Can San Diego State break the NCAA Tournament 5-seed curse?

2002: Indiana vs. Maryland

I’ll always remember the 2002 Hoosiers fondly for taking out Jay Williams, Carlos Boozer, and the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet Sixteen. I was a freshman at UNC, and my fellow classmates and I had collectively suffered through the worst Carolina season of our lifetimes. I had even paid a good chunk of change to see Duke whomp the Tar Heels in the Dean Dome, my first Carolina-Duke game that I attended in person. The one silver lining to that entire wretched season was watching from the dorm as Duke flamed out in spectacular fashion against Jared Jeffries and company.

Unfortunately for Indiana, they ran into a powerhouse Maryland squad in the title game that had unfinished business. The Terrapins, a year after blowing a 22-point lead to Duke in the Final Four, cruised to a relatively drama-free victory against Indiana, 64-52. Like UConn’s Dan Hurley, Terrapins head coach Gary Williams was known in part for his battles with the referees, but he needed no such edge in 2002. His team was loaded at every position, with Steve Blake and Juan Dixon manning the guard spots, and Lonnie Baxter and Chris Wilcox wrecking teams down low.

This year’s UConn team is similarly laden with talent, with Tristen Newton, Jordan Hawkins, and Andre Jackson, Jr. in the backcourt, Alex Karaban launching from three, and Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan beasting fools in the post.

San Diego State shares a bit with that Indiana team, as they’re both coached by longtime assistants that succeeded legends. In San Diego State’s case, Brian Dutcher stepped up after Steve Fisher retired, while Indiana’s Mike Davis took the reins after Bobby Knight was let go.

The Aztecs will hope that beating a 1-seed full of NBA talent in the Sweet Sixteen won’t, the way it did for the Hoosiers, be their legacy. Ending Alabama’s season was impressive, but it also gives hope for San Diego State that they can hang with another long, intimidatingly athletic team in UConn.