HoopsHD continues its simulation of what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t). Up next it is time to continue with the First and Second rounds of the NCAA Tournament as we take a look at the fourth and final of the four pods in the West Region. 2-seed San Diego State was looking to continue their amazing season with a run to the Sweet 16, but had to first get past Toledo and then had the winner of an intriguing Providence vs Indiana game waiting in the second round. Who would get the spot in Los Angeles? It is time to find out!
FIRST ROUND – WEST REGION – SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
(7) Providence vs (10) Indiana
The 2019-20 season was really a tale of two seasons for the Providence Friars. During a 16-day span in mid-November, the Friars lost games to Northwestern, Penn, Long Beach State and College of Charleston. Those losses seemed to doom the Friars to a long regular season without any hope of postseason play. February and March were a completely different story, however, with wins over Seton Hall and Creighton at home and on the road at Villanova and Butler, among others, not only pushed the Friars back into the Tournament picture but eventually landed them with a solid single-digit seed. With the 7-seed in hand, Providence’s first round opponent was the 10-seed Indiana Hoosiers. Head coach Archie Miller’s team had a bumpy season of their own, and it took all the way until they knocked off Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament before IU fans were certain that a tournament bid was on its way.
The Friars jumped out early in this game, grabbing a quick 10-0 lead that had Hoosier fans ready to fire their head coach before halftime. However, Indiana struck back and a Trayce Jackson-Davis with 2 seconds left pulled them within 2 at the break, 42-40. Indiana kept the game close for the first 8 minutes of the second period, but the Friars then exploded on a 14-2 run and Indiana simply had no answer the rest of the way. The Friars won by a final score of 82-72 led by 17 points from Luwane Pipkins and 11 rebounds from Alpha Diallo. Indiana was heading home, while Providence moved on to the second round.
Final Score: (7) Providence 82, (10) Indiana 72
(2) San Diego State vs (15) Toledo
The San Diego State Aztecs were one of the top stories of the 2019-20 season. The team went undefeated until tripped up by UNLV at home on February 22, and suffered only one other loss the rest of the way – by three points to Utah State in the Mountain West title game. Although the Aztecs entered the NCAA Tournament as a 2-seed, they certainly had a profile that could have landed them on the 1 line if a few balls had bounced in other directions for the teams ranked above them. Their road to a potential Final Four would begin in Sacramento with the 15-seed Mid-American Conference tournament champion Toledo Rockets. Toledo had come out of 7th place to steal the MAC automatic bid and win one of the most upset-riddled conference tournaments we had seen in a very long time.
Toledo’s run through their conference tournament had been close to magical. No such magic was in store in the NCAA Tournament, however, as the Aztecs jumped out to a big lead early and took a 17-point lead into the halftime break. Although Toledo technically outscored San Diego State by a point in the second half, the Aztecs never had to really break much of a sweat during it. Malachi Flynn led the way for SDSU with 19 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. San Diego State was moving on and had a date with Providence set for the second round.
Final Score: (2) San Diego State 79, (15) Toledo 63
SECOND ROUND – WEST REGION – SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
(2) San Diego State vs (7) Providence
San Diego State may have cruised past Toledo in the first round, but the Providence Friars looked to be a much tougher opponent in the Round of 32. The Aztecs , who now had 31 wins under their belts on the season, were certainly going to have to play at their peak level to advance to next weekend’s Sweet 16 in Los Angeles. As for the Friars, their incredible second half turn around, going from a team that didn’t look even close to Tournament-worthy early in the year to a solid pick by the end of the day, could continue for at least one more game if they could do something that only two other teams had done all year – defeat the Aztecs.
San Diego State knew that Providence would give them a tough game, and that is exactly what they got. The Friars and Aztecs fought back-and-forth the entire first half, with neither team opening a lead of more than 5 at any time, and Providence finding a way to slip to the break with a 40-37 lead. Providence held onto the lead for the first 10 minutes of the second until a Matt Mitchell jumper tied the game and a Trey Pulliam shot put the Aztecs back in front. San Diego State extended the lead to as many as 7 points and made their free throws down the stretch to hold on for an 84-80 victory and a trip to the Sweet 16. Matt Mitchell led the Aztecs with 16 points while both Malachi Flynn and Jordan Schakel scored 15 apiece.
Final Score: (2) San Diego State 84, (7) Providence 80
