The mystery of whether or not North Carolina would get into the NCAA Tournament is in the rearview mirror. Now the focus goes to on the court playing. With every game being a win or go home scenario, San Diego State is in the batter's box.

The Aztecs finished 21-9 overall, and 14-6 in Mountain West play. They have impressive wins against Creighton and Houston, and non-conference losses to Gonzaga and Oregon. They also beat Cal impressively 71-50. SDSU was also 4-5 against the top four teams in the MWC in both the regular season and tournament play.

This is their fifth straight season in the Big Dance. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 with the 30-2 Aztecs having one of the best teams in the country. Head Coach Brian Dutcher is 7-5 in tournament play. Five of those wins came in his team's march to the championship game in 2023.

Defense

Dutcher has hung his hat on the defensive end. This season is no different. Carolina fans will see a team that plays relatively slow when they have the ball. The Aztecs will run off of turnovers and long rebounds, but this is a group that likes to set their stingy defense in the halfcourt. They are nationally ranked in several categories.