San Diego State Aztecs
Mountain West (22-10, 11-7)
At one point in mid-February, San Diego State was 13-10 overall and 5-7 in Mountain West action. They have not lost since. The Aztecs won their last six regular season games and rode that momentum into the conference tournament, where they beat Fresno State, Nevada and New Mexico to claim another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/21 Gonzaga (72-70), 2/27 Boise State (72-64), 3/3 Nevada (79-74)
Bad Losses: 11/26 vs Washington State (86-93), 12/9 California (62-63), 1/20 at New Mexico (75-79)
Coach: Brian Dutcher
Why They Can Surprise:
The Aztecs boast five double digit scorers so it can be very difficult to contain their offense. Devin Watson and Trey Kell lead an experienced backcourt and have done a good job keeping the turnovers under control. Watson is the team’s most consistent outside shooter, but forwards Matt Mitchell and Max Montana are capable outside shooters as well. Malik Pope and Jalen McDaniels are both 6-10 forwards who do a bulk of their scoring in the paint. Pope may be the leader of the team, but McDaniels is having a great freshman campaign, averaging 10.2 points and a team high 7.5 rebounds.
Why They Can Disappoint:
San Diego State has a lot of momentum. This is a pretty young team and it did take some time for them to pull everything together and start stringing together wins. Their youth could be a concern again in the NCAA Tournament. Watson, Kell and Pope are very good leaders, but a few freshmen are going to have to continue to play big roles on this team. If they are ready, San Diego State’s win streak may continue for another game or two.
Probable Starters:
Devin Watson, Junior, Guard, 12.3 ppg, 3.8 apg
Trey Kell, Senior, Guard, 10.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, 4.0 rpg
Matt Mitchell, Freshman, Forward, 10.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Jalen McDaniels, Freshman, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Malik Pope, Senior, Forward, 12.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Key Role Players:
Jordan Schakel, Freshman, Guard, 3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Jeremy Hemsley, Junior, Guard, 7.4 ppg, 2.2 apg
Nolan Narain, Sophomore, Forward, 4.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Max Montana, Junior, Forward, 7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.4 (81st in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.0 (66, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.9 (113, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.0 (70, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.6 (183, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.1 (228, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.9 (149, 7)
Rebound Margin: 5.0 (43, 3)
Assists Per Game: 15.2 (82, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.9 (73, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 NIT First Round win over IPFW
2016 NIT Second Round win over Washington
2016 NIT Quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech
2016 NIT Semifinal loss to George Washington
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. John's
2015 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over New Mexico State
2014 NCAA Round of 32 win over North Dakota State
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Arizona
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Oklahoma
2013 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Florida Gulf Coast
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to North Carolina State
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Northern Colorado
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Temple
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Tennessee
2009 NIT First Round win over Weber State
2009 NIT Second Round win over Kansas State
2009 NIT Quarterfinal win over St. Mary's
2009 NIT Semifinal loss to Baylor
2008 NIT First Round loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/4
