The timing simply could not be better for San Diego State. There’s never a bad time to reach a first Elite Eight in school history, and to earn a shot at a program’s first-ever Final Four. That said, the Aztecs’ sense of timing in this case is pure perfection.
We know that San Diego State has been floated as a possible Pac-12 expansion candidate to replace USC and UCLA. We know that Gonzaga and the Big 12 are considering a marriage. We know that with UCLA-Arizona no longer being a conference basketball game after next season, the Pac-12 needs something new and substantial to replace that particular basketball rivalry.
San Diego State’s Sweet 16 upset of top-seeded Alabama could become a moment which elevates San Diego State on a national scale, turning the program into a regional giant which significantly boosts the Pac-12’s profile in basketball and reduces the sting of losing UCLA. Could SDSU enjoy “spillover success” in which the basketball program’s prosperity flows into football and adds value to the Aztecs’ overall profile?
We don’t have certain answers, but the questions are certainly worth contemplating. The possibility of SDSU replacing Arizona as a central rival and competitor to Arizona is undeniably fascinating. George Kliavkoff has to be thrilled by this particular development.
We will soon see where it all leads.
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