San Diego State lost to Connecticut 76-59 in the NCAA men's basketball championship game, ending the deepest tournament run in program history.
The Aztecs cut a 16-point second-half deficit to five before UConn answered with the closing surge. The result left San Diego State one win short of a national championship after a tournament defined by defense and late-game poise.
Reaching the final changed the scale of the program's national profile and gave San Diego a shared spring sports moment that stretched from watch parties to a homecoming celebration.