San Diego State shutting down foes with disruptive defense

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San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher holds the remains of the net after a Elite 8 college basketball game between Creighton and San Diego State in the South Regional of the NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. San Diego State won 57-56. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. ā€“ Brian Dutcher lays out San Diego Stateā€™s mission in plain talk to avoid any confusion.

ā€œWeā€™re a defensive-first team,ā€ the sixth-year coach said after the Aztecs muscled past Creighton 57-56 on Sunday and into their first Final Four. ā€œEverybody knows that about us, and our defense carries us.ā€

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The challenge for Florida Atlantic, UConn or Miami this weekend in Houston is solving the disruptive mix of quick hands and physicality the experienced Aztecs have used to wear down opponents.

Only New Mexico, Nevada and Boise State have cracked that defensive code since the year started, the last setback coming nearly a month ago. Fifth-seeded San Diego State (31-6) is 14-1 since Feb. 3 and it has ratcheted up the resistance in March Madness triumphs against overall top seed Alabama, No. 12 College of Charleston and No. 13 Furman.

All three teams shot just 32% against a rotation of veterans and transfers who have bought into Dutcherā€™s philosophy. Alabama committed 14 turnovers, had eight shots blocked and was held 18 points below its season average in the 71-64 Sweet 16 loss.

Sixth-seeded Creighton shot 40% in the South Region final, but just 28% while missing all 10 long-range attempts during a pivotal second half. The Bluejays finished 2 of 17 from deep, and San Diego State opponents have made 16 of 94 attempts (17%) in the tournament.

The Mountain West Conferenceā€™s first Final Four participant, the Aztecs will face FAU on Saturday.

San Diego State had to wait a few minutes before it could celebrate its win over Creighton. Officials needed the time to review a last-second court-length inbounds pass by Creighton that was deflected out of bounds. Aztecs forward Aguek Arop jumped for the ball with Creightonā€™s Arthur Kaluma, a fitting example of a team that embraces physical play.

ā€œThey play a brand of basketball thatā€™s built on toughness, built on intelligence,ā€ Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. ā€œThey donā€™t take many bad shots, and theyā€™re very physical when the ball goes up in the glass.ā€

Alabama coach Nate Oats said after Friday night's loss that San Diego Stateā€™s physicality bothered his team and got them off their drives. He added, ā€œTheyā€™re a tough, physical, big, strong experienced team, and especially in the first half we didnā€™t come out prepared.ā€

San Diego State is also patient, owing to its maturity.

Seven seniors are among nine upperclassmen that include four transfers. While offense matters, Dutcher stresses says playing defense creates opportunities at the other end.

The numbers demonstrate that everyoneā€™s good with that.

The Aztecs rank 35th nationally in field goal defense at 41% and are tied for 70th with 4.0 blocks per game. Creighton was their 16th opponent held below 60 points, nearly 10 below its average coming in.

ā€œWe make sure any time we play against a team thereā€™s five guys all on one guy,ā€ 6-foot-10 senior forward Nathan Mensah said. ā€œWe donā€™t take that for granted, and we know our defense will always play out as the game goes.ā€

That faith in defense has been key in overcoming second-half deficits against Alabama and Creighton.

San Diego Stateā€™s halftime lead became a nine-point hole against the Crimson Tide before it scored 12 straight points to take the lead for good with 8:43 remaining. The Aztecs rallied from a 43-37 deficit against Creighton and never trailed again despite five ties over the final 6:23.

One of the happiest San Diego State players after the game was leading scorer Matt Bradley, who was held to eight points over the weekend after averaging 12.8 coming in. While he was off, he saw the Aztecs get big stops and timely contributions from Arop and Mensah.

ā€œWeā€™ve got seven, eight dudes that could just get a bucket for us, get a big stop and just make a game-winning play,ā€ Bradley said. ā€œThatā€™s a testament to what this team has personnel-wise.ā€

Combine that depth with the defense, and San Diego State is in a place it could only dream about before the season.

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AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25


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