Grand Canyon vs. San Diego State

Steve Fisher Court – Viejas Arena

Tuesday, February 17 at 7:00 pm

TV: CBSSN

The Aztecs aim for their second-ever win against Grand Canyon on Tuesday night with revenge on mind

San Diego State will try to accomplish a rare feat of defeating the Lopes, which has only been done once in five attempts. There won’t be many more opportunities to face this rising program with the move to the Pac-12 next season. So, the Aztecs need to end the war by winning the final battle.

“This is one of the first payback games we have,” Dutcher told the media on Monday. “So, we’ll see if we can pay back or not. It’s easy to say but hard to do. Grand Canyon is dynamic, they score the ball at an elite level, they are third in the conference defensively, and they present great challenges.”

The Scarlet & Black defeated Nevada comfortably on Saturday night, putting them in a great position to contend for the top seed in the Mountain West.

“We control our own destiny,” Dutcher said. “We don’t have to rely on anyone else. If we take care of business and take care of what we need to take care of, we’ll have a chance to win a conference title.”

SDSU saw many great things that night, showcased by Reese Dixon-Waters’ third 20+ point game of the season and the return of Magoon Gwath.

Per the team, Gwath became the first Aztec since at least the 1996-97 season with at least three 3-pointers and five blocks in the same game. The 7-footer is a game-changer when healthy, and Saturday was the first time he didn’t wear that 2lb knee brace. Gwath did not play against Grand Canyon in the first matchup of the season.

SDSU is 41st in NET rankings, right behind UCLA and right above Santa Clara.

According to KenPom, San Diego State’s defense ranks No. 1 in defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage, two-point field goal
percentage, turnover percentage, steal percentage, & block percentage among Mountain West schools. Nationally, KenPom has the Aztecs’ defense rated in the top 35 in block percentage (No. 6), non-steal turnover (No. 10), turnover percentage (No. 11), adjusted defensive efficiency (No. 14), two-point percentage (No. 21), steal percentage (No. 32), and effective field goal percentage (No.34).

The defense is back to being one of the best units in the nation. Teams are averaging just 66.1 points per game against SDSU in the conference. On the season, SDSU is back to allowing fewer than 70 points per game at 69.3.

The defense must be on full force against the Lopes on Tuesday night.

Lopes up 1-0 on season series 

The first meeting went Grand Canyon’s way late. Up one, BJ Davis missed the front end of a one-and-one that could have put the Aztecs up three points with under eight seconds. This resulted in Makaih Williams drawing a foul on Tae Simmons with around one second remaining. Williams made both free throws to take a 70-69 lead, and Dixon-Waters missed the deep shot to try to win the game. The result marked the first loss for SDSU in conference play, and it was certainly a frustrating way to lose a game.

Playing in Phoenix against GCU is not an easy feat, as they have one of the biggest home crowd environments in the country. The Lopes led for 64% of the game and had a lead as large as 12.

Freshman Elzie Harrington played very well in that loss, scoring 16 points in 26 minutes to lead the Aztecs. Miles Byrd had one of his roughest games of the season, scoring only six points on 2-10 shooting. His four steals made up for his bad shooting, and the leader of the Aztecs will try to bounce back against GCU this time around in a huge way.

The Lopes were led by Williams and Jaden Henley, who both scored 17 points each. Brian Moore Jr. played 35 minutes and scored 12 points with three assists. Those three provide a ton of the scoring for the Lopes. Defensively, Nana Owusu-Anane is their guy, averaging 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks. He had one block and one steal in 34 minutes against SDSU in the first meeting.

Where is GCU now?

Bryce Drew is coming off his 300th career win against San Jose State on Saturday night. That was a much-needed victory away from home as the Lopes had lost two straight to UNLV and New Mexico before that. If the Lopes want any shot at securing a top-four seed in the conference tournament, they must beat one of SDSU or Utah State to finish the season. Both games are on the road, however. GCU will host Wyoming, UNLV, and Fresno State, with Air Force as their other road game. They should easily finish the season winning four of their final six games.

Henley remains the top point-scorer on the roster at 17.3 points per game. He shoots 46.3% from the floor and adds 5.7 boards, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. The senior has played for four different teams in four seasons, but this year is by far his best. He scored 24 against the Spartans last time out.

Williams is next at 13.4 per game on 42.4% shooting. He adds 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Whether as a starter or off the bench, Williams is going to be a dynamic player, similar to how the Aztecs use BJ Davis. Williams has scored 10+ in all but six games this season.

Efe Demirel, who averages 8.4 points per game, is shooting 64% from the floor and scored 15 points against the Spartans. GCU will look to him often to try and score against Miles Heide or Gwath. Owusu-Anane is 6-foot-8 and will likely be defended by Jeremiah Oden to start until Gwath checks in.

“I don’t think with an older team that they get over-carried away, because they have great respect for Grand Canyon,” Dutcher said about his team. “We have to play better to win. We have to continue to rebound at a high level, and we are going to have to play a really good game.”

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.