Chief Editor
Loading ...
This is not the championship game anybody expected. UCONN has had one of the most dominating tournament runs in history. San Diego State is a tough veteran team that needs to control the tempo to win. UCONN, over the last couple of weeks, has become a Goliath, while San Diego State will play the role of David in this game.
San Diego State faces an unimaginably difficult matchup against the Huskies.
UConn is in the national championship, and they’re dominating everyone and everything in their path.
SDSU relies heavily on aggressive rebounding – they came back late against Florida Atlantic in the second half on the boards, but that won’t be an option against the Huskies.
SDSU boasts one of the nation’s best defenses and ranks third overall in three-point attempts; UConn can keep hitting it inside to its big men.
SDSU will have to shoot from a distance to score and outmuscle UConn for points, as UConn ranks 12th nationally at stopping threes.
San Diego State is not a particularly strong offensive team and struggles to stay on the move. If UConn makes one big run against them in this game, there is little chance they will be able to recover, as has been done throughout other rounds.
Huskies are creating everything.
They shot 49% from the floor in their 72-59 win against Miami, making their threes easily and winning each game by 13 or more points in dominant fashion.
One big scoring burst may turn this game into a blowout.
SDSU had to fight hard in the closing moments to grab a win against Florida Atlantic, and it took an epic last-second shot to come from behind and overcome an otherwise disappointing performance. Veteran teams know how to triumph even when things don’t go their way – that made Saturday night so thrilling for Aztec fans!
SDSU employs a nine-man rotation featuring seven seniors and two juniors to keep everyone fresh during defensive waves.
Sure, they played Charleston and Furman to start the tournament, but it’s easy to overlook how thoroughly they shut down Alabama’ssquad. Why? This bunch takes its attitude and defensive ferocity up a notch when facing off against an underdog.
No one is picking the Aztecs, which could be a crucial difference. They won’t allow an open shot, they’ll attack the glass more aggressively than anyone else has against the Huskies in this tournament, and their strength and physical style should be enough to hold their own on the boards.
How do you beat UConn? Pack in the defense, make it hit threes, and grab the rebound whenever possible.
San Diego State’s three-point shooters need to be on fire when given an open shot, or else the offense will stall and mess it up.
These two teams have not played this season.
I will admit that UCONN is the best team in the nation, but this is a one-game situation, not a best-of-seven. The Aztecs will need to make this game an ugly mess, and they have the players to do exactly that. Will the Aztecs pull off the upset? Maybe, but I know that -7.5 points are too many to give to a deep, veteran defensive team. Take the Aztecs and the points.
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.