Long, strange trip for SDSU and UConn

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Connecticut flew clear across the continent for the next round of the NCAA Tournament. San Diego State hopped in a bus and cruised 90 minutes up the interstate.

Huskies coach Jim Calhoun and Aztecs coach Steve Fisher have been doing this long enough to realize miles don't matter at this point in the West Regional - not compared to the distance both teams already traveled this season to reach this unlikely stage.

Two surprisingly successful schools with breakout superstars and respected bench bosses meet tonight, with the winner moving to the brink of the Final Four.

"It's been a wonderful, wonderful journey that we've had," Fisher said before the Aztecs (34-2) practiced yesterday. "I knew we were going to have a good team. I didn't know just how good we would be."

Fisher's grateful sentiments mirrored the thoughts of Calhoun, a friend for several decades.

While second-seeded San Diego State has won more games and moved deeper into the tournament than any team in school history behind star forward Kawhi Leonard, Calhoun has been thrilled by his freshman-laden lineup's growing maturity around star guard Kemba Walker for the Huskies (28-9).

"I'm happy. Elated," Calhoun deadpanned. "I can't tell you I wrote it down, because I usually try to write where I think we'll be at the end of the season . . . They have the most resilience of any team I've ever coached. We're playing the best basketball right now, and everything that could happen good, has happened good."

While UConn acknowledges it's peaking at the perfect time, San Diego State has its best chance yet to demonstrate its seasonlong excellence against a perennial power.

"You see the rankings and you see us up there, but people don't really know much about us," Aztecs forward Tim Shelton said. "We're finally getting an opportunity to let people see what we're about. Our guys feed off that."

SDSU has talent and experience around Leonard, but no significant history of success. Aside from two losses to BYU, the Aztecs have been perfect, obliterating the school record for victories while reaching the Round of 16 for the first time.

UConn was picked 10th in the preseason Big East coaches' poll. Instead, the Huskies have matured into a force, winning seven straight games in a 12-day span to reach this point.

"I'm not going to lie, I didn't really know what to expect," UConn center Alex Oriakhi said. "Having so many freshmen playing in one of the best conferences in the country and having a [tough] coach, I didn't know if they would be able to respond to him, but they have definitely surprised me and proved me wrong."