NCAA Basketball: Seniors who never got their moment in NCAA Tournament
By Bryan Mauro
Yanni Wetzell and KJ Feagin – San Diego State Aztecs
What a season for the Aztecs! San Diego State was the last undefeated team getting to 26-0 before falling at UNLV. The Aztecs were in the running for a one seed all year before falling in the Mountain West title game. That game most likely moved them down to the 2 seed in what is now the mock NCAA tournament. Even with no NCAA tournament, the Aztecs are going to be proud of their season and it was a season that had the chance to be magical. They were one of the teams I had ready to place in my final four if the brackets would have been revealed.
The Aztecs had two seniors who made an impact for them all year and were going to make an impact in the NCAA tournament. Yanni Wetzell and KJ Feagin were both transfers into the program. Wetzell was a transfer from Vanderbilt University who left after Jerry Stackhouse was hired as the coach. It is hard to put into words what Wetzell meant to the Aztec program this year.
He was one of the emotional leaders and was incredibly efficient on the offensive end. It is hard to imagine that Wetzell expected this type of season when he chose the Aztecs as a transfer. The Big man from New Zealand was going to be a factor in the tournament as he was a huge part of the game on both ends of the floor for San Diego State. The Aztecs were one of the best defensive teams in the country and Wetzell was a huge part of that. He shored up the middle of the floor and made points in the paint hard to come by.
Feagin was another player who transferred to play for head coach Brian Dutcher. Feagin transferred after a great career at Santa Clara. The grad transfer was an explosive scorer in his days at the West Coast Conference but with the Aztecs, he didn’t need to score as much. He was a great three-point shooter and much like Wetzell was a huge emotional leader for this team.
Next. Mock 2020 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 picks. dark
San Diego State had a team that was going to compete for a title, regardless of the conference they played in. They were one of the most talented teams in the country and it was going to show come NCAA tournament time. Just like every other team on this list, their fans are wondering what could have been.