Aztecs Win MW Tournament; Earn No. 6 Seed in NCAA Tournament
No. 6 seed SDSU draws No. 11 seed Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The matchup is set for 6:40 p.m. PDT on Friday, March. 19.
“Our depth was something that was important, and it paid off for us in the end.”
Each of the past two seasons, San Diego State University found itself in the Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship game, only to come up short to Utah State.
The third time was a charm.
Matt Mitchell scored 14 points to lead the No. 19 Aztecs to a 68-57 victory over the Aggies to win the title and secure the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
"I know the guys that were there last year definitely had it in mind," said Mitchell, who was named the tournament's MVP. "We kind of hoped that Utah State would be here so we could get our redemption."
The Aztecs, who also won the regular-season championship, had lost six of their previous seven title game appearances.
It marked just the fifth time the No. 1 seed won the title in 22 years.
Nathan Mensah added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Aztecs, and Trey Pulliam also scored 10.
It marked the third straight tournament game the Aztecs had at least three players score in double figures. Six different players scored in double figures in the event, including Pulliam in all three games.
"Our depth was something that was important, and it paid off for us in the end," SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher said. "I think we had fresh legs down the stretch because we could rest players. Everybody that plays for us contributes and it's a different player every night."
In a battle between the league's two most stringent defenses, SDSU exhibited its dominance with a 10-2 edge in steals. The turnover margin was seven, with Utah State committing 16 costly turnovers the Aztecs turned into 14 points.
Aztecs Set to Face Syracuse in NCAA Tournament
On Sunday, SDSU earned a No. 6 seed and will play the No. 11 seed Syracuse University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as part of the Midwest Region. The Aztecs will face the Orange at 6:40 p.m. PDT on Friday, March 19 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will be televised on CBS.
The Aztecs enter the tournament riding a 14-game winning streak, the third longest in the country, after capturing both the Mountain West regular season and tournament championship.
Syracuse finished the season 16-9 and finished eighth in the ACC with a 9-7 record. The Orange advanced to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, eventually falling to top-seed Virginia, 72-69.
The winner of the SDSU-Syracuse clash will square off against the victor of the No. 3 seed West Virginia and No. 14 Morehead State matchup on Sunday, March 21.
Due to limited availability and high demand, only Aztec Club members at the $3,000 Annual Giving Level and above are eligible to request tickets from SDSU for the NCAA first round. Tickets will be allocated based on priority ranking within the annual giving level. Aztec Club members who are eligible will be contacted via email.
