San Diego State's Men's NCAA Tournament rematch with Connecticut went the same as it did a year ago — only this time with a more decisive victory for the defending national champions.
UConn used a first-half run to take control against the Aztecs, and coasted in the second half to a 82-52 win in the Sweet 16. The team returned on a plane to San Diego Friday after their devastating loss.
Brian Dutcher's Aztecs program eliminated the top overall seed at this stage of the 2023 tournament but was unable to do so against the Huskies Thursday night in Boston. Danny Hurley's program, though, advanced to the Elite Eight in the East Regional.
UConn went on a 15-6 run early in the second half, turning what appeared to be a competitive game into a lopsided affair.
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Jaedon LeDee paced San Diego State with 18 points and eight rebounds in the final game of his All-American season and of his college career. Micah Parrish was the only other Aztec in double figures, with 10.
Cam Spencer paced a balanced effort for Connecticut, scoring 18 points.
UConn had a 50-29 rebounding edge, with 21 offensive boards. San Diego State went just 5-22 from long range.
Parrish connected on a three-pointer with 5:02 remaining in the first half, putting the Aztecs within five points. That was the last three SDSU made until Parrish sank another with 10:59 to go in the game. At that point SDSU's deficit had ballooned to 15.
UConn asserted control in the first half, going on a 12-2 run to take a 27-16 lead near the midway point. A Parrish jumper got the Aztecs within four with 2:08 left in the half, but the Huskies scored the final five points to lead 40-21 at intermission.
The opening 20 minutes featured trends that have followed San Diego State throughout the season. LeDee had 15 of the team's 31 points, and SDSU struggled from beyond the arc, hitting 3 of their 13 attempts.
On the heels of a historic run to the national championship game and the program's first Final Four, San Diego State reached consecutive Sweet 16s for the first time.
This was just the fourth time title-game rematch in NCAA Tournament history. The most recent featured Florida, who beat UCLA in the 2006 championship and again in the Final Four a year later. Seventeen years later, the Huskies repeated that performance at the expense of the Aztecs.
