San Diego State Basketball: 3 keys to beating Florida Atlantic in the Final Four

Win the Bench battle

Part of the reason both of these teams are here is a testament to their depth. San Diego State has a massive advantage in this department against Creighton in the Elite Eight. You could argue that the Bluejays have one of the best starting lineups in the nation, but they also depend heavily on that starting five and didn’t have much on the bench in relief. Down the stretch, those Aztec starters and key players were definitely less exhausted than the players at Creighton.

San Diego State will not have that same advantage this time, as Florida Atlantic has a pretty deep bench as well. The Owls do get a ton from sophomores Alijah Martin, Johnell Davis, and Vladislav Goldin, but there’s plenty more to scout and worry about deeper in the rotation. We could see full sale line changes at times in this game with how deep both of these coaches can go, but which team has the stronger bench?

Jaedon Ledee and Micah Parrish are both usually good for about 7 points a game off the bench, and it’s likely the Aztecs will need a heroic effort from one or both of them again in the Final Four. These types of players have been picking up the slack during Bradley’s struggles or igniting the team during their offensive droughts with great defensive play. If San Diego State is going to advance to the national title game, they’ll need at least one player off their bench to prove that they belong, though Brian Dutcher would gladly take a great effort from everyone in this rotation.

We’ll soon see if the Aztecs actually advance to the national championship game, but these are clearly a few things to keep an eye on. Does San Diego State get the job done, leaning on Bradley and the bench against this Cinderella squad from Florida Atlantic?