SDSU Gets it Done (Finally!)

Something special happened Wednesday night at Cox Arena.  No, it wasn't special that the event was the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).  It wasn't even so special that SDSU beat St. Mary's, two of the top snubs from this year's NCAA tournament field.

What was special was this was as big a game the SDSU men's basketball team has played in, well, forever.  Before this year, the Aztecs had never won more than one game in any postseason tournament.  The win over the Gaels marked their third.  But to know just how important this win was to the program, the school, and its alumni, you have to understand SDSU's history of choking.

In football, we have a team that hasn't been to a bowl game in over a decade, and hasn't won one since 1969.  They had near-victories at Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame over the last five years, but in each case, the Aztec curse reared its ugly head.

In basketball, they made the tourney a couple years back, but lost in the first round to a good Illinois team.  They were supposedly snubbed this year, although like each of the last three seasons, whenever they had a ranked opponent on the ropes, they let 'em off the hook (Arizona State, St. Mary's).

Wednesday night saw SDSU's sixth-ever sellout of Cox Arena.  You see, that's not very much.  Alumni know how heartbreaking it is to be an Aztecs fan.  Their teams have always choked in the clutch.  But not on this night.  Not even after blowing a fourteen point lead in the second half.

Steve Fisher's boys hung in there, made a few plays down the stretch (including a thundering alley-oop dunk that made Sportscenter's Top Plays as #3), and won 70-66.  Students rushed the court, something that had never happened in the history of the arena.  Alumni were crying.  Yes, CRYING.

Look, it's the NIT, I get it.  They get it.  But it was also the biggest victory in the history of the program.  SDSU gets to go to Madison Square Garden to play Baylor on Tuesday, and that exposure will be incredible for recruiting.

And hopefully, wins in the NIT will no longer seem so monumental.

It was cool to be a part of the death of the Aztec curse (if even for just one night).

(Photo: Getty Images)

---

Chase Parker believes in the East Coast bias, stretching triples into doubles, and considers Tommy Boy to be the greatest athlete of our generation.

Unless otherwise stated, no particular sexual orientation of anyone depicted is implied or should be presumed.

Comments

[JD]

Having been a fan of the MWC and WAC for twenty plus years it has always amazed me how SDSU could never be a force in college athletics. The most beautiful city in the US should be able to recruit. This SDSU team is very athletic and suffered through many injuries this year as well as the flu bug. They have finally put it all together and are looking good. Congrats to the Aztecs!