HALF
HALF THE
HALF THE FINAL FOUR IS SET AND BY THE END OF THE NIGHT WE'LL KNOW ALL FOUR TEAMS THAT WILL
BATTLE THIS WEEKEND FOR THE
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
CHAMPIONSHIP. HERE'S WHERE WE
STAND RIGHT NOW. JUST A QUICK
LOOK. HOUSTON IS GOING TO FACE
OFF WITH BAYLOR A COUPLE
OF TEXAS TEAMS GETTING TOGETHER
IN ONE PART OF THE FINAL FOUR
LAST NIGHT BAYLOR HOUSTON BEAT
OREGON STATE. BAYLOR TOOK ON
ARKANSAS AND BEAT THEM LAST
NIGHT AS WELL. THEY WERE IN THE
SOUTH, THE REGIONAL HOUSTON AND
THE MIDWEST REGIONAL TONIGHT'S
MATCHUPS NUMBER ONE GONZAGA
GOING UP AGAINST RIGHT NOW
NUMBER 62 USC RIGHT NOW THEY'RE
DOING THAT. THEY'RE JUST
TIPPING OFF THAT GAME'S GETTING
UNDER WAY IN THE EAST REGIONAL.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE MICHY AND IT
SAYS MICHIGAN STATE UCLA.
THAT'S BECAUSE THOSE WERE THE
TWO FIRST FOUR TEAMS PLAYING
INTO THE TOURNAMENT. BUT
OF COURSE IT'S MICHIGAN AGAINST
UCLA. THESE TEAMS ARE BATTLING
IT OUT TO SEE WHO WE'RE GOING
TO BE THE FINAL PART OF THE
FINAL FOUR SAN DIEGO STATE
MEANTIME, HAD A GREAT SEASON
WINNING BOTH THE MOUNTAIN WEST
CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON TITLE
AND TOURNAMENT. BUT THEY
COLLAPSED IN THE NCAA
TOURNAMENT LOSING TO SYRACUSE
SEVENTY EIGHT TO SIXTY TWO.
JOINING US TO TALK MORE ABOUT
THE AZTECS AND THE NCAA
TOURNAMENT IS SPORTSWRITER MARK
ZIEGLER WHO COVERS FOR THE
UNION TRIBUNE. MARK, THANKS FOR
JOINING US. I'M GLAD TO BE
HERE. OK, IF I TOLD YOU THERE
WOULD BE TWO TEAMS FROM
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN THE
ELITE EIGHT AND THAT ASU
WOULDN'T BE ONE OF THEM, WHAT
HAVE YOU SAID TO THAT? WHAT
WOULD YOU HAVE SAID TO THAT?
WELL, I MEAN I THINK A LOT
OF CBS8 FANS WOULD HAVE
EXPECTED THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE
BEEN ONE OF THOSE TEAMS I THINK
FOR MOST OF THE YEAR THEY WERE
THE SECOND BEST TEAM IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OR IN THE
WEST COAST FOR THAT MATTER. BUT
THE NCAA TOURNAMENT JUST HAD
SUCH A CRAZY THING. IT'S ALL
ABOUT MATCHUPS. IT'S ALL ABOUT
TIMING. IT'S ALL ABOUT
MOMENTUM. ONCE YOU GET INTO THE
TOURNAMENT AND AND WEIRD THINGS
HAPPEN CBS8 IT HAD WON FOURTEEN
STRAIGHT LOST THEIR FIRST GAME.
UCLA HAD LOST FOUR STRAIGHT AND
HERE THEY ARE. DO YOU THINK
THERE'S ANY ONE THING THAT THE
AZTECS AS A PROGRAM CAN DO TO
TAKE THAT NEXT STEP AND BE AN
NCAA TOURNAMENT FORCE? WELL I
MEAN IF YOU LOOK AT LOOK AT
GONZAGA, LOOK HOW LONG IT'S
TAKEN THEM HOW MANY YEARS
OF GOING TO THE TOURNAMENT AND
WINNING A GAME AND THEN LOSING
A LOSING THE FIRST ROUND OR
GETTING TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN
AND NOT MAKING IT GETTING TO
THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME A FEW
YEARS AGO AND LOSING IT'S IT'S
NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS
OVERNIGHT AND I THINK THE BEST
THING THAT THEY CAN DO THEY
JUST KEEP GETTING AIR AND KEEP
HAVING OPPORTUNITIES AND ONE
OF THESE YEARS GET THE RIGHT
MATCH UPS AND YOU HAVE THE
RIGHT MIX OF MOMENTUM AND
EMOTIONS AND AND CALLS AND ALL
OF THAT THAT IT TAKES TO TO
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE
TOURNAMENT. I MEAN I THINK
THAT'LL HAPPEN THE BUT YOU GOT
TO PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THEY'VE
BEEN VERY GOOD AT EIGHT TIMES
THE LAST TWELVE YEARS WOULD
HAVE BEEN NINE IF THEY'D GONE
LAST YEAR. THAT'S A CONSISTENT
AND PERSISTENT THE GOOD
NEWS WITH THAT IS THEY GET TO
KEEP COACH BRIAN DUTCHER AT
LEAST FOR ANOTHER YEAR DECIDED
TO STAY DESPITE SOME OUTSIDE
INTEREST. BUT THEY'RE LOSING
SOME CORE PLAYERS MATT MITCHELL
,JORDAN SHAKAL AND TERRELLE
GOMES. HOW DO YOU REPLACE THAT
KIND OF TALENT AND LEADERSHIP?
WELL, YOU KNOW, THE TRANSFER
OUR KIDS CRAZY THIS YEAR
THERE'S GOING TO BE OVER A
THOUSAND DIVISION ONE PLAYERS
IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL AND
PROBABLY ALL WILL BE ABLE TO
GET SOME SORT OF ELIGIBILITY TO
PLAY NEXT SEASON. SO FINDING
TALENTED PLAYERS ISN'T THE
PROBLEM. I THINK FINDING THE
RIGHT FIT IS AN ISSUE IN
CERTAIN STATES BEING VERY GOOD
AT THAT THE PAST FEW YEARS THE
HARDEST THING TO REPLACE WITH
MITCHELL CHACAL GOMEZ BESIDES
THINGS LIKE OUTSIDE SHOOTING
AND AND INSIDE OUTSIDE GAME
LIKE LIKE MATT MITCHELL HAS IT
JUST A WINNING CULTURE
PARTICULARLY WITH MITCHELL AND
CHACAL. THEY'RE HERE FOR YEARS.
ALL OF THEM ARE WINNERS AND
THAT MEANS SOMETHING IN COLLEGE
BASKETBALL. I MEAN YOU'VE GOT
TO HAVE POISE. YOU KNOW, YOU
HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PLAY WELL
LATE IN GAMES. YOU HAVE TO NOT
GET RATTLED WHEN YOU GET BEHIND
BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE THE
HARDEST THING TO REPLACE TALENT
WISE. I DON'T THINK THEY'RE
GOING TO HAVE ANY PROBLEM
FINDING TALENTED PLAYERS BUT
THAT THAT INTANGIBLE IS
SOMETHING THAT'S VERY, VERY
HARD TO FIND AND THOSE TWO
GUYS, YOU KNOW, EXUDED IT AND
THEY'RE LUCKY TO HAVE FOUR
YEARS ASX FANS CERTAINLY HOPING
FOR A REPEAT NEXT SEASON AND TO
BRING IN SOME NEW TALENT OR
LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT OUT.
THIRTY SECONDS. WHO'S WINNING
TONIGHT AND WHO DO YOU THINK IS
GOING TO TAKE THE TITLE THIS
YEAR? I THINK THAT THE
FAVORITES THE SEED NUMBER ONE
SEEDS THE MICHIGAN AND GONZAGA
WIN TONIGHT AND I REALLY I
REALLY HOPE WE GET TO SEE
GONZAGA BAYLOR CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME. YOU KNOW, THEY TRIED TO
SCHEDULE THAT GAME A COUPLE
OF TIMES THIS YEAR. TRY REALLY
HARD POSTIVE HAS GOT IN THE WAY
FOR BOTH TEAMS AT VARIOUS TIMES
AND THEY NEVER GOT TO PLAY IT
AND AND IT WOULD BE NICE TO BE
ABLE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE I
THINK THEY'VE BEEN THE TWO BEST
TEAMS ALL YEAR AND I THINK THEY
MATCH UP REALLY WELL THE
INTRIGUING MATCH UP. SO I STILL
LIKE THE ZAGS TO WIN IT ALL BUT
I MEAN THAT GAME COULD GO
EITHER WAY. GOING TO HOLD MY
TROJANS, THROW A WRENCH INTO
THAT. MARK ZIEGLER, THANKS FOR
JOINING US LIVE. TAKING SOME
TIME FOR US. HE COVERS THE
AZTECS FOR THE SAN DIEGO UNION
TRIBUNE. WE APPRECIATE YOUR
EXPERTIZE AND GOOD LUCK WITH
YOUR PICKS.