Bradley, Butler, Parrish, Arop, Seiko, Johnson, Dutcher are now all names in the hallowed halls of San Diego sports history.
How better to honor the stars of the San Diego State Aztecs — who came within five points and minutes of an NCAA Tournament title on Monday night — than with a celebration at San Diego's newest sports venue, Snapdragon Stadium?
Even before the ticker tape was done falling from the rafters at NRG Stadium in Houston, rumors about a downtown parade began to circulate. The university announced Wednesday it was scrapping that plan in favor of a free event at the jewel of Mission Valley.
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Event Details
Saturday, April 8 @ Snapdragon Stadium
Free tickets must be claimed (6 max) at max six tickets at GoAztecs.com/MBBcelebration
Gates open at 6 p.m.
Players arrive at 6:30 p.m.
Program starts at 7:30 p.m.
There will be limited concessions and Final Four merchandise will be on sale. Fans will also have chances to take photos with the South Regional (SDSU's quadrant of the March Madness bracket) and Mountain West Championship trophies.
UConn — a No. 4 seed — beat No. 5 seed San Diego State 76-59 on Monday night in Houston for its fifth title in the past 24 years. The Aztecs of the Mountain West Conference didn't go quietly, cutting UConn's lead to five points late in the second half before the Huskies used one more run to put the game away. It was San Diego State's first trip to the title game, but it surely won't be the last.
"We battled," Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said after the game. "Battled back to five in the second half, but gave them too much separation. We had to be at our best. We weren't at our best. A lot had to do with UConn."
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San Diego State's Lamont Butler hit a buzzer-beating jumper in the Final Four game that will live a long time in college basketball lore, sending the Aztecs to their first national championship game with a 72-71 win over fellow mid-major Florida Atlantic.
The clock ticking down, Butler dribbled to the baseline, found that cut off and circled back. He stepped back to create a little room and hit a jumper that sent the Aztecs racing out onto the floor and even had San Diego Padres fans going wild at Petco Park.
“It’s Butler," announcing legend Jim Nantz called it. "With two seconds. He’s gotta put it up. And … he wins it! He wins it! With the jumper!” Then, five seconds of silence, followed by, “A San Diego State miracle!”
Probably no better source to go for context on this story than the Aztecs coach.
"It's hard to win in March," said Dutcher, whose team won its Elite Eight and Final Four games by one point each. "Those teams are really good too. But you have to get a little luck and get the right matchups and have to be playing your best. That's what this team did."
One more time: Let's go, Aztecs!
City News Service contributed to this report — Ed.
