March Madness: San Diego State Nets 7th Seed in NCAA Tourney

San Diego State received the seventh seed in the South Region and will play 10th-seeded Oklahoma Friday in Philadelphia in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

“Like our kids, I am very, very excited that one, we are in, two that we have a seven seed,” Aztec coach Steve Fisher said after the bracket was announced today. “Everyone was telling me that we would probably be a nine seed, maybe an eight, so I think the respect of the league is there.”

San Diego State (22-10) will be playing in the tournament for a school record fourth consecutive year. The Aztecs are among 17 teams in the tournament for at least four consecutive years.

“This is the time of year that you jump and shout for joy that you made it this far,” Fisher said. “It doesn't matter who you play, where you play or what seed you have, but to be in the field of 68 is a tremendous privilege. If we are not excited and feel like this is something special, then something is wrong.”

The Aztecs' 79-65 loss to 11th-seeded North Carolina State in their first game of the 2012 tournament will serve as motivation, senior guard Chase Tapley said.

“We don't want to go all the way out there and just play in one game and come home,” Tapley said. “We want to do everything (we can) to go the full length of the two-game tournament then go onto the next city.”

To San Diego State junior guard Xavier Thames, the game will serve as a chance to reunite with Sooner coach Lon Kruger, who as the UNLV coach recruited him when he was in high school.

“It is going to be really exciting to see him since I haven't seen him in a long time,” Thames said.

If the Aztecs defeat Oklahoma (20-11), they would face the winner of Friday's game between second-seeded Georgetown (25-6) and 15th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast (24-10) next Sunday.

– City News Service