Aztecs head to Phoenix to face 10-2 Saint Mary's in 'résumé game'
SDSU's Nathan Mensah shoots against Saint Mary's Matthias Tass during last year's game in San Luis Obispo.
(Owen Main
SDSU badly needs a victory over a quality opponent
By Mark Zeigler
PHOENIX —
San Diego State's basketball team faces 10-2 Saint Mary's on Friday night in Phoenix after not playing for nine days during fall semester final exams. If you want an A in history, you'd know two things:
That can be a good, or a bad, thing.
Good, because the Aztecs faced an 8-1 Saint Mary's team on a neutral court in a mid-December game last year and played arguably their best 40 minutes of the season, racing to a 25-point lead in the first half en route to a 74-49 win at Cal Poly's Mott Gymnasium behind a monster night from Nathan Mensah.
Bad, because this year's encounter comes after a long break.
The Aztecs historically aren't the sharpest in the game immediately following final exams or Christmas, going 5-7 in their last 12 against Division I opponents. Last year, they suffered two of their five losses and their only defeats at Viejas Arena: 72-62 against BYU after an eight-day break for finals, and 70-67 against Colorado State (despite leading by 26) following an 11-day Christmas hiatus.
There also has been a post-finals loss to Grand Canyon, and post-Christmas Ls to Brown, Wyoming and New Mexico.
History being what it is, coach Brian Dutcher will take the break. His 6-3 team needs the time to heal, time to practice, time to prep for a game with potential NCAA Tournament implications against a veteran Gaels outfit that is ranked 37th in the Kenpom metric and has wins against Notre Dame, Oregon and Utah State.
And that has played twice since the Aztecs last did, beating UC Santa Barbara by 21 and Div. II Stanislaus State by 37.
"As much as you practice, sometimes your game timing is a little bit off," Dutcher said. "But Saint Mary's is such a different game plan and requires a special amount of detail. They can really shoot it. They know how to drive. They're one of the best coached teams in the country. They provide unique challenges, so it's good to have the extra days to get ready to play them. Even with that being said, they'll be a huge challenge.
"They have the entire team back from last year, plus a few pieces that are very good. They play system basketball. They know where everybody is at all times. Last year we had them a little banged up and hurt. This year we have them at full strength."
There's also this: 74-49, the Gaels' most lopsided loss in two decades against a team not named Gonzaga.
"I know they want to get that one back," senior Trey Pulliam said, "so we definitely better be ready for them."
It is part of the five-game Jerry Colangelo Classic at Footprint Center, home of the NBA's Suns. The other four are Saturday, headlined by No. 5 Gonzaga against No. 25 Texas Tech followed by No. 10 USC against Georgia Tech. USD plays Northern Arizona in the nightcap at 7 p.m. PST.
You can see Gonzaga on CBS and USC on the Pac-12 Network, but the other three games are on something called FloSports, a subscription streaming service based in Austin, Texas, that launched in 2006 to air track and field events. Subscriptions start at $29.99 per month or $150 per year. There is no a la carte pricing, and no free stream via the Mountain West network.
(Or put it this way: You can buy a ticket in the first row at Footprint Center for $4.99 less than the FloSports monthly subscription required to see the stream.)
Fans who ante up will see an Aztecs team that is healthier and, Dutcher hopes, more efficient on offense.
In the second half of the nervy 66-56 win against Cal State Fullerton, the Aztecs were down to six scholarship players who weren't injured or in foul trouble.
The team took the weekend off, which seems to have helped mend Mensah's bad back. Backup Tahirou Diabate returned Monday after missing two games for "medical concerns" (translation: COVID-19 protocols). But starting guard Lamont Butler still has another two weeks in a cast for his fractured left wrist, and Joshua Tomaic only returned to practice Wednesday with a bum hip. Aguek Arop, also struggling with hip problems, has barely practiced and remains iffy.
"We're trying to get better," Dutcher said, "and the way you get better is the practice floor. But when you don't have everybody practicing, it makes it hard."
The focus has been on offense, on playing faster, on getting the ball to the right personnel in the right places. That means Cal transfer Matt Bradley making quicker decisions and getting downhill sooner instead of pounding the ball on the perimeter assessing options. That also means getting Mensah more involved in the post and shooters making 3s on the perimeter.
More than anything, that means synchronizing all those things.
Mensah started the season well, averaging 11.3 points while shooting 66.7 percent through his first four games. Then Bradley got going, and Mensah disappeared, although some of that can be attributed to his back. He's averaging 4.4 points and shooting 37.5 percent in the five games since.
The 3-point shooting has been absent for nearly the entire season, until the Aztecs went a season-best 8 of 18 against Cal State Fullerton and got three clutch 3s from Adam Seiko when Bradley and Mensah went cold in the second half.
The good news for Mensah: He played arguably his best career game last year against Gaels — 18 points (8 of 9 shooting), 12 rebounds and six blocks in a mere 25 minutes.
Ready or not, rusty or not, the Aztecs get their final nonconference opportunity at what the NCAA Tournament selection committee would consider a "quality" win. Otherwise, they'll have to wait until February for their next shot at a top 40 Kenpom team in Colorado State. (And that's on the road; the home game against the Rams isn't until March 1.)
"If we can get a win, it'll definitely be a résumé boost," Dutcher said. "But I think if you say our season will be propelled or fall short on one game, that's overreaching. If we lose, maybe we start playing really good basketball in the conference and go on a long run. Or if we beat them, maybe we stumble in the conference.
"You never know. It's a long season. Yeah, this is important because it's a resume game. But it won't define our season."
SDSU vs. Saint Mary's
Friday: 7 p.m. PST, Footprint Center, Phoenix
On the air: FloSports; 1360-AM, 101.5-FM
Records: SDSU is 6-3, SMC is 10-2
Series history: Tied 6-6. SDSU has won the last two, 74-49 last year on a neutral floor at Cal Poly and 69-55 at Viejas Arena in 2010.
Aztecs update: The game matches two top 10 defenses according to the Kenpom metric. Saint Mary's is eighth nationally, SDSU is 10th. "Points are going to be at a premium," coach Brian Dutcher said, "so we have to make sure we take care of the ball, guard at a high level and be grateful for any good look we get, then step up and make them." The Aztecs have been excellent in neutral court events. Since 2019-20, they rank ninth nationally at 25-9. The only western teams better are Gonzaga (41-12) and Colorado State (25-7). SDSU is 21-6 in its last 27 games against the West Coast Conference and has won eight of 11. Matt Bradley continues to find his offensive rhythm, finishing with 22 points in each of his last two outings and making half his field-goal attempts in his last three games after shooting 38.8 percent in his first six. Trey Pulliam has played 73 of a possible 80 minutes in the two games without fellow point guard Lamont Butler (wrist). He responded in the 66-56 win against Cal State Fullerton with 15 points, a career-high seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. Last year's win broke a seven-game win streak by Saint Mary's against the Mountain West.
Gaels update: The nine wins include Notre Dame and Oregon in the Maui Invitational (that was played in Las Vegas). UC Riverside is their only common opponent with SDSU so far. Both games were played on their home floors, SMC winning by 17, the Aztecs by 13. The 60-58 win at Utah State was controversial, hinging on a foul whistled with .9 seconds left in a tie game that gave the Gaels two free throws. The losses are against Wisconsin (61-55 in the Maui final) and at No. 23 Colorado State (74-58) after shooting 4 of 21 from 3. The scoring is incredibly balanced, with five players averaging between 9.3 and 11.8 points. Six players average between 3.6 and 6.5 rebounds, and four have at least 25 assists. If there's one thing they don't do well, it is getting to the line. Only 13.8 percent of their points come from free throws, which ranks near the bottom of Div. I. (SDSU is at 20.8 percent, which ranks 52nd). All five starters return from last season plus leading scorer Dan Fotu, who comes off the bench now. Alex Ducas had a sprained ankle and didn't play in last year's game against the Aztecs. Averaging 18 minutes is freshman Augustas Marciulionis, the son of Naismith Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis from Lithuania.
Next up: UCSD, Dec. 22 at Viejas Arena (6 p.m., Stadium)
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