San Diego State's Title Run: A Rewind

The Aztec defense holds stout, as it has all season long. By far the biggest reason they're in the Final Four is that same defense. Nathan Mensah grabs a board and immediately passes it out to Lamont Butler. Butler dribbles down the court, nearly stepping out of bounds. The clock ticks down, Aztecs down one. Butler remains stoic, taking his time to create the biggest shot of his life. With a little less than a second left, he pulls up and releases a mid range jumper...

We all know the result of this shot. But I'd be doing San Diego State a disservice without giving some context. Let's rewind. First, however, I must clarify that the idea for this article comes from SB Nation. They've been doing rewind-style videos on their YouTube page on big moments in sports for a while now, and they're incredibly entertaining and informative. Regardless, let's dive into some San Diego State basketball.

Head coach Brian Dutcher (if you know me, you know what Dutcher has in common with Marco Scutaro, Devin Booker, and Joe Panik). After a couple small head coaching and assistant coaching jobs, Dutcher landed his first big gig in 1989, becoming an assistant coach for the University of Michigan. In his first season as interim head coach Steve Fisher's assistant, the Wolverines won the national championship. Dutcher then played a crucial role in recruiting the Fab Five--the core that brought the Wolverines back to the title game in 1992 and 1993 (which didn't happen according to the beloved NCAA). Several years later, in 1999, Fisher and Dutcher were a head coach and assistant coach duo once again, this time with San Diego State. At the time, the Aztecs were a lowly mid major program with only three NCAA Tournament appearances to their name, none of which made it past the round of 32. Fisher and Dutcher's first year was actually SDSU's first year in the Mountain West Conference, making the move from the Western Athletic Conference. While the Aztecs only went 5-23 overall and 0-14 in conference play in their Mountain West debut, it only took Fisher and Dutcher until their third season to make the NCAA Tournament. A few seasons later, in the 2005-06 season, SDSU went 24-9 and made the tournament as an 11-seed, their best seed ever at the time.

Dutcher, being the recruiting guru he is, landed the best recruit in Aztec history in the class of 2009. You might've heard of him. Does Kawhi Leonard ring a bell? He played two seasons at SDSU, making the tournament in 2010 and 2011 as an 11 seed and a 2 seed, respectively. During that 2011 season, Leonard helped the Aztecs to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. While he left for the NBA following that 2011 season, it didn't stop Dutcher from grabbing more 4-star recruits and helping SDSU make the next four tournaments, totaling 6 NCAA Tournament appearances in a row. Finally, in 2016, they missed the tournament for the first time since 2009 despite finishing the season with a 23-9 record. Additionally, from 2009-16, San Diego State never fell below 50th in the nation in BartTorvik adjusted defensive efficiency and had at least 21 wins each season. 2017 saw another whiff at the NCAA tournament, but a 19-win season wasn't a huge disappointment by any means. After this season, Fisher decided he was done coaching, and handed the reigns to his longtime assistant, Brian Dutcher.

The defensive mid major powerhouse just kept on going even with the coaching change. 2018 marked Dutcher's first year as the head coach, and he led the Aztecs to the tournament yet again. But it seems all of this performance was leading up to the dream season. The final form of Dutcher and his Aztecs. A team that consisted of future NBA player Malachi Flynn (above), as well as Matt Mitchell, Jordan Schakel, and Yanni Wetzell, all four of whom averaged at least 10 points per game. Flynn, by the way, was a transfer from Washington State, another tribute to Dutcher's recruiting ability. SDSU came into the 2019-20 season with a good amount of hype for a mid-major school, ranking 34th in BartTorvik's preseason projection model, but no one could've expected the results they earned. They rattled off a cool 26 wins to begin the season before losing their first game in late February to UNLV. They finished the season ranked 9th on Torvik with a 30-2 record. Despite losing to Utah State in the Mountain West Championship as their other loss (the Aggies themselves were a projected 10 seed that year), the Aztecs beat them twice during conference play. Additionally, SDSU owned wins over projected single-digit-seeded tournament teams Iowa, Creighton, and BYU, with those three wins coming at an average victory margin of 15.3 points.

Take a look at SDSU's Torvik team profile. In each cell, the left number displays the statistical measurement, while the right number displays the rank among all 353 D1 teams that season. For instance. SDSU's effective field goal percentage on offense was 54.6%, which ranked 14th in the nation. As you can see, there's a whole lot of green here. This was not just some mid-major who ran through a mediocre schedule. This was a complete team, one that blew out quality non-conference opponents. I can't possibly overstate how this team had a legit chance at going to the final four, if not even further.

But on March 12th, 2020, the whole world stopped. Including the sports world. Including the most beloved tournament on the sports calendar. Including San Diego State's dream season. One of the most passionate fanbases in college basketball witnessed their hopes crumble, not at the mercy of another school, but a global pandemic.

Before I continue I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the 6.8 million and counting deaths caused by Covid-19, and that only accounts for what was recorded. Job loss was also at an all-time high due to those unprecedented times. My heart goes out to all families affected by the virus before I can even begin to talk about its impact on basketball; additionally, my talking about how the virus impacted sports is in no way an attempt to make light of the virus.

For myself, the cancellation of March Madness forced me to never take the tournament for granted ever again. To never take college basketball for granted ever again. I've pretty much liked MLB my entire life. College basketball started as a casual viewership experience for me. I only dove deep into it after the lost season of 2020. That's when I became mindful of my love for the sport. Simultaneously, a soft spot grew within me, out of sympathy for these schools and cities that were robbed of seeing their spectacular teams play postseason basketball. Some notable ones include Dayton, Penn State, Rutgers, East Tennessee State, Creighton, Florida State, and of course, San Diego State. Countless online simulations from college basketball aficionados, while entertaining at the time, weren't enough to satisfy these fans. The sweet taste of victory, one that was so unfamiliar to these schools for so long, was finally inches from their lips, only to be snatched away at the last second. And while I felt for all the fans who lost the chance at glory, my soft spot grew largest and deepest for those beloved Aztecs. Partially due to how good they were, partially due to my admiration of their fanbase's passion, and partially due to my Californian roots. Everything about San Diego State deserved to have 2020 back.

In the 2020-21 season, I followed SDSU closely. They had lost two of their top 4 scorers from the year prior in Flynn and Wetzell, but that only led to Schakel and Mitchell stepping up in their added minutes, as well as fellow senior Terrell Gomez, and junior Nathan Mensah. While the offense took a noticeable step back from 2020, their defense remained constant, just as it has all of Dutcher's tenure. They went 23-4 in the shortened season, winning the Mountain West and earning a 6 seed. This was also the season I began to notice freshman guard Lamont Butler. He played 31% of the team's minutes and wasn't anything special in his inaugural season, but there was just something about him I couldn't shake. I was high on him as a player and kept the name in the back of my mind in case he became something more special. Regardless, the season ended almost as abruptly as the previous one, as the Aztecs were embarrassed in round 1 by 11-seed Syracuse in an 18-point loss. The ferocious Aztec defense gave up 15 three-pointers to the Orange. Onto the next season, I guess.

The 2021-22 season. Surely this was the year! The Mountain West got a lot better, giving SDSU more opportunities to be tested during the regular season. SDSU landed a Power 6 recruit in Berkeley's Matt Bradley, a guy who, having played for Cal, I was already a huge fan of. This was it. This had to be it. It didn't matter that Mitchell and Schakel were leaving, the team was going to have two of my favorite guards in the country--Bradley and Butler. Mensah was back for a senior campaign, and Keshad Johnson and Adam Seiko were even further contributors. Sure, they went 23-8 and only got an 8 seed, but the Mountain West was tough that year. SDSU was a major dark horse for me. They're up 9 with 2:44 to go against 9-seed Creighton! They've got a date with Kansas in the round of 32! They might even have the size to match up with the Jayhawks! They're gonna...

The arrow points to that moment when the Aztecs were up 9 with 2:44 to go. That's when it all went downhill. As you can see from the blue line representing Creighton's win probability, and the smaller black line representing the score differential, the Aztecs blew it. Bradley, Seiko, and Mensah, along with notable senior Aguek Arop all announced they were returning as 5th-year seniors, using their so-called covid-year-eligibility. They also recruited yet another big-name transfer, this time Darrion Trammell from Seattle University. Yet another senior. Finally, Jaedon LeDee. A senior transfer from TCU, also with no further eligibility. The Aztecs were squeezing everything they possibly could from their championship window. It was 2022 or bust.

27-6 record. Mountain West Champions. A top 5 defense in the nation. A 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. So far so good. But of course, it was SDSU's luck to draw 12-seed Charleston, a 31-win fellow mid-major school having a dream season of its own. So many brackets predicted an upset. Not again. This couldn't be. Aztec fans have already been through enough. As fans held their breath, SDSU squeezed past Charleston in a 6-point victory and then breezed through Furman in the Round of 32. Their third sweet sixteen appearance ever. They were set to play the mighty Crimson Tide of Alabama; a 1-seed that was known to live by the three or die by the three. And boy did they die by it. SDSU took down one of the fastest-paced and most athletic teams in the nation, controlling the tempo the entire game, and holding Alabama to 11% from deep. It was Elite Eight time. Against Creighton yet again. Another terrific offensive team. A team playing their best basketball of the season. A team that SDSU held to... 12% from three. They just barely eked by the Bluejays 57-56 on a last-second free throw of all things. Trammell was the hero. The Aztecs did it. They made the Final Four. But it wasn't time to celebrate, they had a game to play against Florida Atlantic.

FAU, a 9-seeded Conference-USA team, was no pushover. They were the 22nd ranked on Torvik and beat 3-seed Kansas State and 4-seed Tennessee to get there. And if they hadn't proved it before the game, they did in the first half. After holding every team below 23% from three, the Aztecs let FAU shoot the lights out. 43% to be exact. SDSU went down as much as 10 during the first half and was down 7 at halftime. But Dutcher's squad wasn't ready to give up just yet. Not after all they've been through. Behind 21 points on the game from Matt Bradley, the Aztecs came storming back and found themselves neck and neck with the Owls as the clock kept ticking down. They hadn't taken a lead since there were 11 minutes to go in the first half. But as Jaedon LeDee cut the deficit to one with a mid-range jumper the clock showed 36 seconds to go in half number two. All SDSU needed was a defensive stand. The very thing they were known best for. Dutcher had a timeout to use, to regroup his guys and prepare them to make the stand of their lives. He didn't use it. After the game, he simply stated he had no plays left. But in my mind, it shows how much trust he has in his team. Dutcher knows what SDSU has been through. He knows how much talent has come and gone through this program. He knows that if his decision fails, it'll go up with all the other recent years SDSU has failed to get over the hump. Basketball fans will shout for years about how Dutcher should've used his timeout. How he's never been more than a mid-major tier head coach. How SDSU, as well as the rest of the Mountain West, should never be taken seriously. How he wasted the final possession of all those seniors' careers. Sure it would still have been a successful season, but imagine the sour taste it would've left in the Aztec faithful's mouths.

Dutcher, with all of this in mind, trusted his guys. He put the biggest moment of his head coaching career out of his control. An incredibly gutsy move from an all-time great coach.

The Aztec defense holds stout, as it has all... you know what, I'm going to let this moment speak for itself.

Euphoria. Finally. Euphoria. The amount this means to the Aztecs, their players, their fans, their city. The program had been through so much. These seasons don't come often for non-power 6 schools. And of all the guys who could've taken the shot, it had to be Lamont Butler. The little freshman guard I was inexplicably rooting for since the moment I saw him play: December 10, 2020, when he got 12 minutes against Arizona State. In front of an empty crowd he played, as I watched from three time zones ahead, well past midnight on a school night. Butler had to be the guy. The guy I discovered two years before the college basketball world did.

UConn ended up claiming the national title. Good. They deserved it. But that shouldn't take away even a little bit from what San Diego State accomplished. They might as well make a documentary on this team. It might not be Los Angeles, but San Diego experienced their version of Hollywood with the Aztecs. And with the amount I've fallen in love with this team, I can confidently say this: with all the disappointments, the highs, the lows, the comebacks, the chokes, the absolute emotional rollercoaster the Aztecs have brought me, it had the perfect ending. I speak for Aztec Nation when I say we wouldn't have it any other way.