Aztecs–U Conn–NCAA Title”

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We are hours away from the biggest game in San Diego State basketball history.

Who wants to be the next hero at SDSU?  In this run thru March Madness, pick a player, he has been the catalyst for a critical win.  Nathan Mensah to Darrion Trammell and now Lamont Butler.

His buzzer beater square up jumper with 0.6-left on the clock was artistry at its best.  So was the comeback from a 14-point deficit when SDSU looked as if the season was over.

But the bigs came off the bench and made it happen again.  Jaedon Ledee’s 2-baskets in :28-late in the game.  AG Aroup getting from 4-baskets in a strong armed second half

In its vintage defensive performance, State took apart Florida Atlantic in the second half with a (35-12) burst.  They held them to 1-basket  in (4:03).  The Owls had 1-basket in the final 8-possessions

At one stretch in the first half, Mensah and Ledee had a combined 7-fouls.  They never got whistled again;

They got 27-points from the bench bunch.  The shot 44% from the floor.  Hit a surprising 9-3’s in the game.

They are at a point they have never been before.  There have been good years, big wins and lots of bad basketball too, around here. And think about this, San Diego, a failed NBA city, which has now lost its NFL team, has become a basketball mecca up on the hill on campus, in the chaos of Viejas Arena.  Can you believe San Diego is a basketball city?

You walk down this hallway only once in your life, and this collection of shooters, rebounders, transfers, overachievers and gritty guys, are 40-minutes away from a dream of a lifetime.

Brian Dutcher has carried on in the tradition of Steve Fisher-wins and wins and wins,  years after years.

We have experienced some flashes of success before, dating back to a small college San Diego State team in 1940.  The Smokey Gaines era of excitement.  Nice wins under Tim Vezie.

But nothing like this, ever.

Here comes U-Conn, steam rolling everyone infront of them.  In the tourney the margin of victory is amazing, wins of 13-15-23-24-28.  The Huskies have beaten up and buried St Mary’s, Arkansas, and Gonzaga.

They are big, athletic, fearless and average not just 78 points a game, but also 9-baskets from the 3-point line a night.  And they have the best big man in the nation in 6’9-Adama Sanoga.

And of course U-Conn carries enormous history onto the floor, four NCAA titles already thanks to Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie.

We know how the SDSU chemistry goes.  A different hero a night.
U Conn does not know what it is about to face.

The Huskies guards are their weak link.  How do they hold up to the 40-minutes of hell the Red & Black will unleash on those guards.?

How will U Conn keep Sanoga out of foul trouble considering the Aztecs have 20-fouls to use getting the ball on the block, or going for every rebound all night long?

How does Dan Hurley, a passion play coach, hold up against the even-keel approach of Brian Dutcher down the other end of the floor?

The college basketball season started with 363-teams playing on opening night.  2-are left, the Aztecs and Huskies.  An amazing accomplishment, and even more amazing if they are cutting the nets on Monday night.

A night to remember, maybe a night to never forget, just around the corner from San Diego State.

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