Turns out the Aztecs’ first loss in 27 college basketball games — on Saturday, to formerly .500 UNLV — did not alter astronomy, causing the sun to skip its scheduled shift as Copernicus did post moves in his grave.
That giant, life-giving mass of hydrogen and helium arrived right on time Sunday. Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher, with a chuckle, confirmed there was no celestial shot-clock violation … with a caveat.
“A little less bright,” he said.
Little changed — and possibly nothing at all, depending how the next two weeks play out — other than history high-tailing it for the arena parking lot. This remains one of the most wacky, unpredictable seasons in history, with the bruised Aztecs still as likely a NCAA Tournament noisemaker as anyone in the conversation.
The takeaway: What’s been on the line from the moment the potential of this team revealed itself is still there.
Now, San Diego State is freshly and powerfully reminded that there are no mulligans come mid-March. Losses can ground. Losses can recalibrate focus. Losses can shake you by the jersey and warn that even the smallest dose of complacency kills shining moments. Feel the sting. Pour lemon juice on it. Let it fuel.
This season in particular.
The Top 5 continues to stiff-arm the normal cool kids. Three of those spots belong to Gonzaga, Dayton and the Aztecs — not Michigan State, not Kentucky, not Louisville, not North Carolina.
“It’s wide open — I think we all know that,” Dutcher said. “Someone said today, when you look up and you have three non-Power 5 schools in the Top 5 in the nation, that tells you what it is.”
That’s the lesson in this, even after history took a hike. Win out and make a deep tournament run and that’s what will matter and be remembered. Shoot like someone spiked the water bottles and wad up the unselfish game plan that got you there — as the Aztecs uncharacteristically did against the Rebels — and suffer the permanent consequences.
No learning looms larger, especially in special seasons with special national timing.
“There will be some that say, well, we’ll see what those teams are in March,” Dutcher said. “They all look good in their own conferences. Let’s see what it is in March. That’s the reality of it.
“We’re all judged in March.”
To panic at the lack of perfection sidesteps the fact the tools remain intact and the rest of the country keeps dribbling with asterisks of their own. There’s no single Goliath in 2020, instead a collection of Goliaths in perpetual training.
Gonzaga, No. 2 a week ago, lost to BYU (a team it earlier beat by 23) in the same gym where the Cougars fell to the Aztecs. Then-No. 7 Maryland lost to Ohio State as the Buckeyes improved to 8-8 in the conference. Then-No. 9 Penn State tumbled to Indiana, also at 8-8 in league.
Creighton slipped into the Top 10 this week. The Aztecs routed them by 31 at the Las Vegas Invitational. San Diego State also rallied from 16 down to beat current No. 18 Iowa by double digits.
If this season has taught us anything, it’s that predictions come at very real peril.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty on who the best team is right now,” senior forward Yanni Wetzell said. “That’s exciting.”
This roster is built for adversity more than so many, from fifth-year senior transfers Wetzell and KJ Feagin to steely newcomer Malachi Flynn. If the Aztecs’ core was comprised of one-and-doners like Kentucky and Kansas, doubts would magnify.
The group uniquely understands the nagging pain of losing. Wetzell lost every conference game during his final season at Vanderbilt. Feagin bolted from Santa Clara, a program that has not danced since 1996, because he was crazed with winning.
Feagin assured that confidence retains a very real pulse.
“I think it’s when our swagger shows the most is after you’ve been beaten up and bruised, your armor has been (dented),” he said. “You show how real you are. … I (still) think we are the best team.”
Plenty of things can trip up the Aztecs. They’re 65th in the country in scoring offense. They’re 69th in rebounding margin. Bench scoring has gone the way of the Dodo.
The defensive DNA remains — San Diego State is No. 4 in scoring defense, No. 8 in field-goal percentage defense — with few turnovers and a sparkling assist-to-turnover ratio. Those things travel, as they say, come March.
Toss in the possibility of 6-10 lane-clogger Nathan Mensah returning and long-term potential in a wide-open tournament seems as real now as it was before the Rebels crashed the party.
As of now, there are more sunrises left.
In a few weeks, that changes — no matter what Copernicus thinks.
