The San Diego State Aztecs travel to Dee Glen Smith Spectrum tonight in Logan, Utah to face the Utah State Aggies. The embattled Aztecs were initially slated to dominate the Mountain West, but currently find themselves uncertain, inconsistent and middle-ranked in the conference. They have won three out of their last four games, but anything is possible.
Last week, the Aztecs lost against the San Jose State Spartans, to bear witness to what could be deemed “the sorriest court rush in NCAA basketball history.” Four days later they handily routed the Mountain West co-leaders Nevada Wolfpack at Viejas Arena 70-56. Trey Kell led the Aztecs with 17 points and seven rebounds, and also achieved his 1000th point in his college career. Malik Pope set the pace in the game early and managed a double-double. Jeremy Hemsley and Matt Shrigley made big contributions as well.
Despite their inconsistencies: it’s undeniable that the Aztecs can potentially defeat anybody in conference at any time.
The Utah State Aggies lost some of their best players from last season. They were expected to undergo rebuilding this year, and have shown some flickers of strength. On Saturday, the Aggies defeated Wyoming who entered the game as the favorite. Jalen Moore had a game high 23 points, and Quinn Taylor managed 14 points and seven rebounds.
The Aztecs have managed to win just two of their last nine road games. Nonetheless, SDSU has won all of the last eight match-ups against the Aggies- every game since Utah State joined the Mountain West. Normally, San Diego State would be picked to win but KenPom does currently list the Aztecs as the 8th “unluckiest” team in the country (a measure of a team’s actual winning percentage and what is expected based on game-by-game efficiency). Among the 15 unluckiest teams SDSU is the only one with a winning record.
The Aztecs are the logical choice to win, but as we’ve all witnessed during this season in the Mountain West: all bets are off.
Game Info:
Where: Dee Glen Spectrum in Logan, Utah
When: Wednesday at 8pm MST
TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/Mighty 1090