March Madness: Higher mid-major teams proved they’re still a tier below

2021 March Madness: Higher mid-major teams proved they’re still a tier below

HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 21: Tramon Mark #12 of the Houston Cougars controls the ball against David DeJulius #0 of the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half of a game at the Fertitta Center on February 21, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

2 of 3

Syracuse Orange guard Buddy Boeheim San Diego State Aztecs Matt Mitchell Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

San Diego State Aztecs and Utah State Aggies

Between all of the lousy performances that we saw from higher-ranked seeds this weekend, I don’t think there was a worse game than what we saw from San Diego State. The Aztecs were 30-2 last year and returned almost the same team as last year. Losing Malachi Flynn to the NBA hurt, but going 22-4 and not having a loss since mid-January heading into their game against Syracuse, it seemed that this team was built for a run.

Buddy Boeheim deserves a shoutout and all the credit in the world for his performance, but the game plan that Brian Dutcher and company had for the Orange was one of the worst I have ever seen.

For an experienced and physically strong team that San Diego State has, to watch them jack up threes from all angles on the court for the greater portion of that game was infuriating to watch. There were no set plays, no adjustments, and quite frankly, it looked like there was no preparation for a zone that you knew was coming.

Syracuse deserves all the credit, but for the MWC Champions, in both the regular season and conference tournament, and having the MWC Player of the Year in Matt Mitchell, the way the Aztecs looked against a middling ACC team was quite disappointing.

The other Mountain West team to make the tournament was Utah State. It seemed that the Aggies earned an at-large bid by defeating Colorado State in their conference tournament. A ton of bracketologists had Utah State in one of the First Four games, but they avoided that and were granted an 11 seed and a date with Texas Tech.

The Aggies were in the game with the Red Raiders, but a 13-0 run to start the second half was all she wrote. My guy, Neemias Queta, was great putting up a double-double, but to only have 53 points as a team was a tough look. For a conference looking at four potential teams to make the big dance, both teams that made the NCAA Tournament are home like that. At least Colorado State and Boise State are still playing in the NIT.

Home/Mid Major Conferences