.
He can do more than just shoot the ball. But he's a rhythm shooter. He can get on a run where he can make multiple shots. And he's done that not just today. But he did that today in the stretch that kind of took a close game and gave us some separation.
And our kids, as D.J. said, they recognized it, we got him some back to back looks, and he made shots.
Q. Can you give your thoughts on D.J. Gay and the slump he is in.
COACH FISHER: D.J. Gay is not in a slump. The ball is just not going in for him. D.J. Gay is a winner. He does everything we ask. If you come back and look at the film and watch how he guards and watch how he helps with his defense and moves the ball and does things that win, I'm not going to get caught up and I'm not going to allow D.J. to get caught up in going 0 for whatever he did in the first half and making two baskets.
Everybody wants to score. You feel a little better about yourself when the ball goes in. But you can't judge success individually or team wise on 2 for 11 or 0 for 9 or whatever it might be. We don't win without D.J. in this line up. He knows that. And I know that and everybody else knows that.
Q. Coach, Kawhi, what did you think of his performance?
COACH FISHER: Kawhi is a terrific player. He's done for two years for San Diego State what everybody hoped he would do when he came in much hyped and ballyhooed as Mr. Basketball. He's unafraid.
A year ago when we played Tennessee, they backed off him and dared him to shoot the ball. And I believe he was 0 for 4 in the first half from three point range. He is a gym rat. He takes great pride in being a player.
We talk about big hands, we talk about rebounding, Kawhi Leonard is a player. And he finds ways to make plays that you win with. And he was very instrumental in our victory tonight, no question.
THE MODERATOR: Okay, coach, thank you very much.
COACH FISHER: Thank you.
Additional SDSU players in locker room
Tim Shelton
On upcoming games:
"In our minds, there are no seeds right now. Everybody's equal and it's just one game at a time."
On halftime speech:
"Coach talked to us at halftime and just calmed us down. He knew that we just needed to calm down."
James Rahon
On SDSU's first tournament win:
"Being from San Diego, it means a lot. It's great to represent for my city. It's a great feeling to be a part of this, but we're not done yet. Now we're trying to get that second win."
On his shots falling:
"We settled down in the second half. I knew my team would find me and I just stayed patient and hit the open shots when I got them."
Brian Carlwell
On fan support:
"We knew we'd have support, and we're proud of that. We had a nice section cheering for us, so we're proud of that."
On the win:
"We started off a little slow. Then we started buckling down and playing San Diego basketball. We just played defense and tried to not let them score. We felt we were ready, our shots just weren't falling. We had open looks, but like I said, the shots just weren't falling, so we struggled, but we picked it up in the second half."
On Kawhi Leonard:
"He stepped it up and gave us a spark to get others going."
On James Rahon:
"James had open looks early. He helped us get up."
On Temple:
"We will start watching film tonight and get ready to play. We don't want to go home."
Jamaal Franklin
On his first NCAA win:
"It feels great and the best feeling to get the first win and be part of it."
San Diego State
THE MODERATOR: For Northern Colorado we've got Taylor Montgomery, Devon Beitzel, Elliott Lloyd, Chris Kaba and Coach Hill. Coach, if you can start with some opening remarks.
COACH HILL: Can't fault our guys' effort. I thought they played extremely hard. Thought we followed the game plan for about 34 minutes tonight. Hat's off to San Diego State. They're even better in person than what they are on video.
When they shoot the ball like that, there's not too many people in the country that I think can beat them.
I thought our guys played their hearts out for being here for the first time. I don't think they were intimidated. I thought they just went out and did what we've done since December 25th to win the Big Sky Conference championship. Couldn't be more proud of them.
Q. Devon, did you pretty much, once you started falling behind the second half or in the second half in general, were you pretty much taking it upon yourself to kind of get them back in it?
DEVON BEITZEL: I was just trying to stay aggressive. That is all that was. I was just trying to stay aggressive. The guys were doing a good job setting screens and finding me when I was open, you know.
Q. Elliott, were you not getting the same looks in the second half that you got early in the game?
ELLIOTT LLOYD: Well, I just wanted to be aggressive in the first half, find my teammates in the right spots. We just wanted to execute the game plan offensively, which is get my teammates the open shots they deserve. I just wanted to make it easy for the seniors.
Q. When San Diego State really started shooting well there in the second half, what were they doing differently or was it a defensive lapse, what was it?
DEVON BEITZEL: Um, I know a couple of plays I got stuck in some screens and let 22 and 11 get some open shots.
You know, they're just a good team. They got a lot of weapons on their team. They spread it around really well.
You know, I think they had four, five guys with double figures. So, I mean, when you got a team doing that, it's really tough to guard.
Q. This is for Taylor. What do you think the team's emotion was, how uptight were you or how loose were you coming into the game when the game started and do you think you did everything that you wanted to do except hit the shots?
TAYLOR MONTGOMERY: I feel we were very loose. We were very comfortable. We didn't feel too tight. We just knew we were going to have fun out there. All the pressure was on them to win. We were just thinking we'll play our game and do our thing. I never even thought about the game. Slept fine last night. It was just another game.
But we executed the game plan for the most part, as coach said, for, you know, 34, 36 minutes. We had it going. And they just knocked down shots. When they shoot that well, there's only so much you can do.
Q. Taylor, part of the game plan was to crash the boards and dominate them. You pretty much did defensive. What were you doing to keep them off the offensive glass?
TAYLOR MONTGOMERY: Just sticking to our defensive principles. You know, just hit a body and create space and go get the ball.
We knew they loved to crash. And they had players that really got a lot of offensive rebounds and crash all the time. So our main focus, I know for the front line, was to hit bodies and create space, then just go get the ball.
Q. Chris, how much did Kawhi impress you tonight?
CHRIS KABA: He's a lottery pick (laughter). You can't say too much more about that. He was a cool dude. For one, he is a big guy. He is about 6'5", 6'6", 6'7", maybe 225. He has a high motor.
A lot of shots I played right there and he still just raised up and found a way to get it in. He is a very good player. I fully intend to see him in the draft next year.
Q. Devon, only eight free throw attempts for you guys as a team. How much did that change the game plan not being able to go to the rim? Did that make you shoot more threes than you normally would?
DEVON BEITZEL: I think we settled a lot more than we should have for threes, or jump shots in general.
You know, they do have a lot of size in there and it's hard to get in there and get your shot up. Especially for us little guys. (Laughter.) You know, but, yeah, I mean, they did a good job shutting down the paint and forcing us into longer looks.
Q. Devon, you've been coming off picks all year, did they chase any harder than people you faced before? And what did Coach Fisher say to you in the handshake line there?
DEVON BEITZEL: He just told me, Good game, great career. And, I mean, they pretty much did the same thing the rest of the teams that we've played against did: Chase me off screens and try to force me to attack. And, I mean, they did a good job.
They fought all game. And they obviously did enough to win.
Q. Just for the seniors, being here in this game in your final season, what does this mean to you guys?
TAYLOR MONTGOMERY: It feels amazing, you know. We can walk with our heads held high. Even though we lost this game, you know, from the beginning of the season this is what we talked about. We talked about winning our conference, winning the tournament championship, then make it to the NCAA's.
Now, would I have liked to go further in the tournament? Of course. But, you know, I had a blast and this is just a great time that I'll always remember. I feel like I can walk out with my head held high.
DEVON BEITZEL: We made history this year. We made history as a program. We did a lot of firsts. And, I mean, we have nothing to feel but proud for doing so.
Q. You guys have talked about before you left and the first few days of practice about wanting to prove that you belong, that this program belongs. Maybe directed to Elliott. You are coming back next year, the seniors are leaving, but do you think that UNC basketball belongs here?
ELLIOTT LLOYD: Most definitely we belong here. Our teammates, we know what we got to do to get back here. We just got to stay focused and get the team to work hard in the off season and let the chips fall as they may.
THE MODERATOR: Okay, guys, thank you very much. Questions for coach.
Q. B.J., you were pretty much taking your chances hoping they would have a bad shooting night.
COACH HILL: Yeah. They didn't. I thought the guys defensively followed the game plan, which was when it went inside, dig it out. Then our guards had to rotate on the pass out. And we had to play the percentages.
We got to give them credit. They hit good shots. They hit tough shots. They reverse the ball to the open guy to where we had to sprint, you know, across the court and try to challenge shots. That's what's worked for, you know, 17 games out of the last 21. It just didn't happen tonight.
Q. Coach, talk about James Rahon, what he was able to do when he did come in. He hit some pretty big shots at the end.
COACH HILL: I thought the shots he hit in the two threes that Kawhi hit at the beginning of the game were not a good sign for us.
You know, when Kawhi starts a game with two threes, those are shots we want him to take. But being the outstanding player he is on a big stage, he hit them.
Then to have a guy like James come off the bench and hit those shots, that is what you got to have for a program to make a deep run in this tournament.
And if they continue to shoot the ball like this and rebound like they did, they can go a long ways.
Q. Coach, Chris called Kawhi a lottery pick. Do you feel the same way?
COACH HILL: I don't know what a lottery pick looks like. I've spent most of my time at the ju co level. I've been fortunate enough to coach some good players. But if he can shoot perimeter shots like that, he is definitely a pro. I mean, he's such a hard guard. He is so versatile. He is so strong. That is what's deceiving. You don't realize how strong that guy is. And when he can hit jump shots like that, it just makes him a complete player and one of those guys that is really hard to guard.
Q. Coach, how hard are these guys to play?
COACH HILL: Very hard when they shoot the ball well from the perimeter, because they've got such a good inside game. And when Billy's playing like that, I don't know, I think he had 13 rebounds. When he's pouring in buckets and rebounding, playing with the energy that he did today, they're really hard to guard.
And that inside/outside combination with how hard they push the ball in transition, and they have so many guys that can bring the ball in transition, it puts so much pressure on your defense that it's just difficult to defend for 40 minutes.
Q. Devon was asked this question. How did the lack of free throws change your game plan?
COACH HILL: We didn't really we just knew we weren't getting there. Again, that's all credit to them. They're longer. They're more athletic. They're stronger than teams we've faced in the Big Sky. And so it's harder to exploit holes in their defense.
You know, what's so hard to exploit against them is if you get them to make a mistake, which they're a very solid defensive team, and when you get them to make a mistake, if they make a mistake they have the length and athleticism to cover up for it in a hurry. And that equals blocked shot and all sorts of havoc at the rim.
And that's what starts to limit what you can do offensively and tends to push you outside more.
Q. Coach, can you kind of talk about what you told the guys at half time down six and what you and the seniors discussed in the locker room after the loss.
COACH HILL: At half time I thought we were in good shape. I didn't expect them to continue shooting it the way they did. I knew they'd made some shots that they don't normally make.
So I felt good where we were at in terms of having offense in front of us the second half and I thought we'd be a little bit more efficient. But, again, that goes to their credit. They cranked up their defense. They got aggressive when we hit some shots to start the second half, they cranked up their energy. We didn't respond real well.
Again, their defensive intensity took us out of our game plan a little bit. They pressured and determined what we were doing on offense. We talked about that, but it's a lot easier to talk about it in a game plan than execute it against those type of athletes out on the floor.
After the game, you know, I just told them I'm proud of them. You know, as a forget being a first year coach, any coach would be so lucky to coach those seniors and the guys underneath them. They're tremendous kids. They got great character. They built a program.
You know, where there was a Division II program just five years ago, those guys have built a championship level Division I program. And that's an amazing, amazing feat in that short of time. For one class to do what those guys have done to get to this stage is an unbelievable feat.
So I just told them to carry their heads high when they walk out. They're champions and they need to carry themselves like that.
THE MODERATOR: All right, coach, thank you very much. Coach thanks, guys.
Additional Northern Colorado players in locker room
Mike Proctor
On thoughts going into halftime:
"We were all pretty happy with the first half. I thought we played hard and showed a lot of heart going in the first half. From there we just wanted to play hard. We needed to keep SDSU off the boards and keep the ball in position to score."
On heart of the team:
"There is no doubt our team showed a lot of heart. We weren't going to give up no matter what; even as the lead was widening, I didn't hear a single person say, `Hey, we might lose this game.' I know I didn't think that. I think we were all really happy to have the opportunity to play, and we made the most of it."
On Devon Beitzel:
"Devon always plays well. He's a great player, and a great leader. I hope he can take his abilities and move forward and get paid for them. That's my dream for him. Hopefully, it is his as well."
On the future:
"I think this game might help us with recruiting somewhat. We can say, `Hey, we made it to the tournament, if you come here you can, too' kind of thing now that we've had an NCAA appearance. Mostly, though, it was a good experience. Everyone knows we have a lot to do over the summer. We need to hit the weight room and practice hard."
Neal Kingman
On the physicality of SDSU:
"No doubt they were big. It's not the same thing we see in the Big Sky. They can match up physically with anyone in the country."
On SDSU forward Kawhi Leonard:
"He's got all the tools you could ask for --- and he's only a sophomore. He's a great player."
"I don't think anyone's hanging their head. We accomplished so many great things this year. There are so many positives; we don't want to focus on this one negative: losing to a two seed in the NCAA Tournament. Our success this year was great for the program. The seniors already told the younger guys we expect them back here next year."
About being the worst team in Division I four years ago:
"I couldn't have asked for more in my senior year. From my freshman year, we've come so far."
On the Northern Colorado crowd in Tucson:
"The fan support here was unbelievable. Coming out of the tunnel for the first time and hearing them and seeing them all was surreal. I was not expecting that big of a Northern Colorado crowd. It was a moment I'll never forget."