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“Got That March Madness Bug”: 2x NBA Champion Kawhi Leonard and Thousands More Rally Behind His Alma Mater for a “Story Book Ending”

Published 04/02/2023, 5:50 AM EDT

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The NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament is about to come to a close as the final two teams have made it to the Championship game. The Connecticut Huskies qualified for the final, defeating the Miami Hurricanes, whereas the San Diego State Aztecs managed to defeat the Florida Atlantic Owls on a game-winning buzzer-beater. After the Aztecs reached the Final for the first time in their history, many fans expect their star alumnus, Kawhi Leonard to be in attendance for the game. Leonard even revealed his admiration for the team’s historic run.

The San Diego State Aztecs defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls, 72-71 on Saturday in a dramatic finish. This win continued the Aztecs’ dream run in the tournament this year as they progressed past the Sweet 16 for the first time in the program’s history. Even NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard wasn’t able to push his team past the earlier rounds of the postseason.

San Diego going to the March Madness finals

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The Aztecs managed to zone in on both sides of the court in the final seconds of the game. Despite trailing by one point, San Diego turned the course of the game around with excellent moves on both offense and defense.

USA Today via Reuters

Owls guard Johnell Davis drove to the rim in the hopes of extending Florida’s lead to three. However, he got rejected by Aztecs’ forward Aguek Arop, which resulted in a fastbreak opportunity for San Diego.

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The Aztecs ran the ball down the court with under 10 seconds left to play in the game, trailing by one. From there on, it was all Lamont Butler as he controlled the ball to look for a high-percentage shot to get off.

As soon as the shot went up, it seemed as if San Diego State’s bench already knew it was good as they rushed to the floor. 

Kawhi Leonard joins thousands in celebrating the win

Now, San Diego will face off against the Connecticut Huskies on Sunday. The last time these two teams met, Kawhi Leonard and Kemba Walker were both in college and played against one another. A Los Angeles Times reporter got the chance to talk to San Diego State alumnus Kawhi Leonard.

Watch This Story – March Madness, five greatest Michael Jordan moments in NCAA basketball

When Leonard was asked about his college team making the championship game, he said, “They got that march madness bug. And a national championship is a really amazing job.” However, Leonard informed him that he doesn’t expect to be in attendance for the National Championship game. Considering the tight race for a Playoff spot in the West, it’s understandable that Kawhi focused more on his team.

Even fans could not help but rally in the excitement of San Diego going to the finals. One fan commented, “Storybook ending.”

While another fan stated, “Childhood dream.”

Here are a few more reactions from fans on Instagram.

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“Every hooper’s dream.”

“Such a tough shot damn.”

“Naw that was too clean.”

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“I can watch this all day.”

Fans rejoiced over the fact that San Diego won on such an amazing game-winner. Let’s see who comes out on top in the finals now.

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Written by:

Abhishek Dhariwal

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Abhishek Dhariwal is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He earned his bachelor's degree in English Honors from St. Xavier's College and his master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from AAFT School of Mass Communication and Journalism.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth