HOUSTON – The energy in NRG Stadium was palpable during San Diego State’s practice session on Friday afternoon, as long-suffering Aztec fans descended upon Houston in droves. Flights were packed with SDSU fans decked out in red and black, ready for the Aztecs to square off against the upstart Florida Atlantic Owls, who soared into the Final Four in just their second NCAA Tournament appearance ever.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Aztecs were the upstarts, a program with precious little history and fewer fans.

Now SDSU is in the Final Four, alongside the Owls and fellow first-timer Miami, with mighty UConn ready to represent for the blue bloods of college ball.

Here’s a look at some thoughts on the Aztecs’ matchup with the Owls, along with my prediction…

SDSU flaunts its family tradition

It’s not often that San Diego State out-traditions its opponents, but facing a March Madness neophyte in the Owls, it was clear on Friday that two decades of Aztec history was on display.

Former SDSU head coach Steve Fisher got one of the big pops of the day from the crowd, along with his son, Mark, a long-time SDSU staffer now on his 12th year battling ALS.

“One thing is for certain, you never have a bad day — when you look at Mark and look at his decade-long battle with ALS — how can you say you had a bad day or losing a game was everything?” SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said. “It’s basketball. And what Mark deals with is life. And ALS is unforgiving. It’s cruel. And we do the walk every year. I wear an ALS pin to every game to try to draw attention to the cause. And so I’ve known Mark, obviously, I was at Michigan ’88, ’89, he was just a middle schooler back then. I’ve grown up with Mark. He’s family. He’s on the bench for every home game. Travel is hard for him now, but we got him out here to the Final Four because he’s a part of all of this. Not just his father, but him, the son has been a part of Aztec basketball dating back to when we started all those years ago.”

Former Aztec great Brandon Heath, the program’s all-time leading scorer, was also on the floor, along with his high school teammate and friend Trevor Ariza, who played college ball at UCLA but nonetheless has a relationship with Fisher. The three joined for a photo on the floor as their practice session came to an end, just in time for Heath to spot his former SDSU teammate John Sharper.

“I’ve said this, a lot of players come back to their schools,” Dutcher said. “They come back to the place they played. But their coaching staffs are four or five removed by then. They don’t know anybody left on the coaching staff. It’s a whole new coaching staff. But they know the facilities. They know the school.

“When they come back to San Diego State they are coming back to their coaches. Coach Fisher is still here. I’m here for 24 years. Dave Velasquez and Matt Soria have been in the program 20-plus years as students and worked their way up. It’s truly coming back to your family. It’s not just your university. It’s the familiar faces you spend all that time with. And we all share that vision of when one does it, we all do it. And that is really exciting.”

Big post battle looms

A starter for 128 games in his 5-year SDSU career, Aztec old-timer Nathan Mensah has a tall task ahead of him on Saturday against Florida Atlantic’s Vladislav Goldin. FAU’s 7-foot-1 center averages 10.3 points and 6.6 rebounds despite playing just 21 minutes per game for the Owls and their 9-deep rotation.

Mensah is seeking just his 7th double-figure scoring performance of the year, and his first since scoring 11 in an 82-71 win over UNLV on Feb. 11.

He’s been a force on the glass of late, totaling 23 rebounds in his last three games, including 8 boards against top-seed Alabama, the best rebounding team in the country, in the Sweet 16.

“It’s going to be an incredible matchup,” Dutcher said. “Thank goodness we went against (Creighton’s Ryan) Kalkbrenner. I mean, it’s the same guy. Maybe a little different skill set, but the same size, ability to score on the basket. Physical, strong. It will be a challenge. They have really a two-headed monster. (Giancarlo) Rosado comes in, he plays different, he paces, spins, he’s quick. They’re going to be a real challenge guarding inside tomorrow.”

Veterans guide Aztecs to promised land

Not many teams in the country boast a lineup so laden with veteran talent.

In addition to the fifth-year Mensah, SDSU has 8 other players with at least 3 years of experience at the collegiate level, including guards Adam Seiko, Darrion Trammell, Lamont Butler and Matt Bradley and forwards Keshad Johnson, Micah Parrish, Jaedon LeDee and Aguek Arop.

Few teams have used the portal so adeptly as the Aztecs: Parrish, Trammell, LeDee and Bradley are all transfers.

“Our practices are intense,” Trammell said. “It started in the summer. We first got to campus, and everyone was really excited about the year, and we all were battling. We just didn’t know about play time, our depth, we didn’t know anything, everyone was out there battling. That carried throughout the entire season. Each practice we know what’s at stake. We have opportunities ahead of us. Each game wins — each time or moment in the game matters. So we’re just very, very intent on what we do at practice, just because we know anything can lead to a loss. So we’re all locked in at all times.”

Behind the numbers

SDSU and FAU are fairly well matched up, though each team does have one standout stat.

  • Scoring: Owls 78.0, Aztecs 71.5
    • FAU only has three players scoring in double figures and none higher than Johnell Davis’ 13.9 points per game, but the Owls are deep. They’ve topped 90 points three times this year and broken the century mark three more times, including twice since the middle of February.
  • 3-point defense: SDSU 27.9 percent, FAU 31.8 percent
    • That might not seem like such a big difference but in a massive stadium like they’ll play in on Saturday, it could add up.

Dutcher drawing on his fabulous past

While this may be San Diego State’s first Final Four appearance, it certainly is not Dutcher’s.

The former Michigan assistant, who joined the program in 1989, went to back-to-back Final Fours with the Fab Five Wolverines in 1992 and ’93. Though it’s been three decades, he still vividly remembers what this weekend is all about.

“I think I’ve called upon the experience to help them through what this week is like: media responsibilities, when it’s time to enjoy, when it’s time to lock in. And just more experience from that regard,” he said. “You know, the demands are tremendous, and they’re fun. We’re loving every minute of it. But at some point we have to go to work. Like I said, today is not an All-Star game practice, even though it’s going to feel like that, with fans in the crowd. They’re going to want to dunk and do silly things.

“I’m going to tell them enjoy it, like I did, but focus in. We have a game. We’re trying to accomplish the greatest thing in the world, winning the national title. So be able to flip the switch and concentrate when it’s required.”

Final prediction

I’ve been fooled by my alma mater before, but the Aztecs have the bodies to withstand Florida Atlantic’s deep rotation, and SDSU is just a bit bigger and stronger. Are they tougher? We’ll see. Despite a cakewalk first two games against Charleston and Furman, the Aztecs had stiff competition last week against No. 1 seed Alabama and No. 6 seed Creighton.

While both teams will struggle from the field, SDSU will battle on the glass and come out ahead.

What can I say? I believe that we will win.

Final score: SDSU 68, FAU 64