What San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher and players said ahead of Mountain West tournament

The San Diego State Aztecs got some good news on Tuesday when guard Miles Byrd was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.

They also continued to gear up for their final MW tournament, which they must win in order to secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 2-seeded Aztecs have a bye into the quarterfinals on Thursday night, when they’ll play the winner of the No. 10 Fresno State-No. 7 Colorado State game. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. PT and the game will air on CBS Sports Network.

“I’m excited to get the team ready and head to Las Vegas for another Mountain West Tournament, the last Mountain West Tournament we're going to play in,” coach Brian Dutcher said. “We have a lot of great memories over the years of the event, obviously we've won a share of them and we've lost a share. It's a great environment. Aztec fans travel well, so we'll be well-represented both on the court in the stands.”

Here are the highlights of Dutcher and the players’ news conference.

Dutcher on Thursday night’s opponent

“I’m excited to play either Colorado State or Fresno State and try to get a title and play our way into the NCAA Tournament.”

Dutcher on his confidence in the team’s ability to win three straight games

“We've had win streaks of that length this year. We've shown the ability to win multiple games in a row, and we have a veteran team now. Everybody's played enough minutes that if we execute at a high level and play up to our potential, we'll have a chance to win. The greatest opponent in March is always yourself. You have to play to your potential. We have a high enough ceiling that if we play well, we’ll have a chance to win.”

Dutcher on how he plans to use the team’s depth

“Depth has been a great advantage for us. I always say that if a guy shows me I can't play without him on the floor, I'm going to play him more minutes and the bench will shrink. With that being said, I think guys like BJ [Davis] back off the bench, Taj [Degourville], Pharaoh [Compton], these guys are all really producing at a high level, so I'm going to continue to ride the bench, and hopefully that will be a strength of ours as we have to hopefully play three games in three days.”

Junior guard Miles Byrd on his road to winning the DPOY

“Definitely being in the college weight room. I have gotten a lot more physical, so I have been able to knock people off their line and get in and rebound on defense. I have stepped up and my body transformations helped me along with that process. I also had to understand what we like to do at SDSU defensively. In high school, I was a lot taller and more athletic than a lot of people, so I did not really have to guard the ball too hard. If I got beat, I would go and block them at the rim. College is a little bit more about taking pride in your matchups, that one-on-one matchup, really guarding your man, and I feel like I have done a good job. It is all credit to the coaching staff.

“I am the fifth straight SDSU player to win Defensive Player of the Year. Obviously, it is a trend at our school that we guard. I have gotten a lot better defensively since being here.”

Byrd on criticism he has received this season

“I believe it was just an expectation from everyone, especially being preseason player of the year. A lot of people expect me to go out there and average 18 points a game but that has never been my type of game. I have been more of a guy that does the little things and tries to make plays to help our team win. I am honored that people thought I was the best defender in the league this year. Something my dad and I always say is that being a good defender is a choice. The majority of it, in my opinion, is motor and playing hard; diving for loose balls and not taking shortcuts defensively. I believe that is why I was able to win this award.”

Byrd on what has changed in his game

“I tell people all the time that during my sophomore year, there were a bunch of guys who had been in the program for a very long time, and they knew how to be the most solid defenders in the world. My gambling did not work out too much when I was a sophomore. I was lost out there a lot of times and just kind of running around trying to make plays. We had super solid old guys who were back there and knew how to fix it. I sort of made that adjustment because we started to have a lot of newer and younger guys that had not been in the program for very long. I realized I had to be more solid for us to be good defensively as a team. I could not risk plays and give other teams advantages. I definitely made that adjustment, but sometimes getting in the pass lane still is like a Green Goblin mask that I have with myself. I see that it is open and I cannot help myself to go and try to get the steal, just because I trust myself. Most people are confident basketball players, and I think I am the most confident defender in the country, where I think any matchup I have, I can personally stop anybody.”

Senior Guard Reese Dixon-Waters on his high level of play coming off an injury season

“I wish I were more consistent throughout the whole season, but I do not look back on anything. I do not regret how I played. I learned a lot throughout the season, so I'm grateful for where I am compared to where I was before the season.”

Dixon-Waters on how he feels about the team heading into the conference tournament

“It is the postseason now, so I view it as another part of the season. I do not separate who we were from who we are now. All the mistakes and problems that we made in the past made us who we are now. I believe that we got better throughout the season, and we will take that into the tournament.

Dixon-Waters on how competitive the Mountain West tournament could be

“It will definitely be tough. We have great competition. Everyone in our conference has a great team. We cannot take anybody lightly because everyone wants to make it to March Madness. Everybody is going to be playing hard. Our goal is to go in there and win and play our best basketball.”