Tag: Mountain West

Colorado State Football: Players To Watch In 2020

Who should Rams’ fans pay attention to this season? Here are six players to keep an eye on when the 2020 season kicks off.

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Colorado State Football: Players To Watch In 2020

The Rams bring a load of talent to the field. We look at some players to keep an eye on.

Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

Who do Rams fans need to keep an eye on?

The 2020 season is in some doubts. At best it looks to be a conference only schedule. At worst the entire season will be postponed or cancelled. Let’s hope for the best and take a look at some talent to keep an eye on for this Colorado State squad.

The obvious candidates are Warren Jackson, Dante Wright, and Trey McBride. But we’re going to go a different route and list those role players who could have a bigger than expected impact on this Rams squad this season.

Offense

1. Jaylen Thomas, RB

Coming into the 2019 season, Thomas wasn’t expected to see the field much. However he immediately made a good impression on the coaches to earn playing time. He was behind Marvin Kinsey and Marcus McElroy and only earning a few touches. When Kinsey was dismissed from the team Thomas saw his touches increase from an average of four per game to 9.6 per game.

Thomas looks to build on his decent stat line from his freshman year. He finished the 2019 season with 68 attempts for 222 yards and three scores. He also added 14 catches for 113 yards, becoming the Rams primary receiving threat out of the backfield when Marvin Kinsey left. If Thomas can stake his claim on the RB2 position on the depth chart, the Rams could have an electric backfield combo this season.

2. Cameron Butler, TE

The man you can’t sleep on according to Warren Jackson. Coming into the 2019 season, both Butler and Trey McBride were placed on the Mackey Award watch list. Butler had just come off an impressive two year run as an underclassman and was expected to take on an expanded role. He put in work in the offseason to become a better blocker and unfortunately that work caught up to him. Butler got bit by the injury bug and he missed the Rams final five games of 2019.

If Butler can get over that bout with the injury bug the Rams can potentially claim to have one of the better tight end duos in the nation. All of the attention will be on McBride, but Butler can sneak in there and make defenses remember that the Rams aren’t a one man show at the tight end position.

3. Elijah Johnson, OL

Not a player you would expect to be on this list. Johnson was hurt for most of his career at Boston College, playing in just three games since his freshman season in 2016. But he, along with Cam Reddy and Adam Korutz, brings a knowledge of head coach Steve Addazio’s systems.

Nothing can replace actual playing experience, which the three transfers don’t have a lot of, but the knowledge they do bring can help bring the line up to speed faster and help them gel quicker as a unit. Chemistry has been the one thing this unit has seemed to struggle with for the past couple of years. Johnson could be a key piece to bring that chemistry back.

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Colorado State Football: Top 10 Rams In 2020

If the 2020 season happens for Colorado State, here are the top 10 players that will see the field for the Rams.

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Colorado State Football: Top 10 Rams In 2020

The Rams have a lot a talent on both sides of the ball.

Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

Who are the 10 best Rams on the field?

With the 2020 season in doubt, we all need something to take our minds of the possibility of no football. We already took a look at the offense, the defense, and players to watch for the Rams. Now let’s look at the top 10 players who will be on the field for the Rams.

10. Rashad Ajayi, CB

9. Ryan Stonehouse, P

8. Ellison Hubbard, DT

7. Logan Stewart, S

6. Manny Jones, DE

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Mountain West, jolted by Pac-12, considers its options

The moving pieces on the chessboard

When the Pac-12 decided to move to an all-conference game schedule, the Mountain West lost 13 nonconference games. Pac-12 schools don’t offer payouts on the same scale as the Big Ten, but the payouts are still valuable. What’s more is that the payouts are not certain to be made.

The fact that the Big Ten moved to a conference-only game schedule has caused a lot of concern and anxiety throughout the Mid-American Conference, given that MAC schools are regular nonconference game partners for Big Ten schools. There is uncertainty in the college football industry about the Big Ten’s commitment to honoring game payments to the MAC schools it has left in the cold. One would expect some sort of agreement to emerge eventually, but it is hardly a guarantee that MAC schools will receive the full payouts they originally expected. Any appreciable gap between a full payout and a reduced payout would make a significant dent in the budgets of MAC schools.

The Mountain West isn’t in the exact same position as the smaller MAC, but the MW isn’t a juggernaut conference, either. Like the MAC, it needs nonconference game checks. Meanwhile, as the league tries to adjust to the Pac-12’s decision to abandon nonconference games, the Mountain West has to scramble for other ways of filling dates and recouping at least a portion of the revenues it thought it would receive this fall.

In a story at the Casper (Wyoming) Star-Tribune, Davis Potter talked to Wyoming Athletic Director Tom Burman, who is dealing with the fallout from losing a game with Pac-12 school Utah.

This is the money quote from Burman:

“The Group of Fives need to support each other. If the Group of Five determines that it’s in the best interest of all of us to just play a conference schedule, I will support that. But if you look at what the Big Ten did to the (Mid-American Conference), in my opinion, that’s financial ruin for the MAC schools. And I hope the Big Ten does something to make them whole. But we’ve got to kind of stick together and help each other.”

Ideas Burman is pursuing include, but are not limited to:

  1. Playing “nonconference” conference games. Remember that last year, North Carolina and Wake Forest agreed to play a “nonconference” ACC game. The game didn’t count in the ACC standings. It was simply a chance for the two schools to play each other, since they rarely do. UNC is in the ACC’s Coastal Division, while nearby Wake — in the state of North Carolina — is in the Atlantic. Mountain West schools not on the conference schedule could play a “nonconference” game.
  2. Playing rivals twice. This flows from option No. 1 above. Wyoming’s biggest rival is Colorado State. The two teams play the Border War game for the Bronze Boot. Wyoming is at least considering the possibility (how strongly, we don’t know) of playing one conference game and a second “nonconference” game against Colorado State. Schools are trying to move the chess pieces around the board.

Keep in mind that the Mountain West is waiting to see what the Big 12, ACC, and SEC do. The league has some nonconference games scheduled with schools from those conferences. We have to wait for that piece of the puzzle to emerge.

In the meantime, all options are on the table for Mountain West programs.

Preview 2020: College Football News All-Mountain West Team

Preview 2020: Previewing the Mountain West season with the College Football News All-Mountain West Team & Top 30 players

Preview 2020: Previewing and looking ahead to the Mountain West season with the College Football News All-Mountain West Team & Top 30 players. 

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews  

– 2020 CFN All-Mountain West Team
– 2020 CFN Top 30 Mountain West Players

2020 Preseason CFN Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year

RB Xazavian Valladay, Jr. Wyoming

Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl might be known for his coaching up of Carson Wentz and Josh Allen into NFL stars, but his Cowboy teams have been all about defense and great running games.

There was a dip in 2017, but Brian Hill ripped off 1,860 yards and 22 scores in 2016, Nico Evans ran for 1,325 yards and eight touchdowns in 2018, and Xazavian Valladay ran for 1,265 yards and six scores last season – and he’s just getting started.

The 6-0, 196-pound quick back hit Missouri for 118 yards and a score to start the season, but didn’t get rolling until the second half of the season with six 100-yard games in the last seven, including a 204-yard effort in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl win over Georgia State.

This is a bit of a projection with so many other great Mountain West backs, receivers, and the potential of Boise State QB Hank Bachmeier, but watch out. Valladay is about to take off.

2020 Mountain West Team Previews
Mountain Air Force | Boise St | Colorado St
New Mexico | Utah State | Wyoming
West Fresno State | Hawaii | Nevada
San Diego State | San Jose State | UNLV

CFN in 60 Video: Nevada Preview
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2020 Preseason CFN Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year

DE Dom Peterson, Jr. Nevada

He doesn’t quite fit the type.

When it comes to pass rushers, everyone wants a Chase Young type who fits a hybrid role of part defensive end and part linebacker, and that’s not Peterson. The Mountain West’s best pass rusher is part defensive tackle, part bowling ball, and all pass rusher.

The 6-0, 295-pounder played at way over 300 as a freshman and still made 44 tackles with three sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, and then last season it all blew up with 40 tackles, nine sacks, and 15 tackles for loss – leading the league at getting into the backfield.

Best of all, he was steady with at least a sack in eight of the 12 games and a tackle for loss against everyone but Hawaii. The motor doesn’t stop, the production will continue to be there, and in a conference that’s beyond loaded with great talent – several San Diego State and Boise State defenders could be here – Peterson is about to stand out again.

NEXT: CFN 2020 Preseason All-Mountain West Team

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Rick Pitino Pushes for Shortened College Basketball Season

Iona head coach Rick Pitino wants to see college basketball to push the season to January and play just league games.

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Rick Pitino Pushes for Shortened College Basketball Season

Citing concerns about COVID-19, Pitino suggested teams “only play league games.”

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Will the NCAA heed Pitino’s call for caution?

If you thought that Rick Pitino’s eagerness to finally return to college basketball after nearly three years might outweigh any concerns regarding COVID-19, think again. Pitino took to Twitter on Wednesday to lay out his vision for a safe return for college basketball:

While some may bristle at the suggestion that the college basketball season should be delayed, it is not difficult to understand the motives behind a soon-to-be 68-year-old coach stumping for the cautious approach. With the unpredictable nature of the current pandemic, concerns regarding health and safety must be paramount in any discussions about how to bring back college hoops.

There is a key caveat in Pitino’s plan, however. Not only is he calling for a shortened season, but he is also suggesting that teams forgo their non-conference slates, and instead play only their conference games. The push to “only play league games”, as Pitino wrote, has been a point of contention among many people, including those who support the idea of delaying the season:

It has been nearly 40 years since Pitino was head coach at Boston University, and he has spent the time since then at the highest levels of basketball. He might be forgiven, then, for overlooking just how financially vital the non-conference season can be for smaller schools that depend on the money they earn from playing teams like Kentucky and Louisville in the early part of the season. This situation rings especially true for many HBCUs, some of whom will spend the entire first two months of the season traveling across the map just to keep the lights on. And Pitino’s own Iona team would find itself in a similar predicament if it only played against its MAAC brethren.

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Aside from the dire financial straits, it could cause for some schools, another wrinkle in Pitino’s plan to eschew the out-of-league matchups is the potential effect that it could have on the world of analytics. The non-conference season provides the context that is required to judge one conference against another; without those games, there is little in the way of hard data to gauge how the Mountain West stacks up against the WCC, for example.

For his part, analytics guru Ken Pomeroy suggested on Twitter that if the non-conference season was canceled, he would “use preseason conference rating as an anchor” for comparing conferences in his KenPom ratings. It is unclear how the NCAA’s rating system, the NET, would account for this change.

Still, even if the rating system can handle the lack of non-conference play, Pitino’s model might make it difficult for mid-majors to secure the early upsets they often need in order to be considered for an at-large berth, and would all but certainly tank the Strength of Schedule metric for any team outside of the NCAA’s top seven leagues, including the Mountain West.

Consider the fact that San Diego State still had doubters after its incredible 30-2 season, because “they didn’t play anybody”. Those types of arguments have generally rung hollow in the past, but if the season were to be curtailed in such a way that Mountain West teams were left only to play themselves, it would become difficult to see a path to an at-large berth. The NCAA would almost certainly need to come up with a contingency plan to avoid further exacerbating the existing narrative that mid-majors don’t always get a fair shake with the Selection Committee.

While Pitino may not have stirred up much support for his call to pass up non-conference play, he does seem to have some backing for his push to delay the start of the season. Jeff Goodman of Stadium noted he has heard rumblings in the same vein from other coaches, and there is a chance that Pitino coming forward with his opinion could provide clearance for others to do the same.

The NCAA, on the other hand, has yet to announce any delays to Division I sports in the fall and winter. Its president, Mark Emmert, told Seth Davis of The Athletic just last week that it might be possible to see the season start even earlier than expected, though, given the recent spikes in COVID-19 in some parts of the country, that projection may look overly optimistic in hindsight.

Our own Jeremy Mauss has already tackled the topic of whether it is too soon for college football to return, and it stands to reason that these same conversations will start gearing up in the coming weeks as the usual start dates for sports approach. For now, college basketball — like all of us — will just have to wait and see how this all plays out.

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The NBA & NCAA Announce Dates Regarding Draft Related Events & Deadlines

The NBA & NCAA Announce Dates Regarding Draft Related Events & Deadlines The new early entry withdrawal deadline leaves little breathing room for roster building for college coaches. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The NBA announced plans to …

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The NBA & NCAA Announce Dates Regarding Draft Related Events & Deadlines

The new early entry withdrawal deadline leaves little breathing room for roster building for college coaches.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The NBA announced plans to not only resume their season but also created a concrete timeline to begin draft related events. 

The world of sports has begun to try and start again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought competition to a stop globally back in late March. So as some leagues resume competitive play around the world and others have closed up shop for their respective seasons, the NBA instead decided to release some exciting news this week that will effect the college basketball world to for next season.

On Thursday June 4th, the NBA announced a plan to restart the 2019-2020 season on July 31st in Orlando, FL with a vote of approval from the NBA board of governors. The decision was only controversial to one team (The Portland Trail Blazers) who voted against proposal, but when NBA basketball returns it will look a little different.

Aside from the rest of the season only being played at one site, the new twenty-two team format leaves out eight teams considered out of range for playoff contention, while including sixteen teams at the top of their conference standings and six teams within six games of a playoff berth.

Also announced were concrete dates surrounding the NBA Draft, which was scheduled to be held here in a few weeks before the pandemic hit.

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The draft along with the coinciding scouting combine had been postponed with no news as to a possible rescheduling as we approach the onset of June. It seems now as the NBA’s focus was on restarting the current season, in a safe and strategic way before mentioning the draft in any way.

The first date to be rescheduled looks to be the draft lottery, moved from May 19th to August 25th. Followed by the Draft itself, moved from June 25th to October 15th, which should take place only a few days after the final draft order is set after a possible Game 7 taking place on as late as October 12th.

These announced changes coincide directly with the 2020-2021 college basketball season as the original draft early entrant withdrawal deadline of June 3rd came and went this week with no comment from the NCAA.

So after the NBA released their newly scheduled dates, the NCAA in turn announced a more vague withdrawal deadline of August 3rd or 10 days after the NBA  Draft Combine, whichever comes first.

NCAA Senior Vice President for Basketball Dan Gavitt spoke to the decision, which was a a collaborative one between the Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

“This provides the utmost flexibility to student-athletes testing the waters to make the most informed decision about their future during this uncertain time,” NCAA Senior Vice President for Basketball Dan Gavitt said. “And by deciding before classes start for the fall semester, it also encourages student-athletes who choose to return to school to be fully engaged in their academic pursuits and the tremendous experience and opportunity to play college basketball.”

All things considered it is nice to finally have some clarity on the situation as well as some concrete dates to work around. It’s also nice to see some understanding and flexibility from the NCAA and it’s coaches regarding the new deadline. As a player’s stock and decision to return to school will be directly effected by their performance, evaluation and feedback from their attendance at the combine, not to mention failing to receive an invite in the first place.

But in the eyes of coaching staffs everywhere, this puts them in a tough place come August. As most programs would like to have a concrete idea of what their roster will look like on opening night by the start of summer workouts. They are now stuck waiting for potential draft prospects to make a decision based on the scouting combine, which new dates for the event haven’t been announced yet, as it may not happen as another possible casualty to the current times.

Still, this is a win for the players who now have more time to make an informed decision with the possibility of returning to school in the fall later than every other draft class in history.

For an update on the current draft stock of Mountain West prospects, check out this week’s update.

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Did The Eagles Predict The Rise And Fall Of Boise State Football

Did the Eagles Predict the Rise and Fall of Boise State Football? Will the “New Kid in Town” stay around forever? Contact/Follow @jessetachiquin & @MWCwire The year was 1976. The Eagles (Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and company) released their hit single …

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Did the Eagles Predict the Rise and Fall of Boise State Football?

Will the “New Kid in Town” stay around forever?

Contact/Follow @jessetachiquin & @MWCwire

The year was 1976. The Eagles (Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and company) released their hit single “New Kid in Town”. It rose to No. 1 in the charts and is widely regarded as one of the band’s greatest hits.

1976 was also the year a small school in Idaho that, believe it of not, named Boise State (Boise is a city, not a state) joined Division 1-AA. Was this song a prophetic warning from Henley and the boys about the New Kid in Town? Let’s dive into the lyrics.

There’s talk on the street; it sounds so familiar.
Great expectations, everybody’s watching you.

Boise has joined Division 1 football! It’s the Big Sky Conference, it ain’t intramurals. As the program started as a JUCO program, joining Division 1 football is a big deal.

People you meet, they all seem to know you.
Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new.

Idaho and all of their Big Sky friends probably

Johnny come lately, the new kid in town.
Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down.

Ok big shot Broncos, show us what you’ve got. (They proceed to win the 1980 D-IAA Championship)

You look in her eyes; the music begins to play.
Hopeless romantics, here we go again.

The Broncos were happy to be with their Big Sky brothers but let’s be honest, the company in the conference were never pretty enough for these boys from Idaho (the state that is home to the city of Boise). This hungry junior college still wants more glory.

But after a while you’re looking the other way.
It’s those restless hearts that never mend.

Boise soars to great heights with their new girlfriend, the WAC, and the BYU/Utah/TCUless Mountain West

Johnny come lately, the new kid in town.
Will she still love you when you’re not around?

What happens when Boise State falls off and newer, prettier teams come around? Will the fans still be there? Has the nationwide luster that came with Boise State football already worn off?

There’s so many things you should have told her,
But night after night you’re willing to hold her, just hold her.
Tears on your shoulder.

Why were the Broncos so quick to jump on new opportunities? Do they have no loyalty? Will their lack of appreciation of their peers come back to bite them?

There’s talk on the street; it’s there to remind you
It doesn’t really matter which side you’re on.
You’re walking away and they’re talking behind you.

The Mountain West was always going to be a better landing place than where they came from but would it ever be enough and can they really leave now? How resentful are the rest of the programs in the conference?

They will never forget you till somebody new comes along.
Where you been lately? There’s a new kid in town.

UCF, Memphis, North Dakota State??? Some other school named after a real place?

Everybody loves him, don’t they?
And he’s holding her, and you’re still around. Oh, my, my.
There’s a new kid in town, just another new kid in town.
Ooh, hoo. Everybody’s talking ’bout the new kid in town.
Ooh, hoo. Everybody’s walking like the new kid in town.

Boise State, your run will be over one day. Are you gonna find the one to be with forever or are you going to follow the ways of your vagabond BYU brethren?

There’s a new kid in town. I don’t want to hear it.
There’s a new kid in town. I don’t want to hear it.
There’s a new kid in town. There’s a new kid in town.
There’s a new kid in town. Everybody’s talking
There’s a new kid in town. People started walking
There’s a new kid in town.
There’s a new kid in town.

In conclusion, it’s impossible to know if the Eagles were writing about the rise and fall of Boise State football. Who will the New Kid in Town be? Have we already seen the passing of the torch?

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Mountain West Conference Suspends Spring Athletic Events Indefinitely

The coronavirus’s impact on the American sports landscape finally reaches the Mountain West.

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Mountain West Conference Suspends Spring Athletic Events Indefinitely

The coronavirus’s impact on the American sports landscape finally reaches the Mountain West.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The conference moves quickly to stay safe.

Yesterday, the coronavirus made its biggest mark on American pop culture to date, touching everything from Tom Hanks to the NBA. Today, the Mountain West Conference made a move to be proactive that reflects many of the decisions being made elsewhere on the sports landscape.

As of today, all MWC sporting events have been postponed. In a press release put out by associate commissioner Javan Hedlund, exceptions will be made for those teams who are currently on the road, but it touches a number of sports like baseball and softball.

This decision by the conference also exempts teams who have qualified for an NCAA championship like Utah State and San Diego State men’s basketball or Boise State women’s basketball. However, other projected top seeds like Duke have preemptively tapped the brakes on participating in the men’s tourney, putting an on-time presentation in doubt:

The statement also leaves the status of Mountain West football’s spring games and recruiting processes at the discretion of each university. Some programs like Fresno State have not announced a formal response to COVID-19, but others like New Mexico have taken steps to close practices and Pro Day to the public at present, presumably with an eye on periodic reassessment before the spring game on April 4:

We will keep you updated on any further coronavirus-related developments.

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Schedule Breakdown: Utah State Football

USU’s 2020 football schedule is out. Aggies have a tough road ahead of them.

Contact/Follow @SamMcConkie & @MWCwire

The Schedule is out for USU football: Let’s break it down.

The Mountain West recently put out its full football schedule for the 2020 season. Outside of the non-conference games, USU finally knows which order it’s going to play its opponents in.

Here’s a quick look at strength of schedule using ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI):

#54 Washington State

FCS Southern Utah

#29 at Washington

#62 at BYU

#88 San Diego State

#51 at Boise State

#124 New Mexico

#98 at Nevada

#77 at Wyoming

#93 Fresno State

#96 at Colorado State

#76 Air Force

Tough road to start

Aggies are going to start out the season with a solid non-conference slate. Newly staffed Washington State will roll into town with head coach Nick Rolovich leading the charge. Though Wazzou is likely to take a step back with the loss of their star passer Anthony Gordon, Rolovich has a strong reputation for pass heavy offenses. He’ll throw everything including the kitchen sink at a youthful Aggie defense.

After playing the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in the teams’ first meeting since 2015, Aggies will take on the Washington Huskies in Seattle. Even with Chris Petersen stepping down, the Huskies are in great hands with defensive guru Jimmy Lake. Aggies haven’t won a road game against a P5 opponent since the Nixon administration, so it will no doubt be tough sledding against an elite Husky defense.

Aggies will get a bye week before facing the BYU down in Provo. Though I generally am not a fan of early-season bye weeks, this one comes at a great time. Sandwiching strong Pac-12 teams around SUU should set the Aggies up to be both battle-tested and rested before they look for revenge against the Cougars in October.

Bonus fact: Aggies are 2-0 against BYU when coming off a bye.

Lighter load down the stretch against new coaches

With the exception of the defending Mountain West champs Boise State, the rest of the opponents are quite manageable for the Aggies. San Diego State and Fresno State both come to Logan, and both teams have new head coaches in charge. The Aggies will close out the regular season at home with a likely rebuilding Falcon squad as well.

Road tilts at Wyoming and Nevada are difficult, but winnable. The Wolf Pack’s QB situation is completely up in the air, and Wyoming appears to be toying with the idea of a two-QB system. As strong as the defensive culture has become in Laramie, their offensive prowess still leaves much to be desired.

On the very light end of the schedule, Aggies will face New Mexico in Logan and Colorado State in Fort Collins. The Lobos were an absolute disaster last season and the storyline will only improve as much as Rocky Long is able to coach up their defense. Last season, the Lobos ranked dead last in the FBS in pass yards allowed. They can only improve, but there will be plenty of growing pains along the way.

And let’s be real: nobody knows why Steve Addazio ended up with the Rams. He has virtually no ties to the west and he had plenty of baggage at Boston College. Time will tell if he’s a good fit for the pass-heavy Rams.

Final Thoughts

There are only a handful of what could be considered “easy games” on this schedule. It starts out as genuinely challenging but lightens considerably after the mid-October date with the Broncos.

One nice variable the Aggies have going in their favor is they’ll be facing six teams who all have new head coaches. Whether at home or on the road, taking advantage of another team’s growing pains and variable chemistry can open some prime opportunities for wins.

The Aggies themselves are transitioning back to a 3-4 “attacking” defense they had in 2018. With Stacy Collins and Frank Maile taking command of the defense, the transition will likely have fewer issues than it would have otherwise. If the unit can get near where it was in 2018, USU will have a puncher’s chance in most of their games.

Projected record: 7-5

“Body bag” games (Sure loss): at Washington, at Boise State

Difficult games (can win, but likely loss): Wazzou, at Wyoming

Toss-up games: at BYU, San Diego State, Air Force

Should win: New Mexico, at Nevada, at Colorado State, Fresno State

Raja’s Tomato-can variety: Southern Utah

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San Diego State Rides Flynn’s 22 to Road Win over Boise State

San Diego State men’s basketball remained undefeated on Sunday, improving to 26-0 after a road win over Boise State at ExtraMile Arena.

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Game Recap: San Diego State 72, Boise State 55

All five starters in double figures for the Aztecs

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Aztecs pass yet another road test, beating Boise State on the road to remain unbeaten

San Diego State inched a bit closer to perfection on Sunday, extending their program-best undefeated start to 26-0 with a 72-55 road win over Boise State.

Aztecs guard Malachi Flynn bolstered his case for both All-Ameirca and MW Player of the Year honors, scoring 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Flynn also added six assists, six rebounds, and three steals, acting as an extension of head coach Brian Dutcher on the court.

All five starters were in double figures for San Diego State. Yanni Wetzell scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while frontcourt mate Matt Mitchell chipped in 11 points, seven boards, and five steals. Guards Jordan Schakel and KJ Feagin scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, combining with Flynn to make eight three-pointers during the game.

Boise State guard Justinian Jessup matched Flynn’s game-high total of 22 points. The senior also extended his Mountain West all-time record for three-pointers, knocking down five shots from beyond the arc in ten attempts.

Unfortunately for Jessup—and head coach Leon Rice—the rest of the Broncos were slow to keep up on the offensive end. Jessup and Derrick Alston Jr. combined to outscore their teammates 34-21.

Alston finished in double figures, but he missed some high-percentage shots that could have raised that total. The lanky junior was playing in front of his father, Derrick Sr., who used the NBA’s All-Star break to sneak away from his post as head coach of the G League’s Westchester Knicks.

The Alston family reunion ultimately did not spark enough momentum to help Boise State contend with a San Diego State squad that has been equal parts immovable object and unstoppable force.

Flynn opened the scoring with a three-pointer for the Aztecs, and they never gave the lead back.

San Diego State led 40-26 at halftime, after a Wetzell field goal that gave the Aztecs their largest lead of the game to that point. The deficit grew as large as 19 in the second half, though a 10-0 Boise State run brought the Broncos within single digits with ten minutes remaining.

The Aztecs managed to keep Boise State at bay, however, and cruised to yet another impressive victory.

POSTSEASON IMPLICATIONS

The win should help San Diego State’s bid for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Boise State almost certain to qualify as either a Quadrant 1 or 2 victory for Brian Dutcher’s team.

The real question will be whether or not the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee will reward the Aztecs with a spot in the West regional–where they would move on to play in Los Angeles’ Staples Center–or if they will be sent out to the East regional in favor of Gonzaga.

Either way, this debate is much better than the preseason questions surrounding whether San Diego State was even a tournament team.

As for Boise State, the loss mainly just solidifies the longstanding conventional wisdom that the Broncos will not be dancing as part of the March Madness festivities. Still, Leon Rice has orchestrated an impressive turnaround from a disappointing start to the season. Boise State will likely be among the invitees to secondary postseason tournaments such as the NIT and CBI.

For now, the loss knocks Boise State back into fifth place in the Mountain West. The Broncos are a full game behind second-place Utah State and a half-game behind both Colorado State and Nevada. Boise State will have their eyes on a top-three seed in the MWC Tournament though, as they would be guaranteed some buffer before a potential rematch with San Diego State.

Regardless of what the future may hold, though, the Broncos will be disappointed not to have earned the distinction of giant killers on Sunday.

UP NEXT

That Aztecs head back home for some well-earned rest. San Diego State plays just once next week, hosting UNLV at Viejas Arena on Saturday. It will be the first of two straight home games for San Diego State, with the second coming against Colorado State on Feb. 25. They finish the regular season in Reno against the Wolf Pack on Feb. 29.

Boise State will travel to San Jose State on Wednesday with hopes of grabbing an easy win from the league’s tenth-best team. If they can avoid the upset, they will gain back some ground—or at least not lose any—in the top-half cluster of teams behind SDSU. The Broncos’ regular season concludes with a home game against New Mexico and a trip to the Thomas & Mack Center to face UNLV.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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