FULLERTON – The participants at the loud, lively NCAA bracket watch party may have sensed something was up Sunday afternoon. At the very bottom of the West Region bracket, Duke was slotted as the No. 2 seed with its 28-6 record and its No. 1 in the nation story line, the end of Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching career.

And then, on the No. 15 line right below: Cal State Fullerton.

The roar from the assembled – players, coaches, friends, family, athletic department functionaries and fans – was real, it was loud and it was heartfelt. No “be careful what you wish for” foolishness would be tolerated.

Bring on Duke!#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/xiqXVyRfiP

— Titans Men’s Basketball (@FullertonMBB) March 13, 2022

So let the giant-killing narratives begin.

For the first time Fullerton has reached the NCAA Tournament in a year not ending in the digit 8, after surviving Long Beach State’s final possession of the night in Saturday’s Big West championship game. The first appearance was in 1978 – or one year before Magic Johnson and Larry Bird transformed the tournament – and the team that nobody had paid attention to came within one steal in the lane (or, if you prefer, uncalled foul) from incredibly reaching the Final Four.

The next two appearances, 2008 and 2018, against Wisconsin and Purdue respectively, went into the valiant effort category.

This time the Titans can not only ruin brackets by the thousands, they can make history by spoiling that storyline. Krzyzewski’s 42nd season at Duke has been one long victory lap, and without knowing yet what game times will be established, it’s almost a certainty that Coach K and his team will be on prime time as much as possible, beginning Friday night from Greenville, S.C. Fullerton might get mentioned a few times during the course of the broadcast.

But could you imagine?

The words “Cal State Who” were heard during Sunday’s party at a downtown Fullerton restaurant. Those who have long memories will remember that as a reference to the 1978 Titans, who shocked No. 4 New Mexico and No. 11 University of San Francisco – madness before there was March Madness – and had the ball and a chance to win in the regional final against Arkansas, No. 7 in that year’s final regular-season AP poll.

That’s a pretty substantial near miss. This would dwarf that.

But there is always the danger that the 2022 Big West champs will see that blue D-U-K-E on the front of uniforms, and they’ll see Krzyzewski on the sideline, and they’ll be distracted from the task at hand.

“There’s always that risk you run,” head coach Dedrique Taylor said. “But I do think these guys have so much more access (to information) that I don’t know that the four letters across their jersey are as big as they were five or 10 years ago. There’ll still be that element, but I don’t think it’ll be as big or as gaudy.”

Senior guard Jalen Harris, the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year, noted that all that information – “all the hype that’s been around Coach K and Duke this season,” as he put it – can be distracting.

The trick: “Making sure everybody stays focused on it and realizes, you know, we can win the game. We’re gonna go out there to compete. We’re not there to make friends or be buddy-buddy with anybody. We want to go out there and win just as much as they do. Once we come in there with that mindset, I feel like everything’s gonna work out for us.”

There’s another factor. For the game’s bluebloods, preparing for the NCAA Tournament is old hat, baked into the season’s routine. You get on a plane, you fly to the tournament site, you bring along whatever schoolwork you have, you practice and you play. It’s normal.

When you aren’t one of the game’s bluebloods, it is a sudden change in routine. And when you haven’t experienced it before, it’s one more thing to be dealt with.

“I personally don’t have (any) idea, but I’m excited for the journey.” senior Damari Milstead said. “You know, Coach Taylor has been here before so we’re going to lean on him to lead us.”

Only one player on the Fullerton roster has played in the NCAA Tournament: Grad transfer E.J. Anosike, who appeared in one game last spring for Tennessee.

“Everyone’s excited, and they should be,” said Anosike, the MVP of the conference tournament. They worked hard and the hard work paid off, you know?

“We got an at-large bid (at Tennessee). But this one feels that much sweeter because, you know, we really worked for it. We had to go out there and get three wins to give ourselves an opportunity/ … Seeing these guys, young guys, sophomores, they’ve got years ahead of them, and for them to get a ring for a championship this early, it’s showing them what the best looks like. Now the standard is, you got to raise it up and continue to hold yourselves to high standards if you want to get another one.”

Related Articles

Those standards, and raising them, will be what Fullerton’s 2022 NCAA Tournament experience comes down to no matter how long it lasts.

“The first thing is that we have to understand who we are, and we have to be the best version of that,” Taylor said. “And then whatever happens, we’ll be ready for it if we are the best version of ourselves. That includes playing with great energy and great effort and trying to execute at a high level.

“And then I think if that happens, anything can happen.”

Which brings us to that giant-killing narrative. Think David v. Goliath. Or the Miracle on Ice. Or UMBC over Virginia, No. 16 over No. 1.

Might as well throw “Cal State Who” in there, too.

[email protected]

@Jim_Alexander on Twitter