March 19, 2013
SAN DIEGO -
Seventh-seeded SDSU will face No. 10 seed Oklahoma on Friday in the NCAA tournament on Friday. |
SDSU Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip | Oklahoma Game Notes
#AztecMBB Advances to NCAAs For Fourth Straight Year; Faces Oklahoma in Second Round on Friday in Philadelphia
For a school-record fourth consecutive season, San Diego State (22-10), the seventh-seeded team in the South Region, opens NCAA tournament play on Friday in Philadelphia against 10th-seeded Oklahoma (20-11).
The game will air live on TBS after the Georgetown-Florida Gulf Coast game, which is set for a 6:50 p.m. ET start. Following conclusion of that game, the Aztecs and Sooners will hit the floor 30 minutes later. As always, the game can be heard on radio on KOGO AM 600 and 101 KGB.
One of just 17 schools nationally to currently play in four consecutive NCAA tournaments, the Aztecs are in postseason play for the eighth consecutive season and have already clinched an eighth straight 20-win campaign.
San Diego State received an at-large berth in the tournament after its run of four consecutive title appearances in the Mountain West championship game came to an end with a 60-50 loss to No. 15/14 New Mexico in the semifinals. Senior guard Chase Tapley, who will become the first Aztec to play in four NCAA tournaments, scored 14 points and junior guard Xavier Thames added 14 points and six rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome 31.3 percent shooting as a team. Junior guard Jamaal Franklin added eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Once again this season, San Diego State is one of the top defensive teams in the country. The Aztecs allow an average of 60.7 points per game (42nd), with opponents connecting on just 38.8 percent from the field (19th). In tempo adjusted points per possession, SDSU ranks 10th nationally, allowing 88.2 points per 100 possessions. In 32 games this season, the Aztecs have kept the opposition at 40-percent-or-less from the field on 21 occasions, posting an 18-3 record in those games.
SDSU is led Franklin, a first-team all-conference performer. The 2012 Mountain West MVP is the only player in the nation this year to lead his team in scoring (16.7), rebounding (9.5), assists (4.2) and steals (1.5). Tapley, who is fourth on the school's career scoring chart (1,499) and 11th in assists (299), is averaging 13.5 points with a team-high 66 three-point field goals.
The Aztecs will embark on the 2,732-mile journey following Wednesday's practice on campus.