Quotes Following the NCAA Tournament Announcement
March 12, 2006
BLOOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana men's basketball team earned a No. 6 seed in the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament The following are quotes from Indiana head coach Mike Davis and players following the announcement of the bracket.
Head Coach Mike Davis
On being in the NCAA Tournament:
MD: "It is good to get a six seed. I really though anywhere from a No. 7 seed to a No. 9 seed, but a six seed is definitely good. In a tournament like this, it doesn't matter about the seeds, just getting in is what is important. You want to draw an opponent that suits you. It is exciting for our players and for me."
On San Diego State:
MD: "I watched them play the last two nights. They played Colorado State. I saw some of that game. I watched the Wyoming game. Mark Hughes, the assistant coach there, and I are good friends. It is going to be a good game. (Marcus) Slaughter I know is a very good player for them."
On the way the team is playing:
MD: "I think right now, we are playing well. Defensively, our intensity has stepped up. The energy and effort we are giving is more important than the wins. I think we are figuring out now that we have to go out and play tough for 40 minutes. No matter what the score is, we need to play with tremendous effort. And that is why we have been winning games lately. I feel very good about this team."
On the way the team is playing defensively:
MD: "Our attitude toward it has been good. Marco has done a great job of rebounding the basketball on both ends of the floor. I think A.J. Ratliff has gotten better defensively over the last couple of weeks. We just need guys to step up and play with the intensity that we need to play with to win basketball games. Earl Calloway is playing great basketball for us right now. We need to do everything by committee, not just focus on one guy."
On being a dangerous team in the tournament:
MD: "We are definitely a dangerous team, but so are the other teams in the tournament. It is one and done. It is your mindset going into the game that allows to either play free or play tight. We are excited about it. We just need to come out and play our style of play."
Senior guard Marshall Strickland
On making the tournament:
MS: "It is nice to see your name come up. We are excited right now. We think we got a good draw and a good seed. It is right there for us."
On being a No. 6 seed:
MS: "I think we opened up some eyes. We didn't expect to get a No. 6 seed. I think a No. 6 seed is great. Now it is important for us to go out and win some games this weekend."
On this being his second chance:
MS: "I remember freshman year. It goes fast. You just have to go out and play hard every minute you are on the court. Freshman year, we won our first and lost the second. I want to try to have a good weekend this weekend."
On that serving as motivation:
MS: "I think it is going to motivate us a lot. We have a lot of seniors on this team, and some guys where this could be their last opportunity. We are going to perform like that."
On his advice to the freshmen:
MS: "One thing I told the freshman is that my freshman year, I thought it would happen every year. I thought it was just a given, but it hasn't been. Now I get my second chance, and I am going to let them know that they may not get a second chance at this."
On the team's play defensively:
MS: "I think we have concentrated on it more. Coach Marsh has really broken us down defensively a lot. He has been on us in practice a lot the last few weeks. I think that has carried over, and we are starting to show that games.
On junior guard Earl Calloway:
MS: "He gives us another weapon out there. It is really what we need with his quickness. He really changes games and is able to make plays that most players can't make."
Sophomore guard/forward Robert Vaden
On where he thought the team was in the tournament:
RV: "I thought we were about a No. 7 or a No. 8, but a No. 6 is a good seed for us. We are going to Utah. It looks like we got a good draw. We just have to go make something happen."
On being a No. 6 seed:
RV: "A No. 6 is big. We just have to make the best of it. I think it is set up good for us. I think we can go out there and make some noise."
On his status:
RV: "I am day-to-day, but hopefully, I will be back to practice soon. We have a good training staff with Tim Garl, the doctors and the rest of the training staff."
On San Diego State:
RV: "I saw San Diego State play a little big last night against Wyoming. They have the player of the year in their conference (Brandon) Heath, and they have a big man down low in (Marcus) Slaughter that is pretty good. I think we have a good matchup with them, and we can make some things happen."
Senior forward Marco Killingsworth
On going back to the NCAA Tournament:
MK: "I got a smile on my face. I went to the Sweet Sixteen at Auburn. I know the feeling. I kept telling the young guys throughout the season to play and once you get in the tournament, it is an amazing feeling and experience. For the rest of your college career, you will want to get back there. The feeling is going to be there."
On IU being a No. 6 seed:
MK: "Seeds did not matter to me or any of the other guys. We are just happy to get in and come out a six seed. Everyone is 0-0 now. It takes six games to make it to the national championship game. It is important to go out and take it one game at a time."
On the NCAA Tournament being a fresh start:
MK: "It is a fresh start because teams don't really know you. They may watch film on you, but it isn't like the Big Ten where you play each team over and over and see each other on TV every night. You know the teams you are playing. I don't know anything about San Diego State, and they don't know anything about us. It is a fresh start for everyone."
Junior guard Roderick Wilmont
On the Big Ten and getting into the tournament:
RW: "We had a tough conference this year. Everyone is good and it was hard to win in conference, especially on the road. We got enough wins and got in to the tournament."
On every game possibly being the end of the season:
RW: "It doesn't play too much on our minds. Right now we are really focused on basketball. We got all that stuff out of the way three weeks ago. The guys have focused the last few weeks, just playing and winning games. Now we are in the tournament."
On that being motivation:
RW: "It is motivation because we don't want to just go there and lose a game. We want to go out there and make some noise in the tournament. The guys are going to be ready. Practice is going to be great the next few days, and we are going to come out ready to play on Thursday."
On it being his first taste of the NCAA Tournament:
RW: "Ever since I was a kid, I remember seeing guys like Grant Hill playing for Duke in the tournament. I always wanted to be in it. Now I have my chance, and I want to make the most out of it."
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