He didn’t play in the 67-65 loss against Houston in Wichita, Kan., in 2018, but he got to experience Selection Sunday, felt the excitement at Intrust Bank Arena, felt the agony of Rob Gray’s last-second shot.įeagin and Wetzell never had. Narain, at least, was part of an NCAA Tournament team as a sophomore at SDSU.
As soon as I saw the news, I realized it was over. “I knew it was coming, but you hold that little bit of hope that it still goes through,” Wetzell said in his first interview since the NCAA canceled March Madness with a two-sentence statement at 1:16 p.m. You hoist the desperation shot from midcourt fully thinking it is going in. No season is over until you lose in the conference or NCAA tournament. Deep down, the senior forwards from San Diego State knew the NCAA was probably next.īut they’re athletes, they’re college basketball players, they’re wired differently. A few hours later, the NBA suspended all games after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. They went across the street to a Mediterranean restaurant to grab lunch.Ī day earlier, the NCAA had announced the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments would be played without fans. Yanni Wetzell and Nolan Narian had just finished shopping Thursday afternoon at Costco.
