Category: NCAA Tournament

2020 NCAA Tournament Sim: East Region, Round 2

2020 NCAA Tournament Sim: East Region, Round 2 A trip to the Sweet Sixteen is on the line in the round of 32. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Four Move On The first round is in the books of our NCAA Tournament simulation and though there …

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2020 NCAA Tournament Sim: East Region, Round 2

A trip to the Sweet Sixteen is on the line in the round of 32.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Four Move On 

The first round is in the books of our NCAA Tournament simulation and though there were a few upsets, the big names are still here and provide an eventful day of games in the round thirty-two for us to enjoy.

As a reminder, we are simulating these games over at What If Sports and are doing just like the NCAA Tournament, one loss and you’re out.

East Region 

Final Score: No.1 Dayton 96, No. 8 Colorado 89

Cleveland, OH–The arena was full in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon as Dayton Flyers fans packed in tight. It took more than regulation in this one for the Flyers to advance on, it also took a double-double from star big man Obi Toppin with 26 points and 12 rounds.

Colorado attempted the upset but might have ultimately been doomed from beyond the arc, finishing just 6-23 on the night from deep. Mckinley Wright IV led his team for the second straight game with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

The No. 1 seed Flyers advance on with a tough test ahead in the Auburn Tigers and maybe one of their bigger obstacles of the season in a team with athleticism and size like nothing you can compare to in the Atlantic-10.

Final Score: No. 5 Auburn 85, No.4 Wisconsin 65

Sacramento, CA–The goal hasn’t changed for the Tigers and unfortunately for the Wisconsin Badgers they were just another roadblock for Auburn en route to the Sweet Sixteen.

Bruce Pearl’s squad looked focused and shut down the Badger’s second-half offensive efforts, outscoring Wisconsin 41-25 after half time. Kobe King was the only Badger to reach double-digit scoring, ending the night with just 13 points.

While the Tigers were led by freshman Isaac Okoro with 19 points, 5 rebounds and clutch performance from the field, going 8-11 on the night. They advance on to face the No. 1 seed in the region in Dayton and have to keep focus to continue on to the Elite Eight and beyond.

Final Score: No. 3 Duke 77, No. 6 Iowa 66

Greensboro, NC–It was a duel effort by Tre Jones and Cassius Stanley who led Duke with 14 points a piece. But they weren’t alone as three other Blue Devil’s finished the night with double-digits in their eleven point win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa big man Luka Garza gave it his all as he led the way with 15 points and 13 rebounds. But it wasn’t enough as the Hawkeyes couldn’t hold off a late second half surge by the Blue Devils to seal the win and send Fran McCaffery’s group home early. They continue on to face this corner of the bracket’s Cinderella, a No. 10 seed who might not fit the mold but don’t let them fool you as they already have two upsets in the bag with room for much more.

Final Score: No. 10 Arizona State 88, No. 2 Villanova 86 

Albany, NY–The Sun Devils are on a roll! As they pack their bags and head to New York City with a two-point victory over two-time tournament Champion Villanova and head coach Jay Wright.

Arizona State couldn’t miss as they went a combined 50.8% from the field and ended the night with six different Sun Devil’s in double figures. It was floor general Remy Martin who led the way with 17 points, 8 assists and three steals. Villanova did all they could and were led by Saddiq Bey with 24 points but this is the Sun Devil’s weekend as they aren’t leaving the east coast just yet.

 

2020 NCAA Tournament Sim: Midwest Region, Round 2

Simulating the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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2020 NCAA Tournament Sim: Midwest Region, Round 2

Who is going to the Sweet 16

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Who is moving on from the Midwest region

The first round is in the books of our NCAA Tournament simulation and there were not a ton of upsets overall but in the Midwest region there were zero upsets and it was all chalk that moved on.

As a reminder, we are simulating these games over at What If Sports and are doing just like the NCAA Tournament, a one and done just like the real thing.

Midwest

Final score: No. 1 Kansas 84, No. 9 Florida 75

Top-seeded Kansas moves onto the Sweet 16 and there was a scare by the top-seeded Jayhawks. The Gators were up by six in the first half but then in the second half, Kansas went on a 9-2 run near the start of the second half to get back in the game. In the final few minutes, Kansas went on an 11-2 run to seal the win and move on.

Final Score: No. 5 BYU 89, No. 4 Louisville 86

BYU pulls off a minor upset to move onto the Sweet 16 and were led by Yoeli Childs and T.J. Haws who had 23 and 22 points apiece. The two also had five steals combined as well for a solid defensive effort. The Cougars had to hold off the Cardinals after leading by nine at the top. The final few minutes were frantic as Louisville went on a 14-2 run but that was not enough for a comeback.

Final score: No. 6 West Virginia 67, No. 3 Michigan 63

Free throws were the difference in this game and West Virginia needed everyone for the win by converting on just 14 of 27 compared to 9 of 12 for Michigan. The Wolverines went cold down the stretch with the last bucket with 2:26 left in the game which was a three-pointer by Zavier Simpson which gave Michigan a 63-62 lead. However, missing their final five shots is what did in the higher-seeded Wolverines.

Final score: No. 7 Virginia 88, No. 2 Creighton 84 (OT)

Another second-seeded goes down with defending national champion Virginia topping Creighton to get to the Sweet 16. Getting to overtime was a feat as Creighton was up 47-29 at the half and then the score flipped with Virginia ahead and that was how this game went to overtime.

The game nearly went to overtime for two reasons. First, Marcus Zegarowski from Creighton made just one of two free throws which kept it a one-score game by being up by three. There was just 10 seconds left and Tomas Woldetensae hit the game-timing three-pointer. Creighton went a little cold in overtime and the opposite was for Virginia and they were good enough to win.

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2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation: Round Of 32 Schedule

2020 NCAA Tournament: Round Of 32 Schedule Round 1 is in the books Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Who advanced to the next round? Our NCAA Tournament simulation being done in conjunction with WhatIfSports.com and Bracket Matrix. So far, the …

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2020 NCAA Tournament: Round Of 32 Schedule

Round 1 is in the books

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Who advanced to the next round?

Our NCAA Tournament simulation being done in conjunction with WhatIfSports.com and Bracket Matrix. So far, the first round of the East, West, South, and Midwest regions, and now we are moving on to see who will go the Sweet 16.

Before we find out who moves onto the third round, here is the schedule of games.

Midwest

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 9 Florida

No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 5 BYU

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 6 West Virginia

No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 7 Virginia

East

No. 1 Dayton vs. No. 8 Colorado

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Auburn

No. 3 Duke vs. No. 6 Iowa

No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 10 Arizona State

West

No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 LSU

No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 5 Butler

No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 6 Penn State

No. 10 Texas Tech vs. No. 15 Eastern Washington

South

No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 9 USC

No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Ohio State

No. 11 East Tennessee State vs. No. 14 Bradley

No. 2 Florida State vs. No. 7 Arizona

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2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation: First Round, South Region

Find out who moves on in our simulation.

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2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation: First Round, South Region

Time to finish off the first round.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Time to head South.

The results are already in from the Midwest, East, and West regions are in the books with a few upsets, including No. 2 seeded San Diego State falling to No. 15 Eastern Washington.

We now head to the South Region to wrap up the first round of games to see who makes it to the Round of 32.

As a reminder, we here at Mountain West Wire are using the final bracket generated by the Bracket Matrix and simulating games via WhatIfSports.

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South Region

Final Score: No. 1 Baylor 88, No. 16 Robert Morris 59:

This was was somewhat close for the first half but Baylor turned it on in the second half to go on a 42-23 run for the easy win. It was the 11-0 run that really put this game away in the second half.

Final Score: No. 9 USC 103, No. 8 Providence 97

A minor upset with the lower-seeded Trojans topped the Friars to move on to face top-seeded Baylor. This one had so many points and a lot of three-pointers but those were mostly made by USC who went 12 of 27 from deep and had six players in double-figures.

Final score: No. 5 Ohio State 74, No. 12 Yale 71

Yale nearly pulled off a famed 12 over 5 upset but fail by just three points. The Bulldogs were hitting from three-point range all day and converted 12 of 28 and their final three shots made were all from beyond the arc but it was not enough and the go down to Ohio State.

Final score: No. 4 Kentucky 77, No. 13 New Mexico State 64

New Mexico State was having an off night and that is not the formula to pull off an upset, and especially so against a program like Kentucky. The Aggies were a dismal 4 of 22 from the field and converted just 36 percent overall.

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NCAA Tournament Simulation: First Round, West Region

The Mountain West Wire 2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation rolls on, as we look at the results of the first round of the West Region.

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NCAA Tournament Simulation: First Round, West Region

A shocking upset ends a dream season abruptly

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Our NCAA sim heads out West as the first round rolls on.

The results are already in from the Midwest and East regions, and now our third slate of games comes from the West Region. Gonzaga, San Diego State, and Oregon are all playing in the Pacific time zone, while Seton Hall is staying close to home to start things off.

As a reminder, we here at Mountain West Wire are using the final bracket generated by the Bracket Matrix and simulating games via WhatIfSports. A hearty thanks to both for helping us get some catharsis in these trying times. As a further reminder, each game is only simulated once — whatever happens, happens. That’s the beauty of the Big Dance.

Without further ado, let’s jump into the results.

(#4) Oregon 69, (#13) Akron 67

Full Box Score and Play-by-Play

SPOKANE, Wash. — The first game of this Spokane pod is an absolute classic. The Ducks survive a scare from the Zips, thanks to a Payton Pritchard buzzer-beater. Akron’s Loren Jackson led all scorers with 26 points. The 13-seed jumped out to an early lead, but the Ducks stormed back in the second half. An 8-0 run from Akron tied the game with 3:25 to play, and the teams mostly traded baskets down the stretch. Thankfully for the Ducks, their All-American had the final shot — and he did not miss.

(#6) Penn State 77, (#11) Wichita State 63

Full Box Score and Play-By-Play

ALBANY, N.Y. — The most successful season of the Pat Chambers era continues as the Nittany Lions never really had to sweat in this one. Wichita State kept it respectable, but a 20-point performance from Lamar Stevens kept the Shockers at arm’s length all game. In the aftermath of the loss, six Wichita State players announce they are transferring out of the program, unexpectedly throwing head coach Gregg Marshall into the hot seat. Penn State moves on to face the winner of the Seton Hall-Hofstra game.

(#8) LSU 87, (#9) Rutgers 78

Full Box Score and Play-by-Play

SPOKANE, Wash. — The second Spokane pod gets started with this 8-9 matchup of two teams who were both in the Top 25 during the season. Though the Scarlet Knights can officially celebrate their first NCAA Tournament berth in 30 years, the party is short-lived as Will Wade’s club wages a balanced attack. All five starters end up in double figures for LSU, but off-the-court distractions start to pop up as buzz builds for a new documentary detailing the FBI investigation into college basketball, which brings Wade’s past improprieties back into the national zeitgeist.

(#3) Seton Hall 86, (#14) Hofstra 66

Full Box Score and Play-by-Play

ALBANY, N.Y. — The Pirates easily dispatch their seaboard compatriots, but curiously, Naismith candidate Myles Powell is relatively quiet in this one. The star guard scores just 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and attempts just two three-pointers all game. Instead, Seton Hall relies on strong performances from Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jared Rhoden. The CAA champs trailed by 18 at the half and never really threatened an upset. A bit of a dull game as we head into the midday doldrums.

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2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation Results Of East Region

2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation Results of East Region First Round is underway. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire We have our first upset out of the East region and an exciting first day of games. We are joining the herd by simulating a March …

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2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation Results of East Region

First Round is underway. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

We have our first upset out of the East region and an exciting first day of games. 

We are joining the herd by simulating a March Madness bracket through this month. We are doing ours a touch differently and are not going to just blow out the bracket in a few days. Our plan is to have this going on for probably two or so weeks. In the first few days we will have the first and second rounds done by over the weekend.

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The way we are doing the simulation is through WhatIfSports.com and it will be a one-and-done simulation. Both teams will be played on a neutral floor and we will post the box score and play-by-play info that was generated.

East Region 

Final Score: No. 1 Dayton 80, No. 16 Winthrop 70

Cleveland, OH–They wouldn’t have been the first ever sixteenth seed to pull the upset and everyone was cheering on the favorite instead of the underdog in this one as Dayton won over the hearts of thousands, maybe millions this past season. But that didn’t matter to the Eagles as they made it a close one in Cleveland by avenging a poor first half performance by outscoring the Flyers 45-35 in the second half. It wasn’t enough as they couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole they dug for themselves in the first half. Even though Obi Toppin was relatively quiet with only 12 points and 6 rebounds, Trey Landers led Dayton with 18 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Flyers to the next round.

Final Score: No. 8 Colorado 85, No. 9 Marquette 75

Cleveland, OH–This one seemed close, like most No. 8 vs. No. 9 seeds, the Buffaloes and Golden Eagles played hard. But Markus Howard never got the help he needed pouring in 32 points and Sacar Amin the only other Marquette player in double-digits. Colorado’s attack was a bit more balanced and although they have several guys who can get it done for them, Mckinley Wright IV led them with a double-double consisting of 24 points and 10 rebounds. Tad Boyle’s team moves on with some confidence after a double-digit win over one of the best scorers in the country.

Final Score: No. 5 Auburn 84, No. 12 Cincinnati 73

Sacramento, CA–Auburn usually plays some of their best basketball in the tournament and are looking for an encore performance to their Final Four appearance last year. Cincinnati attempted the upset but struggled in the first half and turned the ball over seventeen times. J’von McCormick led the Tigers with 15 points but had help as Auburn advances with their net cutting aspirations still alive.

Final Score:No. 4 Wisconsin 93, No. 13 North Texas 87

Sacramento, CA–Wisconsin surprised everyone coming in at the No. 4 seed as they looked like a team set to miss the tournament back in beginning of the season. They didn’t disappoint, receiving double-digit scoring from six different players. But it was big man Nate Reuvers who led them with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. North Texas played a tough game and almost became the first double-digit seed to get an upset behind 29 points from junior guard Javion Hamlet. The Badgers move on but a little shook up from a close 6-point victory.

Final Score: No. 6 Iowa 82, No. 11 Utah State 73

Greensboro, NC–Our first Mountain West team in the East is Utah State and though they kept the first half deficit to just one point, they couldn’t seal the deal as double-teaming Sam Merrill in the final minutes proved to be effective. Brock Miller led the Aggies as the team’s hot hand in this one with 21 points while finding space on the perimeter with all eyes on Merrill. Luke Garza seemed to be the difference maker in this one as he finished with 23 points and 9 rebounds showing poise against one of the better frontcourts in the Mountain West. The Hawkeyes advance, expecting a match up against the Blue Devils in the next round, barring a Belmont upset of course.

Final Score: No. 3 Duke 83, No. 14 Belmont 74

Greensboro, NC–Belmont was on everyone’s list of possible Cinderella’s and it’s quite understandable. But they were going up against the Duke Blue Devils who didn’t plan on being a part of their fairy tail story. The Blue Devil’s are young but talented and were led by freshman Cassius Stanley who chipped in 17 points in this 11-point win. The Bruins didn’t make it easy but were just out shot from every spot on the field and out rebounded 45-34. Coach K’s team moves on as they look to go further than last March, and that means a Final Four appearance.

Final Score: No. 10 Arizona State 83, No. 7 Houston 67 

Albany, NY–The first upset in the region came in the No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed match up of the No.7 Houston Cougars against the No. 10 Arizona State Sun Devils. Houston and head coach Kelvin Sampson have had a great season led by Freshman guard Caleb Mills and a balanced supporting cast. This didn’t turn out how Cougar fans might have wanted as a tough shooting night for Houston’s stars might have been their downfall against a hot handed Rob Edwards who finished the night with 25 points after going 6-11 from deep. Arizona State advances to face the winner of Villanova and Northern Kentucky later in the day, hoping for a Norse upset to avoid facing one of the best coaches in March Madness history in Jay Wright.

Final Score: No. 2 Villanova 84, No. 15 Northern Kentucky 74

Albany, NY–Jay Wright’s teams always perform well in March and even though this one was closer than they would have wanted they move on with a 10-point win over the Norse of Northern Kentucky. The Norse keep their tournament ticket this year under first year head coach Darrin Horn and keep it close but hot hand and former Louisville Cardinal Tyler Sharpe couldn’t do it alone as he finishes the night with 18 points. Villanova found their production in Jermaine Samuels in this one as he ends the night with a team high 16 points to help the Wildcats advance on after a double-digit win over a dangerous Northern Kentucky team.

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2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation Results Of Midwest Region

2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation Results Of Midwest Region First round is underway. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Time to simulate games. We are joining the herd by simulating a March Madness bracket through this month. We are doing ours a …

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2020 NCAA Tournament Simulation Results Of Midwest Region

First round is underway.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Time to simulate games.

We are joining the herd by simulating a March Madness bracket through this month. We are doing ours a touch differently and are not going to just blow out the bracket in a few days. Our plan is to have this going on for probably two or so weeks. In the first few days we will have the first and second rounds done by over the weekend.

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The way we are doing the simulation is through WhatIfSports.com and it will be a one-and-done simulation. Both teams will be played on a neutral floor and we will post the box score and play-by-play info that was generated.

MIDWEST REGION

Final Score: No. 1 Kansas 88, No. 16 North Carolina Central 59

 

 

 

Final Score: No. 9 Florida 78, No. 8 St. Mary’s 76

Final Score: No. 5 BYU 77 vs. No. 12 Liberty 69

Final Score: No. 4 Louisville 90, No. 13 Vermont 75

Final Score: No. 6 West Virginia 81,  vs. No. 11 UCLA 60

Final Score: No. 3 Michigan State 84, No. 14 UC Irvine 81

Final Score: No. 7 Virginia 65, No. 10 Indiana 57

Final Score: No. 2 Creighton 74, No. 15 North Dakota State 69

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2020 NCAA Tournament Schedule: Here Is What It Would Have Looked Like

2020 NCAA Tournament Schedule: Here Is What It Would Have Looked Like Games would have started today. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Let’s look at the schedule. March Madness would currently be under full swing with this being the first full …

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2020 NCAA Tournament Schedule: Here Is What It Would Have Looked Like

Games would have started today.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Let’s look at the schedule.

March Madness would currently be under full swing with this being the first full day of one of the greatest sports days on the calendar. Instead, a lot of us are stuck at home working or if you are working in fields that demand it, stay safe.

We are doing our own mock tournament and there have been others already out there but we are taking a slower approach to provide some build-up and anticipation instead of a big dump.

First up this post is the schedule of games and then over the weekend we will simulate these on WhatIfSports.com and the bracket we are using comes from the composite over at Bracket Matrix.

 

Now, onto the schedule.

MIDWEST REGION

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 North Carolina Central (Defeated Siena in play-in)

No. 8 St. Mary’s vs. No. 9 Florida

No. 5 BYU vs. No. 12 Liberty

No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Vermont

No. 6 West Virginia vs. No. 11 UCLA (Defeated N.C. State in play-in)

No. 3 Michigan State vs. UC Irvine

No. 7 Virginia vs. No. 10 Indiana

No. 2 Creighton vs. North Dakota State

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Utah State Basketball: Sam Merrill And Life Without The Big Dance

Utah State Basketball: Sam Merrill And Life Without The Big Dance Merrill like others moving forward after NCAA’s decision to cancel postseason. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Utah State’s Sam Merrill gives a first hand account of what this …

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Utah State Basketball: Sam Merrill And Life Without The Big Dance

Merrill like others moving forward after NCAA’s decision to cancel postseason.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Utah State’s Sam Merrill gives a first hand account of what this decision mean’s to collegiate athletes.

Sam Merrill has given a lot to Utah State University. After growing up an Aggie fan in Bountiful, UT just an hour south of Logan, Merrill will graduate this spring leaving his imprint on a program that received a ticket to go dancing after being led by their senior star to a Mountain West tournament championship for the second straight season.

But the world had different plans, and as sports leagues across the globe began postponing or suspending their seasons with the fear of outright canceling them still a very real possibility. Then as the dominoes began to fall midweek, the NCAA announced their plan. The tournament was to be played without fans, which many were against but ultimately accepted given the current state of sports around the globe.

In an interview conducted by the Utah State athletics department released this past week, which featured senior guard Sam Merrill inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Merrill spoke about life without the NCAA tournament from the perspective of a group this decision impacts the most, the players.

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He provided an inside look at the timeline between the start of the Aggies season to just this past week when the tournament was canceled. After a Mountain West conference tournament run that placed them in the championship game against the best team in the conference, No. 1 seeded and top-five ranked San Diego State.

After a hard fought game, Merrill and the Aggies found themselves tied 56-56 in possession of the ball and with only one guy to take the last shot. A Merrill three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left on the clock sealed the deal.

The Aggies would cut down the nets inside the Thomas and Mack Center for the second straight year and as one of the few conferences to start and finish their postseason tournament, it was time to wait. Wait for March 15th and wait for selection Sunday.

When first hearing about the news to continue on with a fan-less NCAA tournament, Merrill admits he thought it would be a better idea to cancel the whole thing altogether. In which you can’t blame him as one thing that makes this sport and time of year so special is the fans. Last year’s national championship game had over 72,000 fans in attendance and to Merrill’s point that would be a huge change in the tournament’s pageantry.

He then spoke about how head coach Craig Smith had been mentally preparing his guys for a complete cancellation going into the week as that was what everyone was expecting to happen next.

The news broke Thursday, March 12th regarding the tournament’s cancellation. It was tough news for everyone around the sport to hear, but as media, fans and businessmen complained. This decision really impacted two groups of people, the players and the coaches. While many student-athletes have taken to Twitter to protest, we hadn’t seen much out of the senior until this video interview. Many have

Merrill also spoke to the ups and downs of the 2019-2020 season, which for an Aggie team that came into the year with a mix of high expectations, injuries and inconsistent play in the first half of the season. But learning to adapt, bounce back and make adjustments during the season helped the Aggies finish second in an extremely competitive Mountain West. His senior season didn’t exactly go according to plan and even though it ended prematurely, to Merrill it still was a spectacular finish to his career.

“It’s a perfect way to go out for me personally and for us as a team to beat one of the best teams in the country and win a conference championship and be able to celebrate together, like I said we wish their was more but it’s a perfect way.” -Sam Merrill

When asked about his plans in the next coming weeks, Merrill mentioned his next steps for a life after Utah State. As the 24 year old talked about finding an agent, scheduling pre-draft workouts and accelerating that entire process. He also mentioned the possibility of spring athletes retaining a year of eligibility, which has now been confirmed as an official plan of the NCAA.

But after backing that idea he stated “you never know what’s going to happen in a year maybe some seniors won’t want to come back and we’ll just be ready to move on.” Then when asked about the possibility of winter sport athletes getting any sort of eligibility back and if that would be something he would be interested in coming back for, he replied by saying

“I’m definitely in support of it, especially all of the teams that…you know some team’s their seasons had already ended, like a lot of teams in our league and some tournaments had already started but a lot teams didn’t get a finish. And for a lot of those teams you sit their and wonder what if so i’m definitely in support of it but for me…I’m going to be twenty-four in a couple of months um…i’ll be graduating…I fell like I’ve given everything I had to Utah State so for me I feel like it is time to move on but I am definitely in support for those who feel like they’ve left things unsaid.”

With those words it seems as though Merrill is done with collegiate basketball and for fans of the Mountain West over the past four years, we can only be thankful for what he has brought to the Aggie program and the Mountain West as a whole and wish him well on his professional aspirations.

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Why San Diego State Aztecs are your National Champions

Contact/Follow @aztecbreakdown. The 2019-2020 basketball season came to an abrupt end due to concerns about the corona virus pandemic that is sweeping the world right now. This means no March Madness, no post season, and most important to this …

 

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Contact/Follow @aztecbreakdown.

The 2019-2020 basketball season came to an abrupt end due to concerns about the corona virus pandemic that is sweeping the world right now.

This means no March Madness, no post season, and most important to this article, no national champion. I’m here to change all that.

I am declaring right now that the San Diego State Aztecs are the national champions of the 2019-2020 season. Who gave me that authority? No one.

I just took it. Right here, right now. These are unprecedented times, and when an opportunity like this comes, you need to snatch it before it disappears and someone else declares their team to be champions.

Why the Aztecs you ask? That is a great question. Lets break it down.

To start, the precedent was set a couple years ago when UCF declared themselves national champions.

This is even more legit though, because that year had a postseason, and an actual champion to say, “hey, wait a minute.” Who would say that this year? Other fans? Since when have Aztecs cared about other fans? Another team? They can’t be champions, because we already declared it. There’s no way anyone can say no.

Secondly, it’s all over twitter. Reporters and commoners alike have declared the Aztecs to be champions, and everything we read on the internet is true, so this must be true as well.

Thirdly, before the invention of the postseason the championship was given to the team with the best record (probably.) This season that team was the San Diego State Aztecs.

With a record of 31-1 the Aztecs have the best record this season, and before you start, I know what you’re going to say. “Excuse me idiot, the computer says SDSU has a record of 30-2, so they don’t have the best record, Gonzaga does.” And you’d be right. However, noted basketball aficionado Matt Norlander said SDSU actually beat UNLV, and didn’t lose to them by 3 points like everyone thought, which would mean the Aztecs have a record of 31-1, which is better than Gonzaga’s record of 31-2. Checkmate.

Once it’s all said and done, it’s clear that the Aztecs are the 2019-2020 Men’s basketball champions. The best record in the nation demands it.

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Congratulations to all the players and the coaches, who accomplished the goals they set out to start the season.

They are Mountain West champions, they made the postseason (or at least they would’ve had teams been announced), and lastly, they are the national champions. It’s a good time to be an Aztec fan.

Flynn Net