-0-

“Aztecs-End of Run–End of Era?”

-0-

Clank

That’s all I heard most of the night.

It was awful to watch, imaging playing in the game, how much worse it was.

Syracuse’s blowout win over San Diego State.  The Aztecs never looked like the Aztecs.  Looked more like Mt St. Mary’s, Towson State or Colgate.

Overwhelmed and overmatched.  Out coached and out schemed.

It was shocking to see SDSU get stomped the way they did, considering they had 5-days of film and full practices to cope withthe Orange zone defense.

Maybe Brian Dutcher should have watched videos of Syracuse-Pitt when Jamie Dixon coached the Panthers.  He went (15-6) against the Orange.  Jay Wright of Villanova is (10-8) against SU.

I knew it would be a challenge, playing Syracuse, I did not think it would be impossible, but it was.

I am a big believer in body language, and I did not like what I saw some 5-minutes into the first half.  SDSU was shell shocked.  They had a glaze in their eyes.  They were intimidated by the length of the Syracuse guards out on the edge of the zone defense.

Clank.

Who would have thought San Diego State would go 15-possessions without a basket…no points in a span of (9:38)?  Who could have seen a (20-0) Orange run?  Or a (42-12) Orange burst?  Imagine a State team going (1-for-20) from the 3-point arc for nearly a half.  At one point they were down 27-points.

Clank.

So disheartending to see it end this way, but SDSU is (6-13) in NCAA play, and (6-10) in the Steve Fisher-Brian Dutcher era.

The Matt Mitchell-Jordan Schakel team’s have given us a fun four years of basketball, including (54-7) over the last two winters.

Brian Dutcher has been spectacular (96-30) in his era sitting in the first chair on that bench over four seasons.

If Dutcher elects to go home to Minnesota to coach the Golden Gophers, we which him well.

If not, then we will look forward to the next batch of players he brings in to ‘coach em up’, which is what they have done over the last decade and a half.  Make them better players, make them men too.

We should say ‘job well done’ for what they have given us at Viejas.  It may take some time to get over this stomach ache of a loss, the way it happened.

But it is what happens to ‘mid-majors’ and that is what SDSU is.  Till they beat a Gonzaga, a Duke, a North Carolina, a Syracuse, it will always be a reach to think the Aztecs are a big time player.

End of a season, yes, end of an era, hope not.

Clank.

===========================

Please follow and like us: