Monday, March 30, 2009

San Diego State better served by being in NIT?


We all know that when one door slams in your face, maybe the next open door will turn out to be much better than it appears.

Take the San Diego State basketball team, for instance.

Two weeks ago, who would’ve thought that being in the NIT would be better for the Aztecs than making the NCAA Tournament?

Not I.

But as it turns out, the NIT has been much more than a consolation prize.

Don’t you think that making the NIT Final Four serves SDSU better than a first-round loss in the NCAAs would have?

(Sure, you could make the argument that the Aztecs would have won a game in the NCAAs. But that would have been a first.)

Take what coach Steve Fisher told the media before the Aztecs departed for the NIT Final Four in New York with more than a grain of salt.

“I’ll be the first to say that if we made the NCAA Tournament, we might still be playing. I really thought we could win at least two games and make the Sweet 16. I wouldn't have been at all surprised. But it's a thrill to get to New York and Madison Square Garden. We're better served to be where we are now than had we lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. We'll get more mileage out of this.”

That they will.

If the Aztecs win the NIT, it will be the school’s first national title since the 1973 men’s volleyball team.

That, alone, makes the NIT more than worthwhile.

1 comment:

sam said...

Let's face it, the Aztecs would have been one and done in the NCAA Tourney. This has been a fun ride in the NIT. Two more to go!!!