Alabama A&M will be here expecting to play a basketball game. I know some people might think that because it's a non-conference game, it might not be as big. But at this stage of the season, every game is critical.

For sure, the winner of this game will get in. The loser will have a long day Sunday.

Hopefully it does. I don't think it's going to hurt because if you are a basketball player or in the family of a basketball player, you will go and see these kind of movies.

I just told the guys that you practice on this floor every day. No way can you let a team come in here and play harder than us.

If you had told me we would shoot 35 percent (actually 35.1) from the field and 52 percent (52.9) from the free-throw line, I'd have said we would have a very hard time winning.

I'm just so disappointed for John. That guy's given as much ...

I know several people have talked about it, and we will wear them. Right now, though, we haven't gotten the jerseys yet. With today (Monday) being a holiday, I don't know. But if we get them, we will wear them.

SMU is one of the top four teams in this league, talent-wise. I'm glad we've already played them twice.

It's no bigger than Saturday's game (a win at Tulsa) was. But these are two teams who have played well and who have got a chance to keep themselves one game out of first place. But whether we are playing UAB or East Carolina, it is a big game.

This is a unique group. A group of guys who come from totally different backgrounds who have come together to build a basketball team. It's special. It speaks of their families and of the character of each one of them.