Aztecs Basketball Preview: Air Force welcomes SDSU

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Credit: Don De Mars/EVT Sports

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Credit: Don De Mars/EVT Sports

Aztecs aim to bounce back on the road after frustrating loss against UNLV at home

The Mountain West will always be chaotic during conference play. Upsets happen time and time again, and we have already seen multiple of them this season.

UNLV upset both San Diego State as well as Utah State recently. San Jose State defeated New Mexico at home, and even SDSU took down Boise State on the road in a tough environment. These losses happen and the better the Aztecs know that, then they better off they will be down the road. Just wait until the conference tournament starts in Las Vegas …

The San Diego State Aztecs‘ NET ranking is now 45, which is second in the conference behind Utah State’s 41 ranking. This team is currently on the bubble of making the NCAA Tournament. They cannot afford too many more losses. A big run in the conference tournament could help them be a lock for the Big Dance.

San Diego State heads to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force in what will be a closer game than many are expecting. SDSU has only lost to the Falcons four times in San Diego; however, in the beautiful state of Colorado, the Aztecs are just 23-16 at the Academy.

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Getting to Know the Opponent: Air Force Falcons

Credit: Don De Mars/EVT Sports

Air Force is now just 3-15 and 0-7 in conference play this season. Despite losing all seven conference games, they have shown to be competitive in most of them. Air Force lost by just five to Wyoming at home, lost by seven to San Jose State at home, and recently lost to Nevada on the road by just six points in a close game. Remember, the Falcons jumped out to a 20-8 lead over SDSU at Viejas Arena before scoring just 18 points the rest of the way through.

In Air Force’s last contest, they fell to Fresno State on the road, 74-65. The Bulldogs dominated the first half and jumped out to a 41-24 lead. Then, the Falcons stormed back and scored 41 in the second half to lose by just nine points. Luke Kearney led the team with 20 points and Falcons’ star player Ethan Taylor scored 16. Taylor scored 11 against SDSU in the first meeting.

Player to Watch: Ethan Taylor

The senior remains the player to watch for this game. He was the player to watch in the first matchup, as he does everything for the Falcons. Taylor is averaging 36.9 minutes per game which means he will play the entire way for the Falcons for this game. He averages 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. Those numbers are even better at home, as he averages 16.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.3 steals.

Against Nevada a few nights back, he scored 22 points on 50% shooting. He added six rebounds and three steals as the Falcons almost upset the Wolf Pack. The Aztecs must make sure he is disrupted and not making plays at a consistent rate.

Key to Victory

Shutting down Taylor is a huge key to victory. However, the Aztecs still need to show up on offense.

Against UNLV, the team started very slow yet again. They had a tough time generating shots the entire first half. Miles Byrd was scoreless, as the Aztecs could only score 23 total points. They played much better in the second half, led by Byrd’s 21 points, and Nick Boyd reached 16 also.

The Aztecs must find ways to generate points early in the contest. That relieves a ton of pressure. SDSU needs a huge win to get back on track. The team is 35-4 in their last 39 games following a loss. They must do this on the road.

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