So Disappointing

One more shot made in a 2-point loss.  One more win.  One less underdog winning another conference tournament, putting one less dead spot in the field of 65.  One more iota of exposure nationally for a good team and a good conference.  Any of this would have been enough for the SDSU men to make the NCAA tournament.  They got none of it, a perfect S-storm that managed to send 65 schools dancing while the Aztecs polish up their sandals to shuffle off to the NIT.  

Being the #1 seed in the NIT has to be the most hollow "honor" ever bestowed upon a basketball team.  I'm trying to search for the positives here: at least SDSU fans will get to watch Wade, Spain, Richie, etc at home again.  At least the Aztecs will get another gate or two, which helps the coffers.  At least SDSU will get to play on national TV, and if they do happen to roll off a few wins, they'll get second stage exposure.  On the flip side, you're #1 among the also-rans...so if you win the whole NIT, you're still big fish of the small pond, but if you lose, you were upset and underachieved again.  Awesome.

Do I think they should have made the field?  Yes.  They should have done it by beating St. Mary's at the Wooden Classic.  They should have done it by hanging onto their lead against Arizona State.  Or not blowing a 14-point second half lead against BYU.  Or by winning in Laramie against a defense-challenged Wyoming team.  Or by finding a way to put the ball through the hoop in the MWC final against Utah.  As they stood this afternoon, the Aztecs were probably still one of the best 65 teams in the country.  But if they had done ANY of the things listed above, there wouldn't have been any question.  

I have changed the poll: please vote as to whether you think SDSU got what they deserved, or got robbed of a spot in the NCAA's.  

Exciting Friday

My goodness, this is an exciting Friday morning.  What's got me fired up?  

• For fans and followers of SDSU sports, there aren't too many days like this.  Ideally, you would be in Vegas for the doubleheader at Thomas & Mack Center.  At 2:30pm, Beth Burns' Aztecs take the court against UNLV, trying to cap the San Diego Smackdown of Vegas basketball, in the MWC Women's Semifinals.  At 6pm, it's the men in their critical semifinal matchup against BYU.  Hopefully a great number of Aztec fans are making the spontaneous weekend trip.  Man, I wish I could be there.  But then again...
• Being here in San Diego isn't so bad either.  If you're here in America's Finest City, follow this little itinerary with me and you'll actually pick up a bonus third SDSU thriller.  First, watch the women's game on Ch4 in HD this afternoon.  Then, after the ladies punch their ticket to the MWC finals, off to Tony Gwynn Stadium.  Bring a jacket or sweater, it'll be one of those cold, clear nights, and there will be a persistent breeze coming from home plate.  Strasburg is pitching tonight, and the opponent is...Vegas!  Of course!  It's the all-UNLV weekend.  If the Aztecs bring the confidence from their Wednesday comeback to the plate tonight, it should be a great evening of SDSU baseball.  Set the DVR to tape the SDSU/BYU men's game, and listen to the baseball broadcast at the game (I'll be on 1360AM), because I promise not to give the score.  After all, I'll be avoiding it myself.  Then, when Strasburg sets his number against the Whiffin' Rebels (15?  18?  22?), go home happy, grab a hot (or cold) drink, and press play on the men's game.  Bink!  3 great Aztec contests, two tourney games, and a live baseball game featuring one of the best pitchers in the nation, a rare live treat.  Who's with me?  Huh?  Who's with me?
• I'll be sending faraway good luck wishes to Charity Elliott and the UCSD women's team, as they get started with the Division II NCAA Western Regionals tonight against Cal State Dominguez Hills, up at Seattle Pacific University.  The Tritons need to win three games to win the region and advance to the Elite Eight (there are eight regions in D-II, unlike the four regions in D-I).  The top seed in the region is the host Seattle Pacific, a team that has ousted UCSD from the playoffs three times in the last five years.  If UCSD wins today they play either Alaska-Anchorage or Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.  You can hear an interview with Coach Elliott and UCSD women's player Annette Ilg on this week's Triton Talk, by clicking here.
• If I hadn't watched Sportscenter this morning, I would have had no idea that one of the greatest games in college basketball history went down last night.  Syracuse beats UConn in the Big East Tournament 127-117 in 6(!!!!!!) overtimes.  Even the highlights were exhausting to watch!  One of the safest bets in Vegas today: going with West Virginia against the exhausted Orangemen.  Guard Johnny Flynn led Syracuse by playing 67 minutes in the game.  Yes, that's a school record.  Now, the local angle: this can't get a mention on the front page of the U-T sports?  Anywhere?  Not even in that little box at the top as a tease?  It was in the small type roundup on Page 2; yes, at the top of that, but still.  VERY easy to miss thumbing through the paper.  I know you guys are down and out, and obviously I appreciate the commitment to covering local sports, but this is a 6-OT classic we're talking about here, not chopped liver.  Today, plenty more tourney action around the country, that's exciting.
• We got hits yesterday from North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and South Korea.  Thanks to everyone for checking in, please sign up and subscribe for free, and bookmark us as a daily place to come and talk San Diego sports!  We took some important steps toward podcasting this week, and hope to be up and running with a whole new layer of content very soon!