SDSU attempts to join ‘elite’ company as NIT Final Four begins (UPDATED)

By Ryan Greene

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 | 2:41 p.m.

UPDATE

Baylor ended SDSU's deepest postseason run in school history in the first of two semifinals at Madison Square Garden tonight, 76-62.

For Aztec nation, a run at history will have to wait at least one more season.

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In case you haven't paid much attention, what with this somewhat bland installment of the NCAA tournament going on and all, the Mountain West Conference's own San Diego State Aztecs are the league's last team standing this season.

While Utah and BYU flamed out -- both by double-digits -- in their first-round NCAA contests, the Aztecs have apparently taken their at-large snub as a form of motivation.

Now at 26-9, Steve Fisher's club takes on Baylor tonight in NYC's Madison Square Garden in the NIT semifinals. They're the only club left in the NIT field with single-digit losses, and have won more games this season than any other MWC program. The 26 wins are also a single-season school record.

As some major programs -- i.e. Arizona, Maryland, Michigan, etc. -- who drew questionable at-large bids are now at home on their couches, SDSU is just two games away from hanging a banner in the Cox Arena and joining some elite company in the process.

Well, it depends on how you define 'elite.'

Nebraska, Southern Miss and Long Island University are the other three schools that can claim the accomplishment.

Can you name it?

If you can, well, you've got waaaaay too much time on your hands and useless knowledge in your head.

The Aztecs have a chance to become the fourth NCAA program to win an NIT championship before ever winning a game in the NCAA Tournament.

SDSU, who last appeared in the NCAAs in 2006 and lost to Indiana in the first round, 87-83, is 0-5 all-time in the Big Dance.

As for the other three schools ...

--Nebraska won the NIT in 1996, and last appeared in the NCAAs in 1998. The Cornhuskers are 0-6 all-time on that stage.

--Southern Miss, currently coached by the immortal Larry Eustachy, has only made two NCAA tourney appearances, losing in both 1990 and 1991. The Conference USA school won the NIT in 1987 behind Randolph Keys.

--LIU is a two-time NIT champ, winning back in 1939 and 1941, when the NIT was actually on-par with the NCAAs in terms of prestige (and it stayed that way until about, oh, the mid-1970s).

That '97 LIU team was pretty interesting, too.

They were led by Richie Parker -- a controversial figure who in 1995 pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl in the stairwell of his high school. He signed a letter of intent to play at Seton Hall a day later, but it was revoked amid several protests. He landed with the Blackbirds, turned his life around and had a nice career.

Their star was Charles Jones, a prolific scorer who played two season in the NBA.

In their first-round loss to Villanova, Jones had, get this, 37 points on 14-of-37 shooting. Talk about a green light.

But now I've tailed off and given a Kantowski-esque history lesson.

SDSU's historic chase continues tonight at 4 p.m. local time on ESPN against Baylor.

Of course, the term 'historic' is used loosely here, too. But you've probably figured that out by now.