NCAA Basketball: Reevaluating preseason top 25 power rankings of 2022-23 season
By Joey Loose
19. San Diego State (29-6, 5-seed, Sweet Sixteen)
In recent years, San Diego State has risen into a powerhouse in the Mountain West, certainly standing out as the best team in that league. Brian Dutcher has been almost masterful in his approach as head coach, building strong rosters and preaching relentless defense. The Aztecs have also been extremely unlucky in the postseason, dropping some tough games in the NCAA Tournament and losing their shot when the Tournament was cancelled by the pandemic three years ago.
The Aztecs hung tough with Arkansas and knocked off Ohio State at the Maui Invitational. They lost three games in conference play, but the MWC was a much more competitive league this year than in previous time and San Diego State’s resume was still in fantastic shape. One of the nation’s best defensive teams again, the Aztecs rode that strength not only to another MWC Tournament title but into success at the Big Dance. Dutcher got the first two Tourney wins of his career by knocking off Charleston and Furman in the first two rounds.
These Aztecs will face a significant challenge against top-seed Alabama in the Sweet Sixteen, but even getting to this point marks an extremely successful campaign. These aren’t household names, but Matt Bradley, Nathan Mensah, Darrion Trammell have all played exceptional roles this season, and all but Mensah transferred into the program from somewhere else. Dutcher has built a culture of winning at San Diego State and this season has proved that that extends beyond just the Mountain West.