Finding a way to beat No. 1 overall seed UConn in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament will require San Diego State finding Darrion Trammell and Lamont Butler.

They need to be thorns, poking holes in the game plan of the defending national champion as the Huskies pack the paint like a Manhattan commuter train to slow Aztecs' wrecking ball Jaedon LeDee.

Stop LeDee and you stop San Diego State, the thinking goes. On too many nights this season, that has proved to be an uncomfortable truth.

The pair of guards, however, could be the bracket-busting catalyst they were a season ago on the way to the national championship game.

"I've got the starting backcourt from last year's national championship runner-up," Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said Wednesday at TD Garden. "I have Lamont and Darrion back, and that's a good place to start.

"You know, two guys that have been in big games that have had important moments in the NCAA Tournament. Obviously Darrion, MVP of the (2023) South Regional. Lamont Butler's shot against Florida Atlantic (to win a national semifinal). They've been in these moments.

"They're not going to be afraid of the spotlight. They're not going to be afraid of their moment."

They'll need to put themselves in position for those moments.

LeDee is a basketball given, a double-double in waiting when he wakes up in the morning. Most times, it's about what happens in the Aztecs' galaxy orbiting the 6-9, 240-pound chunk of granite.

When San Diego State last played the tournament's top seed, Alabama, all of 11 months-and-change ago, Trammell busted out for a game-high 21 points. He hit 3 of his 5 3s, scooped up five rebounds and needled the Crimson Tide with a pair of steals.

Though Butler scored just four points, he posted team highs in assists and steals while adding four rebounds.

They

.

The pair fading into the background could be fatal for a team that scores inconsistently, shoots erratically and depends on the little things more than most.

"Hopefully, they have that kind of one shining moment," Dutcher said.

UConn is beastly, without question. They've lost just three times, all on the road. One was at then-No. 5 Kansas. Another at No. 15 Creighton, whom it earlier stiff-armed by 14.

No one scores 16 points per game, but five live in the 10.8 to 15.3 range. There's no obvious formula to take away a single player. Danger still lurks.

"UConn is obviously one of the best teams in the country," Trammell said. "It's an opportunity to show who you are. You rise to occasion. That's how I think about it. We have a group of guys who think the same way.

"We've got nothing to lose. We're already expected to be the underdog."

UConn is favored to win by 10 1/2 points, making San Diego State the biggest longshot among the tournament's 16 remaining teams.

The narrative on one side: UConn, which cruised to the 2023 crown for the most part minus a few tense minutes late against the Aztecs could be better this lap.

The narrative on the other side: San Diego State, which finished a pedestrian 11-7 in the Mountain West and lost its last five on the road against contenders, is not as good.

That label has become Underdog, capital U.

"I hope UConn thinks the same way and they underestimate us," Trammell said. "Those losses on the road, we got better through them all. It's all about what happens now. You just need one good game, then you're on to the next round.

"We're built for now."

If Trammell and Butler play well, they could be built for later as well.

"When me and D.T. are playing well, hitting shots, getting guys the ball, it's definitely tough to beat us," Butler said. "We all believe we can get it done. UConn's a tall task and very talented, but everybody's prepared.

"It's the belief we can beat them. That's where it starts."

Belief has to translate into buckets, starting in the backcourt. UConn averages 81.6 points per game, 21st best in the country. The Aztecs sit at No. 143 (74.7).

The Huskies also defend teams until they're dizzy, allowing 63.9 points, 12th best in Division I. The Aztecs linger close behind (66.2, No. 27), meaning the battle for a spot int he Elite Eight will be fought on dual fronts.

"To beat UConn, you're going to have to score," said Andy Katz, an NCAA correspondent and broadcaster formerly with ESPN. "That's going to be an issue for San Diego State. I think this UConn team seemed to be connected earlier and has stayed that way. It has not had a dip."

Trammell is growing more connected by the day, still. A re-aggravated injury to his left shoulder leading into the season slowed the senior.

He had transitioned from being a big-time scorer at Seattle University to a more refined role a season ago at San Diego State. The injury last fall shuffled him to the bench.

"It was tough, for sure," he said. "Especially being a starting guard going into the national championship. We were winning, so that's what got me through it. It was all just adapting and keeping my head high."

If Trammell and Butler find their way, San Diego State just might too.