On the surface, the 2023 national championship game at the NCAA Tournament looked like a rout.
But it’s not that simple. After a miserable first half, San Diego State clawed their way back late, drawing within five points of UConn. That was all the Aztecs had left – the Huskies immediately embarked on a 9-0 run and went on to win, 76-59.
Head coach Brian Dutcher remembers it well.
“Last year, we had their lead down to five points with about five minutes to go before they closed us out,” he said as the team met the media Wednesday. “If we can keep it close and give ourselves an opportunity to win the game at the end, I like our chances.”
Few others do. The No. 5 Aztecs (26-10) enter their Sweet 16 game, a rematch against the No. 1 Huskies, with UConn (33-3) as heavy favorites. The contest, at 4:40 p.m. Thursday on TBS and TruTV, also is in Boston, an easy road trip for Connecticut fans.
UConn, not only the top seed in the East region, but in the entire tournament, easily won its first two games, over Stetson and Northwestern. The victories extended their streak of double-digit tournament wins, dating back to last year, to eight.
Guard Tristen Newton leads the Huskies in scoring, averaging 15.3 points, and assists, 6.2, while also contributing 6.8 rebounds.
But San Diego State has their eyes on center Donovan Clingan. Clingan has 7.4 rebounds per game, adding 12.8 points. He ranks 10th in the country with 2.4 blocked shots.
“They have two big men, that’s the problem. If you get the first one in foul trouble, they have another one just as good coming off the bench,” Dutcher said, referring to sophomore Samson Johnson. “They’re dynamic athletically. They dunk everything around the rim, block shots and change the game defensively, so we’re going to have to pay attention and not just throw shots up there but throw good shots up there.”
SDSU, following tournament wins over UAB and Yale, answers with Jaedon LeDee, who ranks 10th in the country among college basketball’s top scorers, and Lamont Butler, once again the Mountain West’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“We watched some film, and they get back in transition really well, so we have to get
back in transition,” LeDee said, adding of Clingan, “He’s real big. I have to use my speed and athleticism to make a move and use what I do differently than him.”
The Aztecs are also aware of this – they were against the wall in 2023, matched up against the tournament’s top seed, Alabama, in the Sweet 16 and given virtually no chance to survive. But advance they did, to the Final Four and beyond.
“We know we can do it. We did it last year and we can do it again,” said Butler, whose buzzer beater gave SDSU its shot at the national championship. “We’ve got the right pieces, so we just have to lock in and follow the game plan and go out there and win.”
