Jeff Bzdelik Quotations

We knew what kind of shooter Smith was. That was no surprise to us. He made some unbelievable long-range shots with a hand in his face. And Carter hurt us in the first half. We allowed him to catch the ball in good position. We didn't play him properly.

When we allow them to have a day off, they get sluggish. It's interesting. You need to keep pushing them.

Let's put it this way. We're on the radar screen. And that's a good thing.

Oh, without question. Look what happened last year.

Obviously we played our worst game at the absolute worst time, but we were hoping one game wasn't going to spoil all the wonderful things this team had done all year long. We all know there's going to be teams left out and there are going to be discussions. That's part of the selection process and sports.

My heart goes out to Nick. He was looking forward to starting practice with us in October, but now our target for his return is the conference opener against BYU on January 5. He has had a rough road physically in his three years here, but if anyone is tough enough to come back from this kind of adversity, it's Nick Welch.

My heart goes out to Nick, ... He was looking forward to starting practice with us in October, but now our target for his return is the conference opener against BYU on January 5. He has had a rough road physically in his three years here, but if anyone is tough enough to come back from this kind of adversity, it's Nick Welch.

I don't know that it was anything (SDSU) did that really factored into that. But they are just so much more talented than they have been in the past.

I don't want them to fall prey to thinking so much about consequences. I just want them to play basketball.

Jake was relentless and not to be denied on the boards. Everyone contributed, and everyone was in the fray. It's just a wonderful team to coach.

I think it's the right way to play here at the Academy,

Our goal was not to allow the press to get to us; we accomplished that goal.

I was there in front of the TV, and when I saw Air and then an F, I was running around and didn't even know where we were playing.

I think people know he's a good player. I think people are going to see he's an outstanding player.

When I took him out of the game (in the final minute), I told him he was a great player and an even better person. He's been such a great leader. He came to practice every day and gave everything he had. He's very dedicated, very passionate, and that passion and energy was very contagious for the other guys on this team.

We played the worst game at the absolute worst time, but we were hoping one game wasn't going to spoil all the wonderful things we did all year long. I'm pleased the committee, in my mind, did the right thing.

We came out of the blocks with good energy and it was a wire-to-wire win over a good team.

We had open looks, we just didn't make them. It's a fine line between winning and losing.

We're not going to change the system they've been using here too much, ... Perhaps they've stumbled onto something, kind of like Coach (Fisher) DeBerry has done in football. He's run that offense for decades, and it works. That's the right fit for his football team, and maybe this system is the right fit for us.

We pay no attention to it. We deserve to be here. The committee selected us. If you investigate our season, who we played, how we fared, what our resume is, we belong here.

We kept them from getting the easy baskets, and I can't say enough about the intangibles these players have.

We thought they would sag off of John and really try to clog the middle. We encouraged John to just shoot the basketball. If you miss it, shoot it again. He did a heck of a job.

The players know this system, and they feel good about the fact that it's brought them success,

We all know there are going to be teams left out and there are going to be discussions, and that's just part of the selection process. That's just part of sports.

We simply couldn't get enough stops. Simply put, they had some firepower off the bench that hurt us.

We simply could not get enough defensive stops. They have a lot of offensive weapons.

We had the tempo the way we wanted it. It was a great win against a great opponent.

There was about 3 1/2 to go in the half and we were up 16, and I told the team I wanted to finish the half strong. And the reverse happened. We allowed No. 21 (Utah's Shaun Green) to break loose. He was 1-for-1. We had a little discussion about that at the half. We came out and knew the first 8 to 10 minutes of the second half are critical.

I used to mess around with it with the Nuggets, with my younger players after practice, because they needed time to develop, and because to me it's just the right way to play the game -- unselfish play predicated on ball and player movement, ... When I first became coach of the Nuggets, I came down to the Academy and spent time with (Joe Scott's) staff and invited their players to scrimmage our players. I knew the Air Force players would make our guys chase them defensively. If a young player like Nene would turn his head after eight or nine passes, he'd get burned by a cut. It really helped us.

They are an awesome, awesome basketball team, and every coach I've called about them says the very same thing. In my mind, when you talk about the very elite, they're at the top of the list.

They're a good defensive team, and the reason they're a good defensive team is because they have a shot-blocking presence (Wyoming forward Justin Williams) who's one of the best in the nation who can erase any mistakes. When you have somebody like that, you can gamble a little bit and get up into your guy.

There's been a couple games with big discrepancies, where we have been on the short end (in terms of fouls called). I wonder if I have been too laid back in that regard. I want to make sure my team is on a level playing field.

TCU is an excellent basketball team. They are five or six shots away from having six or seven more wins.

It's an equal-opportunity offense that manufactures threes by driving and kicking the ball out.

I pay no attention to those comments. Any time you have a field of teams who are picked and some are left out, there's going to be talk. It's what radio shows are made of, it's what TV is made of, it's what writers get paid to do, is to stir up the pot.

I haven't even thought about it. This is my first time here, so I'm worried about the present.

Andre is a hungry, driven young man who wants a team that plays with discipline and unselfishness. He wants what we have, and we want what he has.