Breaking through in NCAA Tournament critical next step for Dutcher, who is 0-for-3 as San Diego State coach
As Aztecs men’s basketball coach Brian Dutcher plunged a fork into an omelet at a local restaurant, he was asked to chew on his five years running the program he waited so long to steer.
No amount of advance warning that the San Diego State job would be his — seven years in his case, since he was named “coach in waiting” — completely prepares someone for that six-inch address change.“The pregame talk,” Dutcher said. “You’re trying to sense the mood of the room.
Coaches, of course, stew about the sunken-stomach losses more than the victories. Stir in freshness and wounds sting, still.in Fort Worth, Texas. “We had a chance to advance in the NCAA Tournament. That’s what we play for, that tournament.”at the hands of Houston in 2018 and Syracuse’s 78-62 rout in 2021.
Gifted scoring guard Malachi Flynn buoyed a trio of additions, including Yanni Wetzell and KJ Feagin, who were sandwiched around Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel. The team won at BYU, boat-raced Creighton and Iowa at the Las Vegas Invitational and came within a UNLV upset at Viejas Arena from running the Mountain West’s regular-season table.“You think you can , but you never know,” Dutcher said. “We had a great team. Look what Flynn has been doing in the summer league. He put up one game.
“We’re excited,” Dutcher said. “You know what you’re starting with. We’ve got a lot of returning players who are very good.”