Aztecs aim to bounce back after ugly loss at The Pit over the weekend

The San Diego State Aztecs are forced to quickly flush their last loss down the drain when they host another tough Mountain West opponent on Tuesday night. This matchup against Colorado State is at 8:00 pm and can be seen on CBS Sports Network (CBSSN).

Against New Mexico, the Aztecs struggled in many different areas, including scoring, rebounding, and controlling the basketball. The only two areas SDSU performed better than New Mexico in were three-point shooting and free-throw percentages. A lot went wrong for the Aztecs, and you saw it happen quickly.

The Aztecs know that they need to improve, and there are four areas that stand out the most.

First, they are not the rebounding team they would like to be at this point in the season, but they are not far from it. Starting two forwards with size has yet to see consistency on the glass. Magoon Gwath is seven feet tall and only averages 4.1 rebounds per game. Jared Coleman-Jones, who plays alongside Gwath in the frontcourt, leads the team at 5.4 per contest. Rebounding has always been a collective effort from this team. However, when you are facing opponents who contain elite rebounders, you need your bigs to compete on the glass to avoid allowing offensive boards and potentially second chance points. The good news is that they remain second in the conference in rebounds per game at 38.4, behind New Mexico’s 40.2.

Secondly, the offense needs someone to step up and become the go-to scorer. Miles Byrd seems to be slowly emerging into that role and he proved it yet again over the weekend. Byrd kept the Aztecs in the game with his playmaking and three-point shooting.

Second trey of the day for @_mbyrd21
📺: @CBSSportsCBB pic.twitter.com/0DUHI5sXsW

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) January 11, 2025

He brings the energy the team is looking for on the court. His 13.4 points per game leads the team but it feels like Byrd can be scoring close to 20 points when needed the most.

Nick Boyd and BJ Davis are the next best options we’ve seen so far. They have done a great job this season creating chances, but the team needs more from them. Boyd is making just 39.7% of his shots, and improving his percentage would be a major bonus for this team. He leads all players in minutes so his production is crucial for the team’s success. Davis is shooting 47.2% from the floor and should be attempting more shots per game. He seems hesitant more often than not which is why he is averaging just 7.7 shot attempts per contest. Davis went on a scoring surge against Air Force with 11 straight points. He can put up huge numbers if he is feeling it.

Thirdly, the half-court offense must find a way to score baskets at a higher rate. Only Fresno State has a worse shooting percentage than San Diego State in the conference right now. Shooting 43.6% from the field won’t get you far. The three-point shooting is at 35.4%, which is 4th in the conference. They have done a good enough job from beyond the arc to make you believe that this team is capable of improving their consistency.

Lastly, not relying on isolations to create chances should see improvement. The Aztecs drain the shot clock on their half-court possessions way too often rather than trying to score with pace. Their 12.7 assists per game proves this to be the case. They aren’t seeing average assists numbers because the shots are coming off isolations.

If the Aztecs can find a way to see some improvement on these four areas, then they can turn things around and go on a major run. Their next two games are at home against CSU and UNLV, then they take on Air Force again, followed by Nevada and San Jose State to end January. There is no reason why SDSU can’t end the month undefeated.

SDSU fell from 35 to 41 in NET rankings after the loss and since then moved up one spot to 40 after Nebraska’s loss t0 Purdue on Sunday. The Aztecs are 2-3 in Quad 1 games and 2-1 in Quad 2. They are undefeated in Quad 3 and 4 games.

Getting to Know the Opponent: Colorado State Rams

The Rams are 10-6 on the season and third in the conference with a 4-1 record. SDSU is in a tie for 5th alongside UNLV at 3-2.

Colorado State is 84th in NET in large part to their 1-4 record against Quad 2 opponents. CSU is 1-1 against Quad 1 opponents and are 3-0 in Quad 3 games and 5-1 against Quad 4 games.

CSU is coming off a dominant win over UNLV, 84-62 last time out. They are winners of three straight after losing to the Lobos on December 28. Colorado’s biggest win of the season came on the road at Nevada, so they are capable of winning on the road.

The Rams are led by Nique Clifford, who played well against the Aztecs last season. He averages 16.9 points per game and 9.9 rebounds (19th in nation). Furthermore, Clifford shoots 51.5% from the floor while also proving to be a threat on the defensive end with 1.1 steals per game. Jalen Lake is in his senior year and is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 per contest.

The Rams don’t generate many blocks, so attacking the basket should be a priority for the Aztecs in this matchup.

Colorado State averages 74.7 points and allows 68.3 per game. They shoot 46.3% as a team and are second in the conference in assists per game at 17.4.

Player to Watch: Nique Clifford

Clifford is, without a doubt, the top player for the Rams. He leads the team in many categories and is coming off a 22-point outing against UNLV. He shot 63.6% from the floor, including 4-5 from beyond the arc in the win.

LOST IN 96 SECONDS!

With 10:06 remaining in the game, UNLV closed a CSU lead to 58-52, forcing a timeout.

In the next 96 seconds, Nique Clifford @NiqueOtn put together a short highlight reel displaying all of his skills, leading to a 7-0 run by the Rams and basically putting… pic.twitter.com/aDodAhENbX

— Steve Ivy (@swollcracker) January 12, 2025

Clifford has scored in double digits in all but one game this year. He started the season with a 31-point burst against Tennessee State and has scored 20+ in five games this season.

Key to Victory

I think we can all agree on this one, the Aztecs need to start the game stronger. In their last two outings, the Aztecs struggled to score points early on. Air Force held a 20-8 lead early, but the Aztecs responded with a huge win at home. Against New Mexico, they couldn’t score more than 20 points in the first half and 48 total for the game. The Aztecs didn’t reach 10 points in the first half until the 6:43 mark.

The Aztecs need to trust in their abilities, and things will work out. The players are well coached by Brian Dutcher and his staff. Dutcher has proven to find solutions to the problems. The good news is that it is only January. The Aztecs need to play their best basketball toward the end of February.

The Aztecs are 31-14 against the Rams at home and are 34-4 after coming off a loss in their last 38 games.

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.