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San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher on realignment: “I just think that sports should be played regionally”

Brian Dutcher knows that the likely extinction of the Pac-12 may mean the end of San Diego State’s chances to join a power conference.

He also knows what his philosophical beliefs are when it comes to college sports.

“I just think that sports should be played regionally,” Dutcher said on this week’s edition of the College Hoops Today Podcast. “I get that football is played nationally. I think we missed the boat a long time ago — that football is football and the rest of us should stay regional as best we can. To fly teams across the country six hours to play a men’s basketball or women’s volleyball or baseball game — I don’t think that makes a lot of sense to me.”

The Aztecs were a prime candidate to fill the void for the Pac-12 in Southern California following the departures of UCLA and USC to the Big Ten at the conclusion of the upcoming season.

Unfortunately for San Diego State, that will never happen now following the decisions last week by Oregon and Washington to join the Big Ten and Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah to join the Big 12.

Nevertheless, Dutcher isn’t concerned about his current position.

“I think we’ll have the opportunity to join a power conference at some point — what conference that it is I don’t know,” Dutcher said. “We’ve always said that San Diego State is a brand to itself.”

The Aztecs return four of their top six scorers — Darrion Trammell, Lamont Butler, Jaedon LeDee, and Micah Parrish — from last season’s team that went 32-7 and lost to UConn in the national title game.

San Diego State is currently ranked 19th in the ROTHSTEIN 45.

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