Viejas Arena has been shaking from the ground up lately. It’s not an earth quake causing the rumbles, but the thunderous cheers, chants and straight up pride of SDSU fans. Can you blame them? For much of the second half of this season, the Aztecs were poised to make an appearance in the NCAA tournament. A few weeks ago, reality set in, and the Aztecs were left out of March Madness. But instead of hanging their heads low, this talented group hunkered down and prepared to enter the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). Now they’re headed to play at Madison Square Garden, and that gives us plenty to cheer about. Here are few more things to add to your SDSU poster board before cheering them on in the Big Apple.
Do It for the Seniors
The seniors on this team have undoubtedly set the bar. In the opening round of the NIT, Winston Shepard made school history punching in a triple-double. He finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists in the 79-55 win over IPFW. Shepard has been candid about his disappointment in being left out of the NCAA tournament, but like a true leader, he channeled his energy into showing everyone that the Aztecs are strong no matter what tournament they’re in. After clinching their spot in the final four Wednesday night, Shepard reiterated his excitement in making it to the semi-finals saying, “The first and most important thing was being excited to be in this tournament. Once we got over the initial disappointment of not getting in the tournament, we still knew we were one of the best teams. There are four good teams going to New York, but I like our chances.” I’m looking to Shepard to make some power plays and make the remainder of his collegiate career a memorable one.
Then there’s Skylar Spencer, who secured his 300th block in Wednesday night’s win over the Yellow Jackets. That was another moment in school history.
The Standouts
It’s a story of redemption, especially for the seniors, but the underclassmen have stepped up this year as well. Sophomore guard Trey Kell has been something special to watch all season. Kell has scored in double figures in 22 of his last 24 games and is a consistent force out on the court.
We can’t talk about stand out performances without mentioning Malik Pope. In his sophomore season with SDSU the forward leads the team in rebounding for the seventh time this year and 10th time in his career. I have a feeling once these two hit the hardwood at MSG they’ll be unstoppable.
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Fisher at the Helm
For the sake of being completely transparent, Steve Fisher is someone I really admire. I just want to take the man out for a good meal and pick his brain. I’ll save the leisurely talks until after the tournament because Fisher is all business right now. To me it’s obvious he’s proud of his team but he’s also clear in his direction and isn’t shy about what they need to focus on with each opponent. They’re on a high right now but he has great perspective when it comes to facing each round. After Wednesday night’s win, Fisher spoke about the progression of the team saying, “We are playing with a nice confidence on the offensive end. Seeing the ball go in makes you feel good about yourself no matter who you are. When you are doing the right thing and getting the shot you want, you can’t shake your head in disappointment when they don’t go in; you just have to get the next one. We’re playing with a confident feel at both ends of the floor and the ball is going in.”
The Aztecs go into the NIT Final Four as the number two seed. SDSU plays George Washington on Tuesday March 29th for a shot at the finals.
