Even though the San Diego State men's desk about team did not make it to the NCAA tournament their season is not over yet. Tonight the Aztecs take on George Washington University's colonials in the NIT tournament at New York's Madison Square Garden. If the Aztecs when they will go on to the finals with the chance to play rival BYU. Mark Siegler sportswriter for the San Diego Union Tribune covers the teen and he is right now standing on the street corner somewhere in New York and he joins us on the phone. I Mark. How are you? Good how are you over there? I'm doing fine just getting ready and killing some time before the big game tonight. 630 tonight, our time here in San Diego anyway. You give us a bit of a headset about the matchup between the Aztecs and the colonials. It's kind of an interesting game because San Diego state is a big team there one of the biggest names in the United States. They start -- starter is 6 foot for the start guys that are 68 cut 69 couple of six-time guys and usually they have matchup advantages over anybody they play. The not going to have people as small. They have much smaller trying to guard them into night George Washington has 18 that's kind of the same size. They start one small smoke point garden everybody else's big. That creates a unique situation where it's going to be very practical game to see how they playing each other in many respects to see how they react to that. Does the Aztecs have an edge in any way? What do they of going for them? Yes. They are the better defensive team they are one of the best defensive teams in the country in fact there is one advanced statistical method that ranks teams defensive efficiencies and they have been ranked high all season, currently they are number two. George Washington has probably little bit better offense a team. Is probably the better athletic team [ Indiscernible ] George Washington has a team that is loaded with seniors and experience it so is dangerous the time of year when you play teams that have lots of seniors kinda playing what could be their last game. They seem to dig deep and pullouts that extra performance in games like this. Writes. A challenge, GW is a team that often plays in New York while this is the first time for Morse of the Aztecs. How much of a factor do you think that the intensity of playing at Madison Square Garden will be for the team? That they really good question and that's kind of a big unknown here. GW is in Washington DC it's an urban campus at four blocks from the White House they play their conference tournament every year in New York sometimes they play preseason games here all the players have been here multiple times. They are not odd by Times Square or the Empire State building or anywhere in New York. This is kind of an old habit for them. You take it to San Diego state most of the roster is California, was of them have not been to New York. They had a cross-country trip the gemlike seems to play little bit of a factor in games and are staying right on time squares of the right in the thick of it and they are very excited but coach Steve Fisher said that's great I'm really happy hound HVR I'm also understanding that we need to temper it a little bit because that excitement can get you too hyped up. That to me is a big interesting set of the unknown of this game is how the New York affect what it is on sending the state. Wesco's feature allowing them to do while they're in New York? If you keeping them in hotel rooms are they on about? They arrived Sunday night and yesterday morning practice and then some obligations that he arranged a private tour of the 9/11 memorial he thought that was very important while they were here. Has an interesting story on 9/11 he was actually in the San Diego airport early morning about to get on a flight to New York. As we all remember those early morning flights that were hijacked and crashed the World Trade Center. He watched the whole thing unfold from the airport. It's a very personal thing to him and he just started to realize he said look I just realize these kids on the steamer five years old and this happened. They don't have much of a recollection so he thought it was important to take them there and he arranged a private tour so they would be focused and get a behind-the-scenes look, not distracted by all the crowd. The players were pretty moved by that. He's a good coach. Just quickly March of the Aztecs when tonight what's next for the team? They will play Thursday if they went tonight against the winner of the first semifinal tonight between BYU and [ Indiscernible ]. That is a pretty big significant for San Diego State fans copy number one rival really for San Diego state in pretty much any sport is BYU. It's not a from the rivalry presented with a fence you can use Hayward I think in there. For BYU not so much but to have a chance to play BYU which is to be in the Mao as a San Diego statement and no longer is that the huge opportunity I think it would really welcome a chance. Okay a lot at stake in that game is on Thursday. Let's hope they make it there. Thanks so much Mark I have been speaking with Mark Siegler sportswriter for the San Diego Yugo Tribune. My pleasure, thank you.
It took a pointed pep talk from coach Steve Fisher to get his San Diego State players focused on the National Invitation Tournament.
Rejected by the NCAA committee on Selection Sunday after six consecutive trips to college basketball's biggest event, the Aztecs were despondent.
"There's that immense disappointment initially. You feel sorry for yourself. And when we met on Sunday, they were down. I made the comment, you had to pull 'em up off the curb," Fisher recalled Monday.
"But I said, 'If you are not able to get excited about our tournament, don't show up for practice tomorrow.' And I won't embarrass you, you'll have an injury that's keeping you from playing. Don't worry. But if you show up tomorrow, that tells me you are so excited about us. And they were."
No doubt about that now.
Seeded second in their NIT quadrant, the defense-minded Aztecs (28-9) started making shots and romped their way to three straight wins — two against teams from Power 5 conferences — by an average of 18.3 points.
Next up, they'll play fourth-seeded George Washington (26-10) on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden for a spot in the championship game.
Top-seeded Valparaiso (29-6) meets No. 2 seed BYU (26-10) in the first semifinal.
"We're going to go to New York City, we're going to play in the Garden, we're going to win the championship. That's been our theme the whole time," said the 71-year-old Fisher, who coached Michigan to the 1989 national title and a victory in the NIT championship game eight years later.
Once he got his team's attention, Fisher put a carrot in front of senior forward Winston Shepard, sophomore guard Trey Kell and the rest of the gang: a coast-to-coast trip to New York.
For most of the players, their first visit to the Big Apple.
"We ain't slummin'," Fisher said. "I know the history of this event. I know the prestige and pride that surrounds this event. So I will tell you, our team is coming out of their skin to be a part of it. We're very excited to be here."
So is George Washington coach Mike Lonergan, even if his squad had a much shorter trip than the other three teams.
With their campus located about 225 miles down I-95 in Washington, D.C., leading scorer Tyler Cavanaugh and the Colonials played four games in New York City this season — all at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But they're in the NIT semifinals for the first time and haven't played at Madison Square Garden in 15 years.
"We've been to New York a lot. I'm hoping, you know, our guys are experienced and there won't be nerves — I hope," Lonergan said. "But I'm more worried about San Diego State just being so athletic and so talented and really so good defensively."
Valparaiso has also earned a reputation as one of the nation's toughest defensive teams, setting up an intriguing matchup against the high-scoring Cougars.
"They're extremely explosive on the offensive end. And so, they're going to present a lot of challenges with the shooters they have," Crusaders coach Bryce Drew said. "It's going to be a big challenge for us to kind of see how the styles collide."
BYU is sparked by senior guard Kyle Collinsworth, who holds NCAA records with six triple-doubles this season and 12 in his career.
Collinsworth said he's feeling better after losing 12 pounds recently while fighting the flu. He was scheduled to go through a full practice Monday, coach Dave Rose said.
"It was a long five days," Collinsworth said.
BYU is the only school left in the field that has won an NIT championship. The Cougars are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their 1966 title, and they also took the crown in 1951.
Valparaiso is in the semifinals for the first time, and junior forward Alec Peters is averaging a tournament-high 24.7 points (and eight rebounds) in three games. The Crusaders beat ACC opponent Florida State 81-69 and held Saint Mary's to 13 points in the second half of their 60-44 quarterfinal victory.
"Our guys have really attacked this opportunity," Drew said.
And now, just like North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, Valparaiso is the only No. 1 seed left in the NIT.
"I like that. That's good company to be in," Drew said.
