Aztecs aim to respond from a frustrating loss to Colorado State with a statement win over San Jose State

One of the many great things we know about the San Diego State Aztecs is that they figure out how to respond quickly. Not only has Brian Dutcher’s team won every game following a loss this season, they have a formidable 36-4 record in their last 40 games.

Saturday night in Fort Collins did not go according to plan for the Scarlet & Black. There were opportunities, but they could not capitalize late in the contest.

“It was an interesting game,” Dutcher said after the loss. “I thought we fought hard enough but didn’t play well enough. We gave ourselves opportunities. They shot 50% in the first half. I thought if that happened, we wouldn’t have a chance to win, but we got them down to 32% in the second half. They had too many offensive rebounds. When we did have fast break opportunities, we didn’t take advantage of them. Down the stretch, when it was a three-point game, a six-point game, we had fast breaks that we couldn’t finish. It doesn’t take a coach to know that if you go 11-for-21 from the foul line, it’s really hard to win.”

Dutcher continued on with his statement.

“At the end of the day, each team scored 22 baskets. We had one more three than they did, but they were 17-for-24 at the line, and we were 11-for-21. There’s lots of different things we can point out, but at the end of the day, we missed a lot of free throws down that stretch in the second half, and that allowed them to get enough separation to win the game.”

San Diego State dropped to 52 in NET rankings, which, believe it or not, puts them two slots behind UC San Diego. For the first time in the Tritons’ short Division I history, they are ahead of the Aztecs in NET, and on Monday, they received one vote in the AP Coaches Poll.

The Aztecs are on the border of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. They have some work to do, but they are more than capable of getting there without needing to win the Mountain West Tournament.

Next on the schedule is San Jose State, who almost upset the Aztecs at Viejas Arena to end the January slate. Former conference Sixth Man of the Year winner Josh Uduje and fellow England native Latrell Davis combined to score 44 points in the loss, but it was enough to give the Spartans and Aztecs a battle to the end.

First Matchup

As mentioned above, the Spartans almost escaped San Diego with a win in the first meeting. SDSU won by just three points, 71-68. The Spartans nailed 15 three-point shots and shot 48% from beyond the arc. They led 41-29 at the break, and the Aztecs were forced to score 42 second-half points to win on their home court.

JOSH UDUJE IS THAT MAN#AllSpartans pic.twitter.com/LPoiFrUszS

— San Jose State Men’s Basketball (@SanJoseStateMBB) January 29, 2025

Magoon Gwath proved to be too much for the Spartans. They could not stop the 7-footer as he scored 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked one shot, and assisted on one basket. More importantly, he finished 3-3 from the free-throw line. We’ll get to that importance later …

As a team, the Aztecs used their strong second half to shoot 50.9% from the floor. They also controlled the boards 33-25, keeping the Spartans to just two offensive rebounds. In the loss to Colorado State, the Rams grabbed 17 offensive boards. Rebound continues to be a crucial part to the Aztecs’ success.

Brian Dutcher’s squad will need to find a way to slow down the Spartans’ backcourt. They showcased their ability more than once this season. San Jose State defeated New Mexico at Provident Credit Union Event Center on January 14. They won that game because their guards hit clutch shots all game long.

Against the Aztecs last time out, Davis and Uduje scored a majority of the points, but Donovan Yap also played well with 11 points, finishing 3-5 from deep.

Update on San Jose State

The Spartans are 2-1 since falling to the Aztecs a few weeks back. They responded with two straight wins against Air Force and Fresno State before recently losing to Boise State by 27 points. Their win against Fresno State on the road was won in double overtime, and both Uduje and Davis scored 30 points in their 94-91 win.

DAVIS WITH A PIECE @LatrellDavis35 | #AllSpartans pic.twitter.com/mpnP8zeStC

— San Jose State Men’s Basketball (@SanJoseStateMBB) February 5, 2025

Uduje is now averaging 16.4 points per game on 50.5% shooting and adds 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. Davis averages 11.1 points on 51.4% shooting, while Will McClendon averages 12.0 per game. Furthermore, Yap adds 8.7 points per game, and starting center Robert Vaihola averages 8.0 points and 6.9 rebounds (5th in the conference). Vaihola is just 6-foot-8 and did not matchup well against Magoon Gwath. He scored zero points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss.

San Jose State is 4th in the MW, averaging 74.2 points per game. However, they are 10th in opponents’ points, allowing 72.9 per game. The Spartans are a much better offensive team compared to the other end of the floor. Offensively, they are tied for second in made triples per game at 8.0 while being 4th in three-point percentage at 35.3%.

On defense, they allow teams to shoot 45% from the floor, which is 9th in the conference. Although, they are disciplined as a team, fouling only 15.5 times each contest, the fewest in the conference.

Keys to Victory

The first of two crucial factors of the game must start on the defensive end by not allowing the Spartan’s backcourt to get hot from beyond the arc. They hit great looks early and often against the Aztecs, which propelled them to a big first half. Playing tight on Uduje and McClendon will be major to start. Davis comes off the bench for the Spartans, and when he steps on the court, he looks to shoot the ball.

The second key to victory is no other than an obvious one. The Aztecs are not a good free-throw shooting team. SDSU is shooting a miserable 67.6% from the charity stripe, which is 9th in the conference.

“Some of the guys shoot them pretty well, but some of them struggle. Guys like (Boyd), he’s got to make them. (McKinney III) got to make them. Those guys have been good career free-throw shooters. Heide and (Compton) have struggled, so they’ve got to do what they’re doing. They’re shooting every day in practice. We’ve seen enough basketball and covered enough of it to know that all of a sudden, one guy misses two, and the next guy misses one. Then, it becomes an epidemic. Byrd is a pretty good free throw shooter, he missed one. That definitely cost us. Maybe if Compton steps up and makes two, the next guy makes two and all of a sudden, we make 21-of-24. That didn’t happen (Saturday night) and definitely cost us.”

The Aztecs must improve with their free opportunities.

Chris Spiering

Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.