After capturing the Mountain West Conference tournament in dramatic fashion over UNLV, the San Diego State Aztecs had nothing to sweat about during Selection Sunday. The only questions were: seeding, location, and opponent.
The answers: #11, Providence, Rhode Island, and Tennessee.
It’s not a fan-friendly trip for Aztecs supporters, but the Volunteers present a challenging but beatable opponent.
After learning their fate, members of the SDSU basketball team met with the media to talk about their amazing tournament championship, and the quest to pick up the Aztecs’ first win in the NCAAs.
Aztecs’ point guard D.J. Gay joined 619 Sports’ Craig Elsten to discuss his clutch, ironman performance in Las Vegas:
MWC Freshman of the Year Kawhi Leonard spoke to 619 Sports about his growth curve, and fulfilling the dream of reaching the Big Dance:
When you’re coming off a game in which you allowed your opponent to shoot an astonishing 63-percent from the field as the USD men’s basketball team did in losing at San Francisco last Sunday, you figure your coach — especially a guy like Bill Grier — is going to focus on nothing but defense when you get back to work in the gym.
So as the Toreros went through their paces this week at practice, they were certainly in a defensive frame of mind. Back in action Thursday night at the Jenny Craig Pavilion against Portland, however, it was a rather offensive performance that saddled them with a second consecutive West Coast Conference loss, this time a 63-54 setback to the Pilots.
The defense was much improved, limiting Portland to a 44.7-percent shooting effort. The offensive part, though, was at the other end of the floor. USD hit just 37-percent of its shots and scored only 24 points in the second half in falling to 8-11 overall and 1-2 in the WCC.
The Toreros led 38-36 with 16 minutes to play, but then went cold — hitting on just one of their 15 shots over the next 11 minutes as Portland (10-6, 1-1) eased its way through a 15-3 run and took control of the game.
619 Sports photo gallery: Portland vs. USD after the jump: Continue Reading →
ShareSixteen missed free throws. Sixteen turnovers on the Tritons’ home floor.
And a four-point loss to show for it.
The numbers were easy to add up on Thursday night, as UCSD shot themselves in the foot and still almost came back to beat a vulnerable opponent. Instead, the Tritons (3-8, 2-6 CCAA) were left to ponder another [...]
ShareEach year, head coach Chris Carlson has started his season at UCSD by challenging the big boys down the road on Montezuma Mesa. It’s an opportunity for the Division II Tritons to step up their level of competition, while giving the D-I Aztecs a chance to knock off the rust and start the year with [...]
ShareThe Chargers managed a memorable Escape From New York last week, and many on the team have called it a stepping stone victory. All well and good, but before the Bolts get used to the view from atop that stone, they better realize their next step will be a doozy. If the Chargers don’t back [...]
ShareEditor’s note: This is the latest installment in a series of weekly columns about USD Toreros football by a six year veteran of the team, running back J.T. Rogan.
Another Saturday has come and gone and our team has extended its losing streak to four while pushing our conference record to 2-5. The team leading the [...]
ShareDEL MAR–The San Diego Sockers have a lot to celebrate after a 9-5 win over the Stars of Mexico in their exhibition opener at the renovated Del Mar Arena. They also have a lot to work on to improve as a team. But one thing will not be questioned: this battle-tested group of veterans have [...]
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This is the latest installment in a series of weekly columns about USD Toreros football by a six year veteran of the team, running back J.T. Rogan. The Toreros lost to Jacksonville last week 34-16 and travel to Dayton this Saturday:
When I injured myself last year it was very important to me to remain [...]
ShareThis is the latest installment in a series of weekly columns about USD Toreros football by a six year veteran of the team, running back J.T. Rogan. This week, J.T. offers a frank assessment of where the Toreros stand after a disappointing 21-14 loss to Drake:
The game of football is generally viewed as a competition [...]
How much confidence did you gain from the way you played against Atlanta?
“A gained a pretty good amount, coming out there playing fairly well with the older guys, especially alongside Hardwick and Dielman. It’s a great feeling, knowing I can come out there and compete, especially against a good opponent.”
