2024 NCAA Tournament: #5 SDSU Edges Out #12 UAB, Advances To Round Of 32

Stellar play by Jaedon LeDee and stifling defense by Lamont Butler helped the Aztecs overpower the talented Blazers in the Round of 64.

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NCAA Tournament ready #5 Aztecs advance to play #13 Yale in the Round of 32

Spokane, WA- The #5 SDSU Aztecs overpowered the #12 University of Alabama Birmingham Blazers 69-65 in a tense Round of 64 match.

Jaedon LeDee posted a herculean 32 points, and Lamont Butler added 15 during round one of the NCAA Tournament.

After a strong first half, where the Aztecs(25-10) entered halftime with a six-point lead, they expanded to a 44-32 second-half lead. Then, the Blazers(23-12) went on a 17-5 run and with six minutes to go, the Aztecs found themselves chasing UAB who blazed to a 56-53 lead. SDSU then deployed a late surge on the back of 6-foot-9 linebacker / forward LeDee to avoid another March Madness upset.

LeDee scored on three straight possessions for the Aztecs after UAB took a 56-53 lead. Butler hit a contested fadeaway jumper, and LeDee battled for an offensive rebound before being fouled with 1:01 left. LeDee made both free throws giving SDSU a 66-63 lead, and then added two more foul shots with 20 seconds left.

UAB’s Efrem Johnson had a contested look at a tying 3-pointer with 8 seconds left, but lipped out, and Reese Waters sank one of two free throws with 3 seconds remaining and grabbed his missed rebound to end the game at three seconds remaining.

The Aztecs are in familiar territory. During closely contested play, they do not panic. They play their game in the face of adversity, unfased.

LeDee went 11 for 18 shots in the field, and was 9 of 10 at the charity stripe, and pulled down eight rebounds. He passed 30 points for the fourth time this season, falling just two short of his career high..

Johnson led UAB with 19 points, but was scoreless for the final nine minutes. The Blazers’ leading scorer, Yaxel Lendeborg got into early foul trouble trying to defend LeDee and finished with 11 points. He fouled out in the closing seconds.

Eric Gaines added 14 points for the Blazers, who fell in the opening round of the tournament for their second straight NCAA appearance. UAB lost two years ago to Houston in the first round, also as a No. 12 seed.

This season, UAB joined the American Athletic Conference and very impressively and unexpectedly, they won the league tournament.

UP NEXT

The Aztecs square off against #13 Yale on Sunday in the Round of 32 at a time to be determined, after the Bulldogs managed to upset #4 Auburn.