The Madness of March Comes to a Close

The San Diego State Aztecs take on UConn Huskies in the apex of college basketball – the NCAA National Championship.

History Approaches

As we inch closer to March’s curtain call, the anticipation only builds. Fans wait to see if we get a magical ending to a storybook tournament.

San Diego State and UConn busted brackets on their way to the championship game.

If the Aztecs complete their run, they would make history as the first five seed to win an NCAA National Championship.

UConn winning it all as a four-seed is no less impressive. Only 20 teams seeded fourth or fifth have ever made the Final Four. This year we get to see a four and a five meet in the championship game.

No matter the result, this tournament has emerged as one big Cinderella story.

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UConn Catches Fire

Fueled by their two-point loss to Marquette in the Big East championship, UConn has continuously outclassed and outperformed each and every one of their opponents since.

The Huskies’ closest contest came in the Final Four, where they still dismantled the Miami Hurricanes winning by 13. UConn has not looked threatened by any one of their opponents throughout the tournament thus far. The Huskies have elevated themselves to a class of their own. UConn has an average scoring margin of +14.3 on the season, a rebounding margin of +9.3, and is shooting almost 40% from beyond the arc.

UConn’s loss to Marquette overshadowed their potential. Going 25-8 in the regular season, the Huskies could have easily snuck into a top-three seeding preceding the tournament. Whether it was their seeding or their loss to Marquette that masked their ability, UConn has shown that they are more than capable to beat anyone on any night, and beat them handily.

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Exceeding Expectations

San Diego State finds itself in a very unique position. One that may never occur in March again. The Aztecs have a chance to be the first five-seed to ever win an NCAA championship. San Diego States’ season has broken the laws of college basketball.

Seeing only two ranked teams in the regular season and losing to both of them bred skepticism about how legit they were as a team.

In the first round of the tournament, Charleston played San Diego State tooth and nail to the bitter end. Only defeating the 12 seed by six would not suffice if they wanted to advance in this tournament. From there on, it was all SDSU. In the next two rounds, the Aztecs mopped the floor with a hot Furman team and the heavy favorites, Alabama.

San Diego State showed that they are made for March by beating Bama, possibly the best team in the tournament. In their next two games, the Aztecs barely edged out Creighton and FAU each by just one point.

The Aztecs, simply put, are built to win. Winning two games in a row by one is a sentiment to a team’s willpower, especially when you win the way they did. Lamont Butler hit a game-winner on the biggest stage. Butler represents what this Aztec team is as a whole, gritty.

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Tune in to WRUF at 7:30 p.m. for live coverage of the game.