Ad Disclosure
Brian Dutcher, San Diego State coach, against Alabama: ‘We don’t consider ourselves an underdog’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Brian Dutcher is getting his team set to play Alabama on Friday, and the San Diego State coach is well aware of what’s at stake. But that doesn’t mean he buys into the underdog narrative.
“If we play really good San Diego State basketball, we’ll have a chance to win the game,” he said Thursday at a press conference. “If Alabama plays their best and they come out on top, we’ll tip our hat to them.”
Alabama is considered a 7.5-point favorite in the game, which is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky. But Dutcher doesn’t subscribe to that in his message to his players.
“I don’t care what game we go into, we don’t consider ourselves an underdog,” he said. “… That never comes into the conversation. We never look at ourselves as an underdog. We think we have a good program.”
As for a strategy, Dutcher said, “If we can turn it into a half-court game — and this goes for any game, Mountain West games — I like our chances.”
He made similar comments earlier in the week:
Brian Dutcher on being in the underdog roll vs Alabama & if the team will use that as motivation #MarchMadness #Aztecs pic.twitter.com/KvGgnAZgXJ
— San Diego Sports 760 (@Sports760) March 21, 2023
H/T Charlie Potter and Mike Rodak.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
