Brian Gregory (Head Coach of the University of Dayton) gotten involved in any of your preparations?
"We worked out over at his place today and he came by. I done the same thing I did for him when he was working for me. I gave him a buck for the weekend, and he's overpaid like he was then. I know his wife is having a lot of people over to the house tonight. Hopefully he is recruiting some Dayton fans to help us out this weekend. He'll be around in the film room a lot this weekend, I'm sure."
Is everyone healthy?
"Yeah, they really are. I think [Matt] Trannon is in as good of shape as he has been. Drew Neitzel, I see another hip in his hop. I think everyone is real healthy. This is probably, not only the healthiest, I mean we haven't been that beat up throughout the year, but I think [most] refreshed this team has been in a while."
How much should be made of the fact that you are out of the Big 10 now and won't be as heavily scouted? Is that an advantage?
"I think it is. I think it is an advantage for them too that they are out of their league, too. When you play a lot of games in your league, especially when you have been in that league for a while, things change each year, but a lot of things you do stay pretty similar. Getting out of it [the conference], I think there are some advantages. But other teams don't have the familiarity with you, but you don't have it with them either. For us, I think it has always benefited us, especially in the second day, not so much in the first day because George Mason has as much time to prepare for us as we do for them."
Do you feel pressure?
"I make sure I tell them, in fact it's on our board in our locker room, `players play the game'. Don't think the coach is going to wave a magic wand and anything is going to get done. I do worry about it a little bit. Our fans and everybody just think things are going to happen and that's just not going to be the case. There's that delicate balance between wanting the players to feel like they can make a run, yet not making them feel that it's their right. It's not their right. It's not our fan's right. You've got to play the game as we've seen already today it has already happened. We've played against a lot of teams. We've played against a lot of top caliber teams. We've played against a lot of mid-major teams and sometimes played well and sometimes struggled. The nice thing for us with George Mason is we did play them last year and it wasn't like we ran through them. We just did a good job at times and struggled at times. I think this team realizes that we haven't played solid enough or consistent enough that we can feel good about anything. I think we can feel confident that if we do play well and solid, we have a good chance to win games in this tournament."
On the similarities between both teams
"[Lamar] Butler and [Jai] Lewis have been pretty consistent. They are starting to get more out of more people. What's hard to see on film with George Mason is their defense. They are very solid. When we are good defensively and when we have been good over the years, that's the way we have played. I think Iowa's played that way in our league this year. They are getting a lot done. I think George Mason is the same way."
Do you have to sell players on a fresh start in the tournament?
"I don't know if I have to sell it, but I think I do sell it. I would sell it if we were 28-2. For us, there are four different seasons: pre-season, Big Ten season, Big Ten tournament season, and the NCAA season. You can kind of be successful in all or some, so if we were very successful in the Big Ten part of the season, I would be saying, `Well, that's great, but we are going to be judged on the NCAA part of our season.' You can spin it anyway you want to spin it. I think all coaches are spin doctors to a certain extent. What I've done with this team is that I've just been pretty honest with them. I'm not totally satisfied by the way we've played. I understand some of it. We probably made some progress in the Big Ten tournament at times. This is their last hoorah. That is what you tell your seniors. This is your last chance, and every senior handles it differently. Sometimes pressure works for you and sometimes pressure works against you. I think I know how to handle the pressure, but whether they do, only time will tell. You are only a senior once."
Does the common opponent of Wichita State help prepare for George Mason?
"We looked at Old Dominion last year. When I looked at film of Old Dominion last year, I said, `we're in for a dog fight here. This team is a good team.' Then you watch Old Dominion not have a great year, I mean have a good year. I sound like we sound in East Lansing. I question whether they had a great year because they lost four or five games in the conference, but they went to Colorado last night and beat the daylights out of Colorado. Forget what conference it is, parody is here to stay. Somebody said it best, if you are a 12 seed or under, is it really an upset anymore? I don't think we are ready for that as a society, but I think as a reality, that's the way it is."
What is different about defense in the Big Ten?
"I've had more than a couple teams that were the greatest teams you could have. If you have versatility, it's the best. I don't think there is any question that possessions matter more in our league. I don't know if that is good or bad. I don't think there is any question that maybe Jim Delaney, our commissioner, once said it does prepare you maybe more for the NCAA tournament where in tournament play of any kind, each possession seems to matter a little bit more."
Compare this year's defense to last year's that made the run in the NCAA tournament.
"Inconsistent. A lot better now. We made some adjustments over the Christmas break, and we became a much better defensive team. I thought we were porous early. Maybe one of the more average defensive teams we've had. And yet in the middle of the Big Ten, when [Matt] Trannon went down, he is a big key to our defense. Then numbers - I didn't think we were as good. At the end of the year, I thought our defense was as solid over a period of time as it had been, and that was encouraging. Yet I think we have a very good offensive team that has been sporadic. Hopefully, we honed in on some of that in practice, and hopefully it will make a difference in this tournament."
Gabe Norwood - what problems will he present?
"I think he is a very good defensive player. He reminds me of a kid we had, David Thomas, a little smaller, but very versatile. He could play the one, two, and three, can guard ones, twos, and threes. Doesn't seem to force things. Seems to play within himself. I think he is a very good guy and a good player who can cause some problems."
"I do think they have improved. I think he had a couple of players who were more offensive players who bought in. I think that is part of buying in to whatever system. I think he probably understood as his team got better that you still can't live or die with just the three-pointer to win in the league, to win in the tournament, you've got to check somebody. Ohio State has improved defensively."
On Travis Wahl playing his first tournament game close to home
"The one thing he is, he is a tough kid. I think he was wearing down near the end. But I think he has a little more life to him, and that is an important for him of all players because that's what he plays on. He has toughness, he's good defensively, and energy is a big thing he brings to this team. I think he will be as prepared as he has to be for this. Playing the right position will really help him."
Drew Neitzel's "hip in his hop"
"I think it has been well-documented that we kind of wore him down. He's a kid that plays 100 mph and he has to, on both ends of the court. When you are guarding guys like [Jamar] Butler from Ohio State and still got to push the ball for us and still playing 40 minutes. I'm looking for our guys to be fresh and ready to go."
On the transition game last year against George Mason
"Jim [Larranaga] has been around a long time, a lot longer than I have, as a head coach. I think he probably made some good adjustments at half time. We're going to run, but I don't think that is the only part of our game anymore. We have not been as good of a running team as last year, more because of our depth, we've had to adjust to the half-court. I think we can belabor how we played in our last game offensively or we can write it off to the 14 hour prep, Again I can spin it anyway you want to spin it. I think we will be a lot better in this tournament than we were on that day."
On Coach Izzo
Senior Center Paul Davis
"It starts with the schedule we play, first the preseason and then the Big Ten. The Big Ten has been the hardest it's been in a long time this year. A lot has to do with the preparation we do and how the coaching staff prepares us."
Junior Guard Shannon Brown
"Sometimes it seems like we practice harder than we play in a game. The coaching staff does a great job getting us prepared and we go out and try to play hard every night."
Senior Guard Maurice Ager
"A lot of the younger guys get better throughout the year, and I think that helps the team too."
On whether or not Shannon Brown's confidence is low
Junior Guard Shannon Brown
"My confidence is fine. The ball hasn't gone in for various reasons lately, but my confidence is just great."
On George Mason
Junior Guard Shannon Brown
"We played them last year, and we only won by a couple points. They played a tough game. They've got a great inside-outside presence. (Senior Jai) Lewis down on the block and the other big man is solid and they've got some good perimeter shooters and guys who handle the ball well. They don't go to fast; they don't go to slow. They read the situation and play basketball."
On Wichita State, who won Thursday against Seton Hall, as a common opponent of George Mason and Michigan State
Senior Center Paul Davis
"We knew Wichita State would be a tough team and one of the better teams we played in the preseason and we did look at the game where George Mason went and beat them. That was a prime time game. There's no question about it, this is going to be a tough game. We've got to come in full and ready to go."
Is the tournament like wiping the slate clean?
Senior Guard Maurice Ager
"We didn't get to do the things we wanted to do in the regular season. So the slate is clean. It's a new season. We're just trying to start off ripe this week and continue to move forward."
On what's it like to be so well scouted in the Big Ten and possibly coming out with an element of surprise here
Senior Center Paul Davis
"I think it helps every team in this tournament. To get out and get on a national stage and play teams that deserve to be in the tournament and they are one-and-done too. It's refreshing to be able to do a couple things you couldn't in the conference season."
What will you expect from George Mason, who may have a chip on their shoulder from getting in the tournament?
Junior Guard Shannon Brown
"You never know how a team will come out and play. You always expect them to play their best, so you have to play your best and lay it all on the line. They may have a chip on their shoulder, but we can't worry about that. We have to play basketball like we know how."
On Junior Guard Gabe Norwood of George Mason and if he compares to anyone in the Big Ten
Senior Guard Maurice Ager
"I can't think of anyone in the Big 10. He is a real solid player. He doesn't try to do too much. He handles the ball pretty well. He's a good shooter if you leave him open, and he plays hard."
