SDSU Aztecs
Walk On
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2021
- Messages
- 4
- Like
- 78
Greetings from San Diego. I'm looking forward to the game on Friday. I've met quite a few Syracuse fans over the years and I've enjoyed chatting sports with them. I figured I'd provide a transparent perspective about the Aztecs in case anyone is interested, as I've been around the program for a very long time.
I'm sure you don't want a full break down of our roster, so I figured I'd go over what you might see from the Aztecs as a team. Our calling card under the Fisher / Dutcher era has always been our defense. We don't necessarily get a ton of steals, but we make it very hard for teams to get off good shots. We do have a rim protector and we switch really well on defense. When things are going well, our defense leads to a ton of offense. Our offense does get disjointed though. We have some good shooters, but most are streaky. We had really strong guard play last year, but this year's play has made me a little nervous as we approach the tournament. Although we don't have much height on the roster, we do have a bunch of guys who have length and play bigger than what they are listed. Not sure how we will handle the masterful Syracuse zone, but most teams don't until they play you guys.
In a normal year, we would typically be able to schedule stronger opponents, but it was too difficult this year. UCLA was probably our toughest non-conference opponent (and that's not saying much these days). BYU and Utah St. (three of our four losses) posed a challenge for us, as they both have huge centers with great passing ability out of the post. To be honest, there weren't too many challenges in conference, but there is a huge talent gap between the top few teams in the MWC and the rest of the league (pretty much every Aztec fan hates out conference). Some teams came to the table with unique game plans against us, by slowing the game down to a turtle's pace, which did work to some extent (Wyoming). Most of the time, it's the Air Forces of the world and makes it SUCH a yawner.
Hopefully both teams will display their athleticism and it will be an entertaining game. I actually think it's one of the more enticing games in the first round. If you look at our history, you would have to favor Syracuse in this game. The Aztecs have some great wins against prestigious programs over the years, but none came during the dance. We've played Gonzage three times in the last 10 or 11 years and we've won twice, including once on the road (Kawhi's team). We are one of the few teams that have knocked off Kansas at the Allen Fieldhouse and we typically beat up on Pac-12 programs on the road, at home or on neutral courts. All that said, the best programs we've beat in the tourney are...Oklahoma and St. John's. If we are able to beat you guys, it will be or first victory against a blue blood and the memories of losing to Arizona, Duke, Illinois, UCONN and others will go out the window. 6:40 tip on Friday is a perfect time for some tacos and IPA's. Cheers guys! Also, I see your football program making strides and it should be a force in the years to come.
I'm sure you don't want a full break down of our roster, so I figured I'd go over what you might see from the Aztecs as a team. Our calling card under the Fisher / Dutcher era has always been our defense. We don't necessarily get a ton of steals, but we make it very hard for teams to get off good shots. We do have a rim protector and we switch really well on defense. When things are going well, our defense leads to a ton of offense. Our offense does get disjointed though. We have some good shooters, but most are streaky. We had really strong guard play last year, but this year's play has made me a little nervous as we approach the tournament. Although we don't have much height on the roster, we do have a bunch of guys who have length and play bigger than what they are listed. Not sure how we will handle the masterful Syracuse zone, but most teams don't until they play you guys.
In a normal year, we would typically be able to schedule stronger opponents, but it was too difficult this year. UCLA was probably our toughest non-conference opponent (and that's not saying much these days). BYU and Utah St. (three of our four losses) posed a challenge for us, as they both have huge centers with great passing ability out of the post. To be honest, there weren't too many challenges in conference, but there is a huge talent gap between the top few teams in the MWC and the rest of the league (pretty much every Aztec fan hates out conference). Some teams came to the table with unique game plans against us, by slowing the game down to a turtle's pace, which did work to some extent (Wyoming). Most of the time, it's the Air Forces of the world and makes it SUCH a yawner.
Hopefully both teams will display their athleticism and it will be an entertaining game. I actually think it's one of the more enticing games in the first round. If you look at our history, you would have to favor Syracuse in this game. The Aztecs have some great wins against prestigious programs over the years, but none came during the dance. We've played Gonzage three times in the last 10 or 11 years and we've won twice, including once on the road (Kawhi's team). We are one of the few teams that have knocked off Kansas at the Allen Fieldhouse and we typically beat up on Pac-12 programs on the road, at home or on neutral courts. All that said, the best programs we've beat in the tourney are...Oklahoma and St. John's. If we are able to beat you guys, it will be or first victory against a blue blood and the memories of losing to Arizona, Duke, Illinois, UCONN and others will go out the window. 6:40 tip on Friday is a perfect time for some tacos and IPA's. Cheers guys! Also, I see your football program making strides and it should be a force in the years to come.
