NEW MEXICO at No. 4 SAN DIEGO STATE
Tuesday, Viejas Arena (San Diego, California), 9 p.m. TV: ESPN2 (Comcast **; DirecTV **; Dish **). Radio: 770 AM/96.3 FM. Line: SDSU favored by 18½
* steal; ^ block
What you need to know about the Lobos: Vance Jackson and JaQuan Lyle are back for this version of the one-time marquee rivalry of the Mountain West. Without that pair, the Lobos fell behind 17-0 on Jan. 29 in the Pit and lost to the No. 4 Aztecs by 28 points. Lyle’s return on Saturday against Wyoming wasn’t a great shooting performance, but it would be naive to suggest his presence wasn’t felt. Taking the primary defensive attention much of the game — both on the perimeter and when he would post up — Lyle was able to help open up the floor for other players. Against the Aztecs defense, however, he’ll also have to score and not post a 2-for-10 shooting night for UNM to keep it close. His outside shooting and the continued (now that he’s healthy) hot streak from the outside of Jackson does actually force defenses to spread the floor more than anybody earlier this season thought was ever going to be necessary against the Lobos. Jackson was 12-of-53 (22.6%) from 3-point range in UNM’s first 14 games, including the game JJ Caldwell and Carlton Bragg were suspended on Dec. 22. In the six games Jackson has played since, he is 18-of-33 (54.5%), including an 0-1 when he was injured in the first half of the Jan. 15 loss at Colorado State. SDSU’s defense has allowed double-digit 3-pointers once this season (Nevada hit 10 but lost by 13), and UNM is hardly a 3-point shooting team. But any chance of getting going at the rim with attacking guards or with forward Corey Manigault in the post would be helped immensely if some outside shots fall for the Lobos and the Aztecs have to expand their defense, at least a little, toward the perimeter.
* steal; ^ block
What you need to know about the Aztecs: SDSU has the MWC’s most efficient offense and most efficient defense and does so with a very short bench and one of the slowest tempos in the nation (321 out of 353 Division I teams). It probably isn’t enough of a trend yet to read too much into, but when a team is 24-0, you look for any sort of recent change that might show a weakness worth paying attention to. Statistically, there remains very little to attack with SDSU. However, the Aztecs have allowed an opponent to score better than 1.0 points per possession just six times this season and three of those were in the team’s past four games (the one exception being vs. the shorthanded Lobos in the Pit on Jan. 29). The defense is still very good, and the offensive efficiency more than makes up for any slowdown on defense, which ranks No. 11 nationally in efficiency. But in recent low-possession games against UNLV (1.03 points per possession), Utah State (1.08) and Air Force (SDSU opponent seasonhigh 1.16), the Aztecs defense was merely good, not its usual dominating self. Malachi Flynn remains one of the best guards in the nation and leader in the clubhouse for Mountain West Player of the Year, but Matt Mitchell has been heating up (22.0 ppg in past two games and 3.5 made 3s). Yanni Wetzel has been very good in the post for SDSU and done so relatively foul-free. Through the first 22 games of the season, he never fouled out and reached four fouls in just three of 22 games. Last week, he fouled out at Air Force and had four fouls against Utah State center Neemias Queta. UNM forward Corey Manigault is sixth in the MWC in fouls drawn per 40 minutes at 5.9.