Category: San Diego State

Future Hoops Foes: Week Seven Recap of Week Eight’s Opponents

Taking a Look At Week Eights’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Seven Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 8 Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week. …

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Taking a Look At Week Eights’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Seven

Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 8

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week.

Future Foes Week Seven Recap:

Air Force Falcons (6-7, 1-1)

None

Boise State Broncos (6-5, 1-1)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Cal-State Northridge Matadors:

We have seen Mark Gottfried and the Matadors twice this season against Mountain West opponents and a one point victory over Fresno State remains one of their three wins on the season (3-10), sorry Bulldog fans. There was a lot of hype around the program coming into the season in Northridge. Gottfried returned two prolific scorers in junior guard Terrell Gomez (22.2 PPG) and sophomore forward Lamine Diane (24.8 PPG in 18-19).

But is was announced early in the season that Diane had been suspended indefinitely due to being ruled academically ineligible for the first semester. His absence has been felt, and Gomez is keeping the ship afloat with help from sophomore guard Darius Brown II (10.6 PPG). This should be a shootout as the Matadors love to get up shots, ranking in the top-150 in the country for field goal attempts and averaging 36% from three which is good for 89th in the country.

Colorado State Rams (8-6, 0-2)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Doane Tigers:

The Doane Tigers are from Doane Univeristy in Crete, NE and play in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in the NAIA. They are 4-11 (0-6 in the GPAC) on the season and unlike most NAIA teams haven’t played a division one opponent thus far. Keep an eye on junior guard Anthony Laravie who is leading the tigers with 17.0 PPG and junior forward Miguel Lopez who is adding 9.7 PPG and a team high 7.5 RPG.

Fresno State Bulldogs (4-7, 0-2)

Mon, Dec. 23rd

San Francisco Dons:

The Dons haven’t missed a beat with the departure of head coach Kyle Smith to Washington State. Todd Golden who spent the past three seasons in the Don’s program as an associate Head Coach has the program at 10-3 with a nice win over Cal at home.

San Francisco takes and makes a lot of shots, as they rank in the top-100 in FG% and 3P%. They also have a well rounded scoring attack with junior guard Jamaree Bouyea leading the pack with 14.8 PPG, junior guard Charles Minlend chipping in 14.2 PPG and 7-foot senior big man Jimbo Lull in the post averaging 12.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG.

Sat, Dec. 28th

UC-Riverside Highlanders:

Another team we have seen a lot of this season is the Highlanders of UC-Riverside who are coming off of an impressive 80-65 win over San Jose State on Sunday. They are now 8-5 on the season with their best win still being an improving Nebraska team out in the Big Ten.

Sophomore big man Callum McRae (7-1 275) leads the team in scoring at 10.2 PPG and he just received some help in form of Washington State transfer Arinze Chidom, who through two games is averaging 12.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG. We thought the Spartans would give them a bit more of a challenge but this team played at a higher level with Chidom in the lineup.

Nevada Wolf Pack (8-5, 1-0)

None

New Mexico Lobos (12-2, 2-0)

Sun, Dec. 29th

UC-Davis Aggies:

Jim Les and crew are in a bit of a rebuilding year, with the Aggies at 5-9 and no quality wins to note. UC-Davis was picked to finish 8th in the Big West this season (and receiving one first place vote in the process) and maybe living up to that prediction thus far. Senior guard Joe Mooney is leading the Aggies in scoring with 16.0 PPG. The Aggies are a smaller team with only three players standing 6-7 or taller.

Their leading rebounder is 6-4 freshman guard Elijah Pepper with 5.1 RPG. The Lobos have trouble with smaller teams that can shoot it, and with Caldwell and Bragg Jr. out with unknown return dates we can expect to see the Lobo team of the foreseeable future on Sunday.

No. 15 San Diego State Aztecs (12-0, 2-0)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Cal Poly Mustangs:

The Mustangs are 2-10 on the season with an impressive win over Siena under their belt and another over NAIA school Simpson (CA). The Mustangs are led by sophomore guard Junior Ballard with 12.4 PPG, and he doesn’t receive much help. Cal Poly is 326th in the country in points per game averaging just 62.5 a contest. I don’t see the Mustangs ending the Aztecs undefeated streak but look for San Diego State to add to that win column on Saturday.

San Jose State Spartans (3-10, 0-2)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Pepperdine Waves:

The Waves were given the coveted 4th place predicted finish in the WCC behind the normal big three of Gonzaga, BYU and St. Mary’s. Pepperdine is 7-6 on the season but in a conference with six teams that have 10 wins or more thus far, they may need to adjust and step up their level of play to hold up to that top-5 predicted finish. They are riding a four game winning streak and should have no problem in San Jose on Saturday. Look out for dynamic scorer Colbey Ross (20.3 PPG and 7.2 APG) and low post presence Kameron Edwards (17.3 PPG) to make the Spartans night rough.

Nevada-Las Vegas Running Rebels (5-8, 1-0)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Eastern Michigan Eagles:

UNLV hosts Eastern Michigan this Saturday and the 9-2 Eagles shouldn’t be overlooked. This may be a matchup of the inconsistent this weekend as the Eagles like the Rebels have had some ups and downs all season. With wins against Valparaiso, UMBC and North Texas but coming off of a fresh 53 point loss to Michigan State in East Lansing this past Saturday.

Eastern Michigan is led by the hometown hero, junior forward Ty Groce (12.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG) with help from fellow juniors Noah Morgan (10.5 PPG) and Yeikson Montero (10.4 PPG). This could be anyone’s game and if the Rebels are knocking down shots and preventing penetration from the wing they could head into conference play with a winning streak and some momentum.

Utah State Aggies (12-2, 2-0)

Eastern Oregon Mountaineers:

Another NAIA opponent in the Mountain West this week, the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon play in the Cascade Collegiate Conference out of La Grande, OR. The Mountaineers are 7-6 on the season and are led by junior guard Max McCullough (20.6 PPG) and 7-foot senior big man Jarek Schetzle (19.1 PPG and 9.8 RPG)

Wyoming Cowboys (4-9, 0-2)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves:

The Praire Wolves of Nebraska Wesleyan University are a division three school in Lincoln, NE. They play in the American Rivers Conference and are 10-2 on the season coming off of a 82-84 point loss to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, which ended a six game winning streak for the Prairie Wolves. This technically counts as an exhibition for Nebraska Wesleyan but you can bet they are going to attempt the upset in Laramie. Watch out for senior guard Nate Schimonitz who is averaging 26.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.3 APG and 1.8 SPG.

Read: 

Check out the latest edition of our Player of the Week series with all previous weeks included.

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Week 8 College Basketball Rankings: San Diego State Moves Up In AP Poll

San Diego State is now 15th in the latest Associated Press top 25 poll.

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Week 7 College Basketball Rankings: San Diego State Moves Up In AP Poll

Aztecs keep moving on up.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

The undefeated Aztecs climb the polls.

San Diego State is just one of three undefeated teams this year alongside No. 8 Auburn and unranked Liberty. The Aztecs have been on a tear all year and this past week they earned a quality win over Utah who happened to defeat then-No. 6 Kentucky. So, the 80-52 neutral-court victory over the Utes carried some weight.

The 12-0 Aztecs moved up again in the poll and are sitting at No. 15 with one more non-conference game to go as they host Cal Poly on Dec. 28.

Utah State is the only other Mountain West team getting consideration with 36 points in the poll.

In other rankings, the NET really likes San Diego State.

AP TOP 25 POLL

 

1. Gonzaga

2. Ohio State

3. Louisville

4. Duke

5. Kansas

6. Oregon

7. Baylor

8. Auburn

9. Memphis

10. Villanova

11. Michigan

12. Butler

13. Maryland

14. Michigan State

15. San Diego State

16. Virginia

17. Florida State

18. Dayton

19. Kentucky

20. Penn State

21. Washington

22. West Virginia

23. Texas Tech

24. Arizona

25. Iowa

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PODCAST: Mountain West Bowl Recap Part 1

Three Mountain West bowl games had varying results.

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PODCAST: Mountain West Bowl Recap Part 1

The Mountain West went 1-2

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

How did the bowl games turn out?

Jeremy goes solo to recap the first three games of the bowl season which include the Frisco, Las Vegas, and New Mexico Bowls. Well, they all did not go as planned with the league going 1-2 in those games with only San Diego State coming out on top in New Mexico.

Utah State’s offense showed up in the Frisco Bowl for the most part with a few miscues but the defense could not tackle and gave up an absurd 51 points. Boise State played one of its worst games in a very long time and had its poorest bowl performance ever in the 38-7 loss to Washington.

There is a lot of second-guessing for head coach Bryan Harsin in how he got ready for this game and specifically at the quarterback position.

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You can find the Mountain West Wire podcast below or subscribe to the show via Anchor, Stitcher Radio, TuneIn, iTunes, and more. Listen in, subscribe and rate it and let us know what you think!

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No. 20 Aztecs Thrash Utes 80-52 At Staples Center, Now 12-0

At no time did Utah have a good look at taking control. San Diego State is playing dominant basketball, and appears to have no weaknesses.

No. 20 Aztecs Thrash Utes 80-52 At Staples Center, Now 12-0

The same Utes who defeated #6 Kentucky this week were effectively dismantled by #20 San Diego State on Saturday.

Contact/Follow @tedmcgovern & @MWCwire

The red hot Aztecs are not only perfect- but winning by an average 20 points per game.

Los Angeles, CA-  San Diego State (12-0, 2-0 MW) stood and took notice when the Utes (9-3) upset No. 6 Kentucky earlier this week.  A question in every fan’s mind was: just how good are the Utes these days?  How will they stack up against a supremely talented SDSU basketball team?

Now we know.

The Aztecs hammered the Utes.  The’ve been doing that to other teams as well this season.  During the Las Vegas Invitational, they issued Creighton their worst loss in over 600 games. Creighton is a top 25 team now.

Aganst the Utes, the closest they came to worrying or panicking was seeing their lead fall to just eight points for a brief moment.  The Aztecs then pulled away with 51 second-half points to claim a statement 80-52 win over the Utes on Dec. 21 at Staples Center in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

Phenom junior guard Malachi Flynn led the Aztecs with 16 points, three rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block. Following his performance, Flynn was named the MVP for the entire competition.

Flynn, if you haven’t seen him in action, can get hot. In addition to rebounding and dishing clutch assists, he can score at will inside the paint, and also outside of the arc to 30 feet.

Senior forward Yanni Wetzell and sophomore forward Nathan Mensah both managed to score 14 points each, and 11 rebounds.

The Aztecs’ armada of shooting guards are so strong at the perimeter that Wetzell and Mensah are finding more plays in the paint.  At the same time, the Aztecs’ stifling defense is preventing other teams from doing the same.  Case in point: the Utes managed just 10 points to SDSU’s 42 on Saturday.

“I’ve got to give credit to the guards,” Wetzell said. “That’s often why we’re so open in the paint because we’ve got such great shooters.”

SDSU led rebounding 37-29, a feat they’ve accomplished 10 times in 12 games this season. The Aztecs also managed 13 second-chance points from offensive boards

Said Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher, “We have a versatile group.  We have a really good inside-out attack so we’re not one-dimensional.”

The Aztecs started the game red hot, shooting 3-for-4 from the arc.  Then, SDSU lost its touch and went on a 0-for-10 streak from the perimeter.

That 0-for-10 span lasted for 20 minutes until the Aztec found their mojo again.  They then went 6-for-8 from trey land for the balance of the game, raising the Aztecs’ 3-pointer percentage back up to above 40%.

Flynn, who hit two out of his four 3-point attempts, said the misses didn’t hinder them from taking shots.

Said Flynn, “We were getting good looks when we were 0-and-10.  We missed a couple easy ones. We’re going to keep shooting, we’ve got a lot of shooters on the floor. Once one person gets hot, it’s kind of contagious for us, and it just kept going in.”

Junior guard Jordan Schakel and sophomore guard Adam Seiko each sank two 3-pointers.

According to Dutcher, “We knew Timmy Allen was going to be the nightmare matchup because he can really attack to the basket off the dribble and he’s very good in the backdown game. We know he’s a high-level player, so we mixed bodies on him everywhere from Malachi to Yanni to everybody on the team.”

Dutcher’s strategy paid off, as SDSU held Allen to 11 in the first half.  All in all the Aztecs clamped down the Utes who made just 19 points on 22.7% shooting.

“I think we’re really tough,” Flynn said. “Once the coaches put that into us too, it’s just a collectively tough group… We just have that mentality.”

The Utes, visibly frustrated, ended up wrapping the game with 52 points- their lowest total of the season by eight.

“We’re very talented offensively, but the character on this team is reflected at the defensive end,” Dutcher said. “We’ll find a way to score enough points to win if our defense and rebounding stay where it is, and they made the next step defensively.”

The Aztecs square-off next against Cal Poly, on Dec. 28.

San Diego State vs Utah: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Odds & More

San Diego State hopes to remain undefeated.

The Aztecs look forward to their map conquering.

How does this game pan out for San Diego State’s resume?

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– Contact/Follow @ErwinSports and @MWCwire.

San Diego State plays at Staples Center against Utah.

Who: San Diego State Aztecs vs Utah Utes
When: Saturday 12/21/2019 at 3:30 PM PT
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: Pac-12 Network
Streaming: FuboTV – Get a seven-day free trial.
Radio: XTRA Sports 1360 AM
Odds: San Diego State -8
San Diego State meets an old rival in Utah at the Staples Center. The last time San Diego State and Utah faced off was in 2015 on the backend of a home-and-home.
The rivalry in his recent history bends towards the Aztecs.
San Diego State’s all-time record against Utah is 19-54 since 1975. Eleven wins come during the Steve Fisher era of San Diego State, and 6 wins since 2009.
 
On the line for the Aztecs is another quad 2 opponent to build their tournament resume. Utah is coming off an upset against number 6 AP-ranked Kentucky. Larry Krystkowiak is getting his team turned up at the right time as they roll into Pac-12 play.
 
The best metric for the Aztecs: win.
 
The pre-season hope was to breakeven at the Las Vegas Invitational and take a winnable game against Utah on a neutral.
Now a hungry Aztecs team that looks to hold territory in the undefeated Reddit map circulated during every win and loss by any remaining undefeated team.
The Aztecs are likely to lean on Malachi Flynn against the Utes. Flynn has shown up in big moments this season and has a proven record against the Utes. In his last season as a Washington State Cougar, he recorded a 19-point game and a 20-point game. 
 
Defensively, the Aztecs have to keep an eye on Utah’s leading scorer Timmy Allen. Allen’s been averaging 21 points per game and looks forward to playing ball in Southern California, close enough to his hometown of Oak Park.

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2019 New Mexico Bowl Expert Picks

find out how our staff and others pick the New Mexico Bowl.

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2019 New Mexico Bowl Expert Picks

Find out who likes between San Diego State and Central Michigan.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Bowl game picks

San Diego State takes on Central Michigan in the New Mexico Bowl and here are picks from our staff and across the country. The line has the Aztecs favored by 3.5.

Staff Picks

Jeremy: SU: San Diego State | ATS: San Diego State | Score: San Diego State 24, Central Michigan 10

Josh F: SU: San Diego State | ATS: San Diego State | Score: San Diego State 17, Central Michigan 10

Matt K.: SU: Central Michigan | ATS: Central Michigan | Score: Central Michigan 24, San Diego State 17

Ted M: SU: San Diego State | ATS: San Diego State | Score: San Diego State 20, Central Michigan 13

Brandon T: SU:SDSU ATS:Central Michigan | SDSU 17 Central Michigan 14

Roger SDSU 24 Central Michigan 20

Erik: ATS: Central Michigan | SU: San Diego St

Sean: SU: SDSU ATS: SDSU | SDSU 20 Central Michigan 14

USA TODAY

All six writers picked San Diego State to win.

Los Angeles Times

Jim McElwain’s Chippewas are recovering from a loss to Miami of Ohio in the Mid-American Conference championship game. San Diego State should be able to run the ball effectively against Central Michigan. San Diego State 24-17

The Action Cookbook

It’s believed that the robots escaped from a previously-undisclosed military research facility. The desert holds many secrets, and when there’s no one left to hear them, they stay that way. The cities were overrun within hours; civilian weapons were of no use against them. They were methodical, merciless, and they were everywhere.

CBS Sports

Over the last 10 season, MAC teams are 20-39-1 against the spread in bowl games, the worst of any FBS conference. My starting position for many of these bowl games is therefore to fade the MAC, especially when that team is 2-5 playing away from home. Central Michigan’s outright division crown was significant for McElwain and his efforts to improve the program, but it does not serve as evidence that the Chips are on San Diego State’s level. Also, I love the under in this game. Pick: San Diego State (-3.5)

ESPN

CMU coach Jim McElwain has a mini Mountain West reunion against Rocky Long, who coached New Mexico from 1998 to 2008 and is 1-1 in this game. McElwain’s offense is diverse and dynamic, but San Diego State’s defense poses a major challenge. The Aztecs force a lot of mistakes and make very few of their own, and they’ll grind out a win behind linebacker Kyahva Tezino and an excellent front seven.

Prediction: San Diego State 21, Central Michigan 16

Athlon Sports

All three go with San Diego State.


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Bowl Season: Mountain West Conference Simulated Results

A simulation run using updated rosters for the EA Sports NCAA 14 Football game was done to see how the Mountain West did this Bowl Year.

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How did the MWC fair this Bowl Season?

Thanks to the NCAA 14 Football Game- We have all the Bowl Insights!

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

Earlier this fall, we covered how the NCAA Football Game Dynasty by EA Sports was still alive and well, even after production of the game stopped in 2014. If you missed it, take a look here.

Using the newly updated rosters for every team on the game, we were able to create real simulation results based on these 2019 teams. We matched-up every team in the Mountain West with their 2019/2020 Bowl Opponent, using the actual locations and players. The games were completely simulated with no user interaction.

Let’s go Bowl by Bowl and see how things shook out!

FRISCO BOWL, DEC. 20: UTAH STATE VS. KENT STATE

If the simulation is any indicator, folks who take in the Frisco Bowl are in for a treat. Jordan Love pulls a George Costanza, and leaves the Aggies on a high note (both puns intended) racking up over 300 yards passing to edge Kent State by three, with a 31-28 victory.

The Utah State defense also came up big holding the Golden Flash to 40% in the Red Zone and forcing two turnovers.

NEW MEXICO BOWL, DEC. 21: SAN DIEGO STATE VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Next up is the New Mexico Bowl which every Aztec fan would be thrilled to have the simulated results. The folks from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan may take umbrage with the notion of San Diego State racking up 41 points though.

I don’t question the Aztecs ability to pound the ball on the ground like the results reflect, behind a strong performance from Juwan Washington. But I do have to wonder what happened to ignite a 41 – 10 drubbing.

LAS VEGAS BOWL, DEC. 21: BOISE STATE VS. WASHINGTON

The kings of the (Mountain) West got reacquainted with their old coach, in most inhospitable fashion. Despite featuring the games most highly rated player in the MWC, Curtis Weaver, it wasn’t enough to knock off the Huskies.

I’m sure Jacob Eason of Washington would be very happy to showcase a near 400 yard passing performance in front of the scouts to increase his draft stock. Mountain West Wire’s resident Bronco, Raj may want to protest the results of this 13 point defeat.

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PODCAST: Mountain West Bowl Preview Part 1

PODCAST: Mountain West Bowl Preview Part 1 Get ready for bowl season. Contact/Follow @MWCwire Also, a look at coaching hires. Jeremy and Matt are back to preview the first three Mountain West bowl games which include the Frisco Bowl between Utah …

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PODCAST: Mountain West Bowl Preview Part 1

Get ready for bowl season.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Also, a look at coaching hires.

Jeremy and Matt are back to preview the first three Mountain West bowl games which include the Frisco Bowl between Utah State and Kent State, Las Vegas Bowl which features Washington and Boise State, and the New Mexico Bowl which has San Diego State vs. Central Michigan.

They pick the games and ponder if the Mountain West could possibly go undefeated in the bowl slate. The duo also recap all the coaching hires within the league as well.

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You can find the Mountain West Wire podcast below or subscribe to the show via Anchor, Stitcher Radio, TuneIn, iTunes, and more. Listen in, subscribe and rate it and let us know what you think!

Here is our list of complete sponsors.

Or just help us out directly through our Patreon page through this link.

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Mountain West Bowl Picks and Prediction

Find out what the best picks are?

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Mountain West Bowl Picks and Predictions

Bowl season is close to being underway.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Bowl picking time!

Don’t let anyone tell you that the college football bowl season has too many games. There is a finite number of these contests and we must cherish them all so more bowl games the better.

Plus, it gives us another opportunity to make some bowl picks for Mountain West games since odds for the bowl games have been updated after being out for a few weeks.

Frisco Bowl: Utah State vs. Kent State (+5)

This one is a bit interesting since Utah State had a few players get in trouble with law enforcement as Jordan Love, Gerold Bright and Sean L. Carter were charged with possession of marijuana. There is no work on them not playing this game on Friday but if they play the Aggies should be able to top Kent State since Utah State has the better overall talent on the field.

Pick against the spread: Utah State

New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State vs Central Michigan (+3.5)

San Diego State is going to be led by its defense, no surprise there, but the really good news is that quarterback Ryan Agnew is expected to be healthy and ready to go in the bowl game this weekend against Central Michigan.

This is going to be a battle of the strengths as the Aztecs are allowing just 12.8 points per game and the Chips are putting up 31.9 points per game. Usually, the Aztec defense can slow down any attack and look for that to be the same.

Pick against the spread: San Diego State

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington (-3.5) 

Washington head coach Chris Petersen is not happy his final game is against his former team. The Huskies were a preseason top 20 team but now that distinction belongs to the Broncos. The big question for Boise State is who will play at quarterback. Redshirt senior Jaylon Henderson was the third quarterback to start the year but he is now the starter and is 4-0 as a starter.

This Huskies team might be the best Henderson has faced and the Washington defense just might be able to find a way to slow down Henderson with a few weeks to prepare. Even with that time, the Boise State defense should be able to slow down a Washington offense that is 61st in yards per play.

Pick against the spread: Boise State

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. BYU (-1.5)

This one could go a lot of different ways because Hawaii sometimes plays to the level of competition, and BYU has been up and down but mostly up as of late. The Warriors have won low-scoring games like the 14-11 victory over San Diego State and have won shootouts like the 42-40 shootout vs. San Jose State.

BYU recently played San Diego State and managed just three points but that was against a really good Aztecs defense. Expect this game to have a decent amount of points as the Cougar offense has shown this year to put together some solid drives.

Pick against the spread: Hawaii

Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State (+3)

This game is going to be one of the most interesting of all of the bowl seasons. The contrast of styles makes it a must-watch with the Falcons run-option attack vs. Mike Leach’s “air raid” attack. The Air Force defense will give up points and yards but its offense will counter that behind QB Donald Hammond III by controlling the time of possession.

Pick against the spread: Air Force

Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State (+7.5)

Wyoming has an issue at quarterback as they are down to only Levi Williams as starter Sean Chambers is out and Tyler Vander Waal announced his intention to transfer. The Cowboys defense will keep them in any game and will do so against Georgia State. The Panthers do have an offense that will make it tough on the Cowboys with QB Dan Ellingtion who has a modest 21 touchdowns to seven picks, and also its running back Tra Barnnett who has 12 rushing touchdowns on 1,389 yards.

Pick against the spread: Georgia State

Idaho Potato Bowl: Nevada vs. Ohio (-7.5)

The Nevada Wolf Pack have been all over the board this year with multiple major blowouts or close games. It seems there is no real in-between. What will make this game difficult to win is that the Wolf Pack are down four starters who were involved in the altercation vs. UNLV in the season finale.

The Mountain West determined that defensive backs Austin Arnold and Daniel Brown, defensive lineman Hausia Sekona, and linebacker Gabriel Sewell were all in violation of the conference’s sportsmanship rule.

Arnold earned a two-game suspension, Brown and Sekona were each handed one-game suspensions, and Sewell will be suspended for one half.

Pick against the spread: Ohio

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San Diego State Aztecs All-Decade Basketball Team

San Diego State Aztecs All-Decade Basketball Team Who made the cut for San Diego State Contact/Follow @aztecbreakdown & @MWCwire The best of the 2010s The decade is coming to a close. In about two weeks we will be in a new decade of basketball. This …

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San Diego State Aztecs All-Decade Basketball Team

Who made the cut for San Diego State

Contact/Follow  @aztecbreakdown & @MWCwire

The best of the 2010s

The decade is coming to a close. In about two weeks we will be in a new decade of basketball. This last one has been pretty good to San Diego State fans. 10 bowl games in football, a couple sweet 16 appearances in basketball, and a bunch of other accomplishments too long to list.

With that, I wanted to look back at some of the players that made 2010-2019 so special. I put out a fan poll on twitter asking for people to list their starting five for their all-decade team.

A few people asked if the exercise was simply to honor past players, or to put the best team (on paper) together. I left it specifically vague and left it to each individual to decide for themselves how to vote. In all reality, I don’t think the results would have been much different regardless. With all that, let’s look at what the fans decided. 

I’m going to ditch the tradition that most writers use and start with the player who received the most votes first. I do this in order to keep a little suspense as we get further down the list.

1. Kawhi Leonard, 35 votes: 

Is this even a surprise? The guy that led SDSU to its first sweet 16. Leonard has since gone on to win two NBA Championships and two NBA Finals MVP’s. The guy whose logo is on the wall in the Jam Center. Leonard is arguably the best basketball player in the world today, and while he wasn’t during his time at SDSU, he was still really, really good.

He was good enough to make consensus 2nd team All-American in 2011.His 2010-11 Player Impact Plus-Minus (PIPM) of 7.36 ranks 9th in the decade among Mountain West Players (not counting this season.)  Kawhi is the only player who was mentioned by every fan who gave an entire starting 5.

2. Xavier Thames, 32 votes: 

Xavier Thames was a real treat to watch. The dude carried a team that was great defensively but struggled offensively to its second sweet 16 appearances in program history. He was the Mountain West Player of the Year in 2014, and finished 7th in KenPom player of the year standings. His PIPM in the 13-14 season was 9.18, which ranks first among Mountain West players this decade (not counting this season). He also has the best Points Over Expectation (POE) among SDSU players this decade, at 4.9 points above average.

3. Jamaal Franklin, 25 votes:

Jamaal Franklin played for SDSU for 3 seasons before turning pro. He was a freshman on the 34-3 team led by Kawhi Leonard. In his sophomore season the team became his. He was one of the countries best rebounders despite being only 6’5”. He knew how to get into the lane and finish, and he excelled at drawing fouls. He was a two time honorable mention All-American, and Mountain West Player of the Year in the 11-12 season.  His PIPM during his Junior season was 7.50, good for 8th in the Mountain West this decade (not counting this season.)

4. Skylar Spencer, 25 votes:

Skylar tied with Jamaal Franklin in votes, which was a little surprising to me at first. Considering how important he was to the Aztecs defense though, it makes sense. He’s also the only player so far to play four seasons at San Diego State. He also bolstered his case by voting for himself, being one of two players who voted (the other being Dwayne Polee, who also voted for Skylar.) The Aztec’s defensive dominance started before Spencer came along, but he embodied arguably better than any other player.

He led the defensive efforts on the 2014 team that made the sweet 16, patrolling the paint and blocking shots.

His best PIPM was a 4.50. It was weighed down by his offense, as his defensive PIPM was 6.29, which ranks first in defensive PIPM in the conference this decade. His other seasons rank 3rd, 11th, and 15th in the decade. The only other player in the conference to have more than one top 15 defensive season was Khem Birch, who made it twice. Skylar Spencer set the standard for how defense is played in the Mountain West.

5. Malachi Flynn, 14 votes:

This one really was a surprise, but it shows the impact Malachi Flynn has had in his short time on the Mesa. Malachi Flynn has Aztec fans truly believing this team can be something special again. Many voters said they wanted to vote for Malachi, but couldn’t because his time at SDSU has been so short. While I understand that point, I do like that he made the team.

I can’t remember the last time I was so happy I screamed, and that’s what Malachi Flynn did to me when he hit that shot against San Jose State. With everything considered, I think Malachi is placed perfectly here. His PIPM so far this season is 7.86, second in the Mountain West at the time I’m writing this, and it is better than all but 4 players who played full seasons this decade.

This team would be fun to watch, although spacing would likely be a problem. Regardless, these were/are all great players that we have had the pleasure of watching. Later in the offseason I will try to put together a team with the intent of having it win on the floor rather than just in our hearts.

others receiving votes

6. D.J. Gay, 10 votes.

7. Billy White, 7 votes.

8. Malcolm Thomas, 7 votes.

9. Chase Tapley, 7 votes.

10. Josh Davis, 5 votes.

11. Jalen McDaniels, 5 votes.

12. Tim Shelton, 1 vote.

13. Dwayne Polee, 1 vote.

14. J.J. O’Brien, 1 vote.

15. Malik Pope, 1 vote.

16.Winston Shepard, 1 vote.

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