Exclusive: TJ Rives believes San Diego State made Final Four because “They guard the crap out of you”

San Diego State made the Final Four for the first time in school history this season. The Aztecs entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South, and beat No. 1 overall seed Alabama en route to college basketball's showcase event.

San Diego State's run has been impressive, and the Aztecs will have a unique opportunity to capture their first-ever championship this weekend in Houston.

TJ Rives, a popular sports commentator from the Tampa Bay Area, recently appeared on "The BallFather Podcast" presented by Sportskeeda. Rives spoke to Reggie Roberts and shared his thoughts regarding the success the Aztecs have enjoyed and their prospects in the Final Four.

San Diego State made it to the Final Four because of defense

March Madness 2023 has been very exciting so far. We have three more games left, but we've had the opportunity to watch so many upsets. One of the biggest upsets was San Diego State's 71-64 victory over Alabama in the Sweet 16.

However, there is no doubt that the Aztecs deserved to win the game. They've played fantastic defense throughout the NCAA Tournament, which is what T.J. Rives pointed out.

"There's a reason why San Diego State repeatedly allows less than 70 points, because they guard the crap out of you," Rives said. "They play defense, so that's going to be a real challenge for Florida Atlantic."

The basketball analyst also spoke about the first two matchups of the tournament the Aztecs had. They limited No. 12 College of Charleston to 57 points in a 63-57 win, while No. 13 Furman scored only 52 in a 75-52 win.

"In both of those games, San Diego State had size, 6-7, 6-8 guys, probably four or five of them with long arms that can defend, that are physical, that can rebound," Rives said.

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Rives also gave credit to the Aztecs for playing lockdown defense on Alabama's Brandon Miller in the Sweet 16. The Aztecs completely shut down Miller, one of the top prospects of the upcoming NBA draft. The young forward finished with only nine points on 3-for-19 shooting.

"They shut down Alabama," he said on the podcast. "They shut down one of the best players in college basketball in Brandon Miller."

Miller was completely shut down by the Aztecs. (Image via Getty Images)

The Aztecs (31-6) held Alabama to 64 points in their Sweet 16 win, pulling one of the biggest upsets of the NCAA Tournament. They will face No. 9 Florida Atlantic University (35-3) on Saturday and will have a great chance to advance to Monday's championship game.

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The Owls advanced to the Final Four by heaving the heavily-favored Kansas State Wildcats 79-76. However, they will face another tough challenge against the San Diego State Aztecs and their suffocating defense.