It's hard to say you're not happy at 26-1. It's incredible when you put this in proper perspective what these guys have done.

It's more of a surprise. Disappointment? No. We won the league last year and we were a 12th seed, so we've improved.

For me, it doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of the whole season. It's a great accomplishment at this juncture, and Thursday night, if you lose, it doesn't mean anything.

I told them to settle down and they need to relax. I wanted to assure them that I was under control. They were playing the way I was acting. I am acting. That's exactly what I was doing.

It was disheartening to play well enough to put us in the position to win, but we just couldn't make the free throws. I don't know if it was the fact that it was the NCAA tournament and we weren't used to the atmosphere, but I'm hoping that's where our experience will pay off if we're in that situation this year.

They're one of the best teams in the country, and it shows in almost every statistical category. They've got a heck of a basketball team.

They're an improved basketball team. They're really playing within themselves. I think Coach (John Giannini) has done a great job of not letting opponents get comfortable. They do different things depending on who they play. We're going to have to execute well and have to be able to think on our feet.

The young guy is just stepping up. Whenever we need a big play or big score, he stepped up and made the play. But more importantly, he made great decisions with the basketball and I thought that was the difference. We kind of expect him to score. That's kind of what his trick is, and I thought he made great decisions with the ball.

They made some key shots. They didn't make a lot. But fortunately for us, we were continuing to score.

They've been consistently excellent because they don't go changing things.