San Diego State took down Florida Atlantic in a historic — and dramatic — 40 minutes. How did the Aztecs pull off the win and book their spot in the national championship game?
HOUSTON — We have one of our finalists for the 2023 national championship game. San Diego State will play for a national title.
After a surprising set of 64 games in the men’s 2023 NCAA tournament, surely things would quiet down and the national semifinal would go exactly as expected, right? The Aztecs would inflict their will with their highly regarded defense. The vast venue and Final Four excitement would make both teams miss shots. None of which really happened. The surprises kept coming, all the way down to the final second against the Florida Atlantic Owls, defeating them 71-70.
ESPN’s team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi discussed all the key points from Saturday’s content at NRG Stadium in Houston.
What was the key to San Diego State winning this game?
Down the stretch, San Diego State was able to get back to what worked in the first four games of the NCAA tournament (and all season, really). It had only three offensive rebounds in the first half, but grabbed nine in the second half — including six in a 59-second stretch toward the end.
