What San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher said before matchup against Utah State
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San Diego State head basketball coach Brian Dutcher met with the media on Thursday afternoon in advance of this weekend’s road trip to Utah State.
The Aztecs (18-6, 11-4), winners of seven of their past eight games, will head to Logan, Utah for a one-game road trip against the Utah State Aggies (23-4, 13-3). Utah State and San Diego State played each other in their Mountain West Conference opener in December, a game won by the Aggies, 67-66. Utah State trailed by 18 points in that game before mounting a comeback, earning their first road win over a ranked opponent since 1991.
San Diego State and Utah State will be playing for the 13th time since the start of the 2021 season with the Aztecs holding a 7-5 edge during that time.
Here's what Dutcher said on Thursday.
Opening statement:
“You don’t need to know metrics to know that we’re playing the top two teams in the conference in our next two games. Going to Logan is never easy. The environment is going to be electric, much like it is everywhere we go, but extra special. We’re excited for an opportunity to get in there and see if we can continue our win streak and build momentum ahead of our home game against New Mexico on Tuesday. It’s a big, big challenge for the Aztecs this week, but one that we’re looking forward to.”
On the play of Magoon Gwath:
“Magoon is getting better, so we have to find a way to get him touches against a zone in areas where he can be effective. He made two threes against a zone last week, two elbow jump shots, and a post touch when they went to man [defense]. We have to continue to get Magoon the ball and hopefully he will make plays and allow us a chance to win games. Magoon is really dangerous in the high post. They do a great job of raking at the ball and attacking the elbows. They really attack the ball, so we have to be selective as to when we try to drive from there and make sure we have space in order to attack. But Magoon is a dangerous player, and we have to continue to get him the ball in dangerous areas.”
On the play of Nick Boyd:
“Nick has got to pick and choose his moments. This is a place where if we go and turn the ball over, we are going to have a hard time winning. They turn turnovers into baskets, so any live ball turnovers are going to be exploited. We have to take care of the ball if we want to win on the road, especially at Utah State.”
On the team’s mentality and execution:
“You don’t want them to be overly emotional. Do your job. Do it at a high level. Have a next-play mentality when things don’t go well. That is just the maturity of a good team. As much as you emotionally want to beat a team that’s beating you, you don’t do it with emotion. You do it with execution. We have to go out and be emotional but execute at a high level.”
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-770033d1c5c4820fdbde4ecf2452e810.jpg "Bodie De Silva")
Bodie DeSilva has been covering sports in San Diego for more than a decade. He previously covered San Diego State athletics for Scout/Fox Sports.