Game Preview: Colorado State vs San Diego State

The Colorado State Rams sit one game back of first place in the Mountain West, and if not for a late buzzer beater from Boise would be tied for first place with Nevada. The Rams are looking to continue their current winning streak so they can keep themselves in contention for the number one seed in the MW tournament.

They face a difficult task in the San Diego State Aztecs. The Aztecs haven’t been their usual selves this year, but they are still one of the best teams in the conference. The Aztecs are currently lead by Jeremy Hemsley, who is the Aztecs’ sharpshooter, and Zylan Cheatham, who is the big man for the Aztecs. Hemsley shoots 44% from deep and Cheatham shoots 55% overall.

Both the Rams and Aztecs are defensive teams. The Aztecs are one of the best in the country; allowing 62 points a game, which is good for 11th in the country. The Rams have become more of a defensive team because they can’t get into the shootouts they used too.

The Rams on offense are going to slow the ball down and try to get an open shot with about 5 seconds left on the shot clock. The slow offense is because the Rams only have 7 scholarship players available. The Rams had a scare against San Jose State because Emmanuel Omogbo fouled out with about 5 minutes left. Luckily, they were able to hold on.

The Rams offense, and team as a whole, runs through the one-two combo of Omogbo and Gian Clavell. Emmanuel Omogbo is averaging a double-double for the season, 13 points and 11 rebounds per game. Gian Clavell, in Mountain West play, is averaging around 20 points a game. Clavell took a few games to get back into the flow after returning from suspension, but once Mountain West play hit, he took off like a rocket.

This should be a good back and forth battle between these two teams. The game can be seen on CBSSports. Tipoff is at 3pm PST.