Last Dance in The Pit: Aztecs, Lobos Write Closing Act of Storied Series
San Diego State Aztecs guard Miles Byrd (21) looks on during the Players Era Festival college basketball game between Oregon Ducks vs San Diego State Aztecs on November 27, 2024 at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
For the final time, San Diego State and UNM will clash in front of a sold-out, striped-out crowd at the Pit Saturday at noon on CBS, with first place in the Mountain West Conference hanging in the balance.
The Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) arrive in Albuquerque fresh off an emphatic 89-72 dismantling of Utah State and looking every bit like the preseason favorite that swept all 26 first-place media votes.
“This was probably our most complete game of the season and probably our most complete roster of the season,” said SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher after the USU game. “We had everybody on our team playing.”
When healthy, the Aztecs showed people why they received all the preseason hype.
SDSU had balanced scoring against Utah State, led by forward Reese Dixon-Waters’ 20 points. Dixon Waters is SDSU’s leading scorer at 12.9 points per game and a capapble mid-range and 3-point shooter. He buried three 3-pointers in the first half against Utah State to help build the lead.
SDSU has a lot of tall, athletic ball handlers like Dixon-Waters who can beat you off the dribble and get to the rim or score in the mid-range.
The Mountain West preseason player of the year Myles Byrd has fallen well-short of his preseason expectations and shoots a poor 40% from the field and 31% from the 3-point line. But Byrd was the most impactful player against UNM in Viejas on Jan. 17 with 21 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three steals. What type of Byrd shows up at New Mexico could make a difference either way for both teams.
San Diego State got phenomenal bench production against USU on Wednesday. Tae Simmons (11 pts), Pharaoh Compton (11 pts), Taj DeGourville (12 pts) all contributed to the 42 bench points scored against the Aggies. DeGourville is also a playmaker for SDSU and had 8 assists against USU.
Bringing back starting center Magoon Gwath after a 6-game absence made a noticeable impact for SDSU against Utah State on Wednesday as he finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
“I didn't play Magoon [Gwath] enough against Colorado State. He didn't practice for two days, and he has to practice hard in order to play. I told him yesterday that if he gets through practice and practices hard, I'll start him because we're not going to be as good as we can be unless he's on the floor. To get him back on the floor was a major lift for the team”
Keys to the Game
1. Play Good 1-on-1 Defense: The Aztecs take more mid-range jumpers than most college basketball teams.
Mid-range jumpshots are a hot-zone and a frequent shot selection for SDSU. Graphic: CBB Analytics.
That is because Byrd, Dixon-Waters, DeGourville, BJ Davis, and Elzie Harrington are all guys who can handle and take their man 1-on-1 to either score at the basket or pull-up for a mid-range jumper. UNM’s defense struggled to guard Vaughn Weems and Corey Camper against Nevada. The Lobos also struggled to keep both Grand Canyon and Fresno State from getting downhill drives to the rim. “We gotta do a better job controlling the basketball, for sure,” Eric Olen said during pre-game media avaialblity. “That’s kind of where our defense starts at the point of attack? Can we keep it out of the paint? Can we force contested jump shots? It’s a combination of things.”
2. Score in the Half Court: UNM will have to find ways to score in the half court against one of the best defensive teams in the country—SDSU is No. 17th in Ken Pom’s defensive efficiency. Gwath adds another element to this SDSU defense with his shot blocking and rim protection. “They’re a fantastic defensive team,” Olen said. A lot of switching one through five, which can put you into some individual or isolation situations. We want to find the balance between trying to get guys in space and the right matchups and also like have ball movement and flow with what we’re doing.”
UNM’s half-court offense has struggled at times in the last three games, and is coming off its third worst shooting percentage of the season against Nevada going 38% from the field. Tomislav Buljan and Deyton Albury need to score at the rim, while Tenette, Chol and Hall need to combine for some 3-pointers and mid-range shot making. UNM will need some offensive production from Luke Haupt, Tajavis Miller and JT Rock.
3. Rebounds, Free Throws and Turnovers: UNM lost the rebound and free throw margins to Nevada on Wednesday. The Lobos and Wolf Pack tied with 13 turnovers, but more of UNM’s turnovers came down the stretch at critical times. UNM also lost these three categories to the Aztecs on Jan. 17. UNM will have to be the more physical team, and will have to find ways to penetrate through SDSU’s defense and finish at the rim and convert at the free throw line.
Series History
The overall series between UNM and San Diego State is 52-47 in favor of the Lobos. UNM has won the last two meetings, after Lamont Butler capped off a San Diego State come-back in 2023 with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. UNM owns a 32-13 advantage over the Aztecs at home.
