SDSU Aztecs will battle with the Baylor Bears for the third game in three days of the Players Era Festival

You could not have asked for a better response for Brian Dutcher and his squad.

After losing by 40 points to his old university, Michigan, Dutcher put on a masterclass performance with a game plan that Dana Altman and Oregon could not keep up with. The offense looked very fluid; the shots were falling, Reese Dixon-Waters, BJ Davis, and Elzie Harrington played aggressive basketball, and the Aztecs just flat out controlled the game from start to finish. Scoring 97 points against Oregon is no easy feat. SDSU did this on 67% shooting.

The Aztecs also led the charge in rebounding (34-26), assists (22-17), steals (7-4), and blocks (6-2), and held a lead as large as 24 points. Oregon never led by more than three points early on. Once SDSU took a decent lead in the first half, they did not look back.

It’s pretty hard to put into words how meaningful it is to have Dixon-Waters back in the lineup. RDW is a certified bucket getter. He can pull up from anywhere on the court, has an elite hesitation move, is not afraid to draw contact, and does all this while playing elite defense. His 22 points came in a team-high 28 minutes. So far in five games, Dixon-Waters has led the Aztecs in minutes per game at 32.0. I am not sure how long that keeps up, but RDW will continue to play around 30 minutes per contest if his offense remains at this pace.

Speaking of pace, the Scarlet & Black found their rhythm against the Ducks. The Aztecs finished the game with 20 fast-break points and 15 points off turnovers. Seven players recorded at least two assists in the win. Davis, Harrington, and Taj DeGourville all finished with four assists each, and Miles Byrd ended with three. In only nine minutes, Sean Newman Jr. assisted on two baskets. It’s been a rough start to his tenure on The Mesa, but Newman Jr will figure things out. He can be very valuable in this aspect of the game. Remember, he was third in the NCAA in assists per game last season at LA Tech with 7.9 per game.

The Aztecs will hope to finish off the tournament on another high note as they did last year. This will be another valuable matchup against Baylor, who is just four years removed from their NCAA Championship in 2021, when they took down Gonzaga.

Getting To Know The Bears

Baylor is 4-1 on the season but has not had that defining win yet. They will look to put a stamp on this tournament with a win against San Diego State. They opened with an 81-74 win over Creighton but fell to No. 14 St. John’s last night. Baylor does have a Big Ten win over Washington by nine points earlier in the season.

Scott Drew is one of the best coaches in the sport. He’s been with this team for over 20 years, and his championship in 2021 will go down as one of the best because his team was so dominant in a bracket full of very good teams. That 2021 Final Four was special.

So far this season, Drew has not even noticed most of his bench. Only eight players have stepped onto the court, and seven have played all five games. Only seven stepped on the court against St. John’s on Tuesday. The starters play high minutes, led by former Wyoming guard Obi Agbim at 32.8 minutes per game. Baylor’s top player, Cameron Carr, averages 32.6 minutes per contest.

Carr is the go-to guy for the Bears. He averages 23.8 points per game, which is tied for 5th in the country. There is no doubt that he will be the guy to keep an eye on for this contest. He shoots 58.5% from the floor and averages only one assist per game. He is going to shoot the rock. The transfer from Tennessee has emerged on the scene big time. He only played four games last season due to an injury and only 14 the year before that with the Vols. It is already looking like this change was the best thing for him. Carr scored 27 points with zero assists in the loss to St. John’s.

Baylor does not have a lot of size. Out of the eight players who have played this season, seven are listed as guards. Senior center Caden Powell is only 6-foot-9, and he plays around 20 minutes per contest. Senior guard Michael Rataj is 6-foot-8, and is third on the team in rebounds at 6.0 behind Powell’s 6.4. SDSU should have a rebounding advantage in this game.

Freshman Tounde Yessoufou is another player to watch. He averages 15.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. The freshman can do it all for the Bears. He was one rebound shy of a double-double against the Red Storm.

Key To Victory

There is no doubt that the legs are going to be tired for this game. These players have not played three tough games in three days since their AAU days. Dutcher and his staff must do a great job rotating the players today to keep everyone fresh.

The starting lineup should remain the same. Elzie Harrington is making a push for the starting five, but maybe Duther doesn’t want to ruin a good thing right now. Harrington is playing very well within his role, and coming off the bench and playing in the second unit could benefit the young rising star. However, inserting him in the starting five could benefit the team long-term.

Whatever Dutcher does, he has a plan. He proved last night that he is one of the best coaches in the game because he got his team to quickly move past one of the worst losses they will ever be a part of.

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.