COLLEGE PARK, MD. --
Head Coach Mark Turgeon
Initial reactions to the team's selection:
“We had a feeling we'd be heading to Spokane. We were the fifth or sixth name that popped up again just like last year, so we were kind of ready for it. We know a lot about South Dakota State to be honest with you. They were in Cancun with us. They are a heck of a team and extremely well coached. We know how good they are. Our guys got to see them live for two games and they got to see us for two games, so we are very familiar with each other.”
On playing in Spokane, Wash.:
“Sometimes it's good to get away. I feel bad for our fans and our families. Spokane is a long way away on a Friday, but it might be good for us to get away and lock in and concentrate. We'll leave on Wednesday. I heard it's a six hour flight. We'll have two days to recover from the time change and all that kind of stuff so we'll be fine.”
On the state of the team:
“We feel much better about ourselves than we did two weeks ago. We played well. We really shot the ball well and executed well against Nebraska. And we really guarded well yesterday against an excellent Michigan State team. We feel better. Last week we really just worked on us and we are going to do that again this week and just try to get better. There's a lot of things coming together. When our guys lock in, they are really good. So if we can figure out how to lock in for two games this weekend, we should play well.”
On the overall tournament outlook:
“I think you have five or six teams that are really good that everyone says can win the national championship. And then you have teams like us that are talented enough to get it done. It's going to be a great tournament for the fans. I just hope we stick around and be a part of it for a long time. We've been shooting for this all year, so we're excited and looking forward to it.
On what he has learned from past experiences:
“Making yourself better and really concentrating on yourself is important. You hear every coach say it, but you try to have fun. You try to work between the lines and have fun during the rest of the time. If the guys can relax and play, that's what is important. It's just a game. You've seen Hoosiers – it's a 10-foot rim, the court is the same size, you just have to go out and execute.
– Maryland –
