When Brian Dutcher led his San Diego State men’s basketball team off the bus following its berth into the Sweet 16, Dutcher knew the task in front of them. Alabama is the No. 1 seed in the South region and is playing like the best team in the country. Yet, it wouldn’t be Brandon Miller or Jahvon Quinerly the Aztecs would need to look out for.

“We know what our opponent is. We know how good they are and they truly are,” Dutcher said on The Darren Smith and Marty show on San Diego Sports 760. ” … Our opponent has always been ourselves. And if we play to our standard, and we get beat, we’ll tip our hat.

“Just play with great swagger. Believe in ourselves. Know we’re good enough to beat Alabama. Whether we do or not we have to believe we’re good enough and I think we are. We’ll go out there and hopefully play our best basketball of the season.”

Dutcher previewed Friday’s NCAA Tournament matchup on his weekly radio show much as Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats did on Monday night. Dutcher said he thinks the Aztecs (23-11) are past the nerves of the first round. He’ll find out in Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center at 5:30.

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San Diego State’s wins over College of Charleston and Furman were the first March Madness wins of Dutcher’s six-year head coaching stint. Dutcher had been an assistant with Steve Fisher when the Aztecs last made the second weekend of the tournament in 2016.

Dutcher had been “worried” about the team traveling east to Florida but credited his strength staff. San Diego State had seven players record at least 19 minutes in its opening-round victory and six against Furman two days later. Because of individuals “embracing their role,” Dutcher said, he thinks the team is playing its best basketball of the season. The Aztecs have won 12 of their last 13 games.

“When they came here, we told them our goal is to win a national championship,” Dutcher said. “It wasn’t to say get to a Sweet 16, get to an Elite 8 whatever it is. … This is just business as usual as we’re concerned. We haven’t got there yet. But at some point we have to break through and maybe this is the year we break through.”

He admitted that he or someone from his staff likely recruited Tide forward Noah Gurley when Gurley transferred from Furman in 2021. Dutcher joked that hopefully, they pitched Gurley well on the program while not giving him any “secrets” Alabama could use to better its chances.

Dutcher said Alabama’s strength is more than just the scoring prowess of Miller or Oats’ fast-break attack. Like San Diego State, Alabama plays efficient defense. The Crimson Tide allows opponents to score 68.8 points per game compared to the Aztecs’ 63.1 average.

“It’s what all good teams have,” Dutcher said. “They have length and they have athleticism. They have skill, they’re well-coached. They compete at a high level. Their defense is actually ranked higher than ours. … It will be the ultimate challenge but one we will be up for.”

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].