3 keys for San Diego State to win pivotal matchup vs. Utah State
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Brian Dutcher and the San Diego State Aztecs have been in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West for two weeks now, a lead they’ll try to protect when they travel to face one of their closest pursuers, Utah State, in the biggest game on the conference schedule so far.
SDSU sits at 9-1 while Utah State is tied for second with New Mexico at 8-2. The Aztecs, who are 15-5 overall, can either open a bit of a lead in their final season in the conference, or come back to the field. USU is 17-3.
Tipoff is at 10 a.m. PT and the game will air on CBS.
There’s a lot more at stake for the Aztecs than just the conference lead. This is a Quad 1 opportunity for the Aztecs, whose resume was hurt by some big losses in non-conference play, including a 30-point blowout loss to Michigan in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, a 23-point loss to No. 1 Arizona in Phoenix on Dec. 20, and a stunning 108-107 double-overtime home loss to Troy on Nov. 18.
SDSU’s chances at an at-large bid have improved since then, as they’ve won nine of 10 since the Arizona loss. Included in that span was a Quad 1 win at MW foe Nevada on Jan. 6.
San Diego State is ranked No. 45 and Utah State No. 25 in the NCAA NET Rankings, which are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness. Utah State is No. 25. This would be a Quad 2 win for the Aggies.
These teams, which are among the five MW squads heading to the Pac-12 next season, are used to playing in March Madness. The Aztecs, the unanimous preseason favorite to win the MW regular-season crown, are aiming for their sixth straight NCAA Tournament bid and are three seasons removed from their first Final Four appearance. Utah State is looking for its fourth straight bid and fifth in six seasons.
Here are three things Dutcher's squad will need to do on Saturday:
1. Seize the situation
A lot of factors will be working against the Aztecs when they show up at the 10,270-seat Dee Glen Sports Spectrum. It’ll be an early wakeup call for the Aztecs, whose body clocks will still be on San Diego time, which is an hour behind Logan.
And then there’s the altitude of 4,500 feet, which isn’t horrible compared to other MW venues, but it can be a factor. Finally, there’s the HURD, the loud student section that can also be a factor.
The Aztecs can’t get rattled early and get into a deep deficit. If they get a lead, they can’t squander it like they have a few times this season.
“It'll take our best performance of the year to go into Logan and get a win, but I have a group of guys that are up for the challenge,” Dutcher said. “We'll go over there, I'll have a cup of coffee, and we'll play at 10 a.m. San Diego time on Saturday and see if we're awake and ready to play or not.”
2. Get Miles Byrd going
The junior wing returned to Montezuma Mesa for big games like this and the Aztecs will need more than just a solid performance from the MW preseason player of the year. It’ll be particularly important since the Aztecs probably will be without 7-footer Magoon Gwath (hip flexor) for the fourth straight game and were without freshman Elzie Harrington (leg injury) in a 73-50 home win against Colorado State on Wednesday night.
Byrd had 23 points in an 82-71 win at UNLV last Saturday, one off his season high and two off his career high. But he had only 10 points against the Rams. He scored just six points in a gut-wrenching 70-69 loss at Grand Canyon.
Byrd is second in scoring at 11 points per game, right behind Reese Dixon-Waters at 11.5 points. Dixon-Waters and Pharoh Compton, who had some rim-rattling dunks against Colorado State, also need to come up big.
3. Defense, defense, defense
After allowing some eye-popping scores during non-conference play, the normally defensive-minded Aztecs have played more to expectations in winning nine of their last 10 games and 12 of 14.
They’ll certainly be tested by the Aggies, who lead the MW in scoring at 84.25 points per game and feature the league’s leading scorer, senior guard MJ Collins, who averages 18.95 points. The Aggies also have the sixth-leading scorer, Mason Falslev, who pours in 16.25 points.
The Aztecs rank just sixth in defense, allowing 70.95 points. Utah State is second at 68 points per game, while SDSU scores 80.90 per game.
The Aztecs do not have a player among the league’s top 20 scorers.
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-bd678ba4dbad4f453246f539ee56a3b4.jpg "Bernie Wilson")
Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.