By Michael KlitzingAssistant Sports Editor
For the San Diego State men’s basketball program, Friday’sfirst-round West Regional matchup with Illinois in Chicago seemssurprisingly old-hat.
True, SDSU has not come close to an NCAA Tournament appearancesince 1985.
True, SDSU has never squared off with the Illini.
Throw it all out. This is nothing new for these Aztecs.
It all begins with the man at the top. Head coach Steve Fisher iscertainly no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. At Michigan, he tookhis teams there seven times.
And as the coach is quick to point out, the only change is in theexpectations.
“At Michigan, we were supposed to get there,” Fisher said. “Thatwas the mentality of the media, the fans and of me the coach. Here,if we didn’t get to the tournament, no one would be wondering whatthe matter is with us.
“So, getting to the tournament is a wonderful feeling for all ofus.”
Along with that feeling and that experience, Fisher possesses more– he possesses a working knowledge of his opponent.
As coach of the Wolverines, Fisher accumulated a 13-4 recordagainst the Illini, including a win in the Final Four. But that waslong ago. The real knowledge comes from his own recruiting efforts inthe Midwest just before his dismissal from Michigan.
“(Robert) Archibald was at our camp at Michigan when he was a highschool player,” Fisher said. “I know him. (Forward) Damir Krupalijacommitted to me — he was going to come to Michigan. And (guard Sean)Harrington, I’m friends with his dad.
“So I’ve got about three players on the team that I’ve got arelationship with — and I know they’re good.”
It looks to be a good scouting base. Archibald is a starter with a10.7 ppg average while the other two are key contributors off thebench.
But Fisher isn’t the only one who knows.
Ask Brandon Smith. The senior guard played three seasons(1997-2000) at Michigan before transferring to Montezuma Mesa.
It has been more than a year, but the familiarity has not faded.
“I played them a couple of times at Crisler Arena and a couple oftimes in Champaign,” Smith said. “They have a couple of freshmen thatI don’t know, but (guard Frank) Williams, Archibald and (forwardBrian) Cook — I played against all those guys.”
It is not surprising he would mention Williams and Cook. They arethe
team’s top scorers and are both double threats. While both aredangerous from the perimeter, Williams is deadly atdribble-penetration and Cook is a force in the paint.
But don’t mistake familiarity for intimidation.
“I know what Illinois brings to the table and I know what webring,” Smith said. “I think it’s a great draw for us.”
SDSU shooting guard Tony Bland also has a level of familiarity –not only with Illinois star player, Williams, who he played againstin high school, but with tournament play as well.
From 1998-2000, Bland averaged
over 15 minutes per game for a Syracuse team that made twoappearances in the Big Dance. The Orangemen reached the Sweet 16 in2000.
“I’ve won a few games in the NCAA tournament, and I’ve been inthis situation before,” Bland said. “I’ve just got to go and staycomposed so the team can feed off my energy.”
If they do, the focus will be less on composure and more onplaying their game — pushing the tempo, getting the ball in thehands of Randy Holcomb and Al Faux, and playing solid perimeterdefense.
And over the last month, that has truly become old-hat.
