Marshall Strickland Quotes

"I think it's pretty obvious that we opened some people's eyes the last few weeks. None of us expected a six seed, but I think it tells you a lot about how people view our conference. I just think this shows that we did earn some respect down the stretch."

"We opened up some eyes. We didn't expect to get a six. Now it's up to us to go out and win some games this weekend."

"I think our execution really stepped up in the second half. We started making harder cuts and really concentrating on running our plays correctly. That was probably the key to the ball movement and better shots."

"All of the fans were excited, but we expected to win. We are No. 11 in the country (in the USA Today/ESPN poll as opposed to No. 13 in The Associated Press poll) and we feel like we are a top five team."

"There was a lot of emotion. It was my last home game, coach Davis' and let alone the game that we need for our NCAA Tournament hopes."

"This team isn't afraid to make plays. We're not afraid to take chances and to play basketball. When we get aggressive, I think we're one of the best teams in the country."

"It's difficult. You tell yourself that, but you don't believe it. You always feel like there's another game. You know, the reality is, it's do or die. And I think I'm going to play like that."

"I've been with coach four years and he's helped me grow up. I came here, I'm fresh out of high school, he tested me and brought great things in me."

"[Now] everybody knows coach Davis is leaving, so we don't have that extra distraction."

"This gives us a lot of confidence going into Michigan. Losing on the road was weighing on us early. Lately we've flushed everything out. It's been a great experience."

"I was shooting with confidence. I felt good. All the shots, even the ones I missed, I felt like they were going down. When I get like that, I just feel like it's flowing for me."

"I have a lot of confidence in my team. I think we can win the Big Ten. We're playing really well right now, and we're getting better. That's the scary part -- we're improving every game."

"I was shooting with confidence. I felt good."

"We don't mind watching him. We have confidence in him."

"It was difficult trying to get use to their defense, especially with Northwestern's zone trap. The trap was really tough and it took us out of our rhythm. It was my job to try to throw that trap off."

"We got off to a slow start but played hard on defense and tried to take the fight to them. They're a tough team. They have so many weapons, inside with Brunner and outside with their shooters. They stretched us out and got some open looks at the beginning of the game."

"Our team has grown close. We're having fun together, having fun with the game, and that's a key."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg. We have fun in meals, on the bus. We're just enjoying each other, enjoying the time, enjoying our season and enjoying winning games."

"I think it's been really important. As a team, we feel closer. We have fun together and we have fun with the game, and I think that's a key at this point."

"As a team we've grown closer. We're having fun together. We're having fun within the game. That's important at this point."