Bill Walton Classic Preview: San Diego State vs. Colorado

Colorado vs. San Diego State

Pechanga Arena – Bill Walton Classic

Saturday, November 7 @ 12:30 pm PT

TV: USA Network

San Diego State opened up the regular season on Tuesday with a 24-point victory over Cal State Fullerton. The Aztecs now just take a quick little bus ride west on the I8 to Pechanga Arena for the Bill Walton Classic. Coach Dutcher and his squad will be taking on a young but talented 1-0 Colorado squad led by Tad Boyle. This will be the first time since 1976 the two squads have faced each other; the series is tied 3-3.

On Thursday, Coach Dutcher, Isaiah Sy, and Luca Vincini spoke with the media about Bill Walton and the keys to the game.

“Obviously we got a good insight into Bill Walton and who he was… how often do you get to spend time with an icon? Bill was an icon both as a player, as an announcer, and as a person,” Coach Dutcher said when asked about Bill Walton and his impact.

Dutcher was asked about the keys to the game and had this to say. “Obviously take care of the ball, 15 is still too high, we have to continue rebounding the ball. Get to the foul line, just continue doing the things that lead to winning.”

When asked about Colorado and his impression of them, Sy had this to say. “Definitely a physical team; that’s going to be a team that runs, plays hard defense, and is team different than who we have played so far.” “I think after the first win, we are pretty excited. It is a test, and it will be great to play in front of our fans again,” said Vincini when speaking about the upcoming challenge the Aztecs face.

A Lesson about the Buffs

Colorado started the season off with a victory over Abilene Christian 94-59. The Buffs are a team with a strong mixture of young players earning minutes and veterans added through the transfer portal. Colorado is led by Sophomore guard Jalin Holland and Senior Barrington Hargress. In the opening contest, Holland had 18 points on eight-of-twelve shooting with two shots made from beyond the arc. Hargress dropped 11 points to go along with four assists and three makes from deep.

The Buffs only took 19 three-point attempts, but made 10 of them with excellent efficiency. The smallest player the team will play is just over six feet, with the smallest after Hargress being 6-foot-5. Colorado rebounded the ball really well against the Wildcats, outrebounding them 39-24. Now there is a very familiar face for those who pay attention to the Aztecs’ high school recruiting. In the same class as the Aztecs got Tae Simmons and Elzie Harrington, Sophomore Guard Josiah Sanders was another potential Aztec who chose the Buffs over SDSU, among others.

The expectation from this Colorado roster is that they will play a tough and fast brand of basketball. The rotation of guards get downhill and play aggressive on ball defense, with everyone crashing the glass, helping the limited amount of Buff big men. The reason for the limited number of big men is due to Colorado still waiting for the decision on Iaroslav Niagu’s eligibility. The 7-foot one big started his career at USC and transferred to Colorado from Jacksonville State. His status is up in the air not just for Saturday’s game against the Aztecs, but for the rest of the season.

Aztecs’ Keys to Victory

San Diego State so far in the early season has struggled to take care of the ball. In all three exhibition games, the Aztecs had 15 or more turnovers. Against Cal State Fullerton, the Titans stayed in the game due to the number of Aztec turnovers early in the first half. Down the stretch, San Diego State eventually took full control of the game and dominated the second half. Taking care of the ball and having fewer than 12 turnovers will be key to victory for the Aztecs.

It goes without saying that the main ability or talent that Coach Dutcher and his staff were looking for this offseason was rebounding. Winning the rebounding battle is one of the most important parts of basketball that leads to victories. The Aztecs and the Buffs are two teams who are very physical and take it personally when a team out-rebounds them. It is going to be an absolute cage match down low in the rebounding battle.

The last key to victory for this Aztec squad is getting the Colorado big men in foul trouble. With the dominating force that Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry has emerged as, and the spark plug that Simmons is. The Aztecs easily could blow this game wide open with some timely shot-making and finishing around the rim. The player to watch for the Aztecs in this matchup is one of European newcomers, but not the Luca you might think. Luka Skoric in the offseason was getting praise for being the best player on the floor at times in practice, while also looking out of place at times. Against Colorado, Skoric can showcase his defensive ability, his rebounding ability, and his three-level scoring ability.

Prediction & Thoughts

The Aztecs should be able to take care of business against Colorado. With the play Latrell Davis displayed on Tuesday, and the star power of Harrington that can pop at any minute, San Diego State should win with better guard play and the ability of the frontcourt to help win the rebounding battle. As long as the Aztecs force Colorado into one-time possessions, they should take control with the help of the local crowd at Pechanga Arena.

Bryant Thursby

Bryant is an Assistant Coach at Heritage High School. He is a big-time SDSU fanatic and a Padres fan.