AZTECS KNOW THEY’LL GET REBELS’ BEST
SDSU will guard against complacency following Wednesday’s big victory
San Diego State’s basketball team starts practice with a motivational quote. It’s listed across the top of the practice plan, and coach Brian Dutcher hands it to a different player each day to read aloud.
Friday’s quote, echoing across the red seats of Viejas Arena: “You’re only as good as what you do today.”
It was a subtle reminder that, just days removed from a crucial 63-61 win at Utah State, their work is not done. That an afternoon tip today at Viejas Arena on national TV with a one-day prep against a UNLV team tied for seventh place in the Mountain West amounts to
the proverbial trap game.
“Every team is dangerous in this conference,” Dutcher said. “Fresno State is playing better, UNLV is playing better, and those are our next two opponents. We can’t sit here and think, ‘Because they’re not at the top of the standings, they’re not dangerous and, if we don’t play well, can’t beat us.’ I’ve said all year: We have to play well to win. We can’t play poorly and win a game.”
The numbers suggest differently, of course. The Mountain West has clearly partitioned into upper and lower divisions — those with winning conference records and those without — and the top five teams are 27-3 against the bottom six. Remove 6-5 New Mexico from the equation, and the top four are 23-1 against the bottom six. SDSU is 6-0.
SDSU’s mission, then, is to hold serve.
The No. 25 Aztecs (19-5, 10-2) are alone atop the standings with six games remaining. Four are against the lower half, and winning those gets them to 14 wins no matter what happens in the road games at New Mexico on Feb. 25 and Boise State three days later. And 14-4 should be enough for at least a share of the Mountain West title and another banner in Viejas Arena unless Nevada (9-3) or Boise State (8-3) run the table, and both still must play at Utah State (8-4).
Drill down further, and you see that two of the four games against
the lower half are at home: Colorado State (3-9) on Feb. 21 and Wyoming (2-9) to close the regular-season on March 4. Both are down to seven scholarship players from injuries and defections, and neither figure to provide much resistance at Viejas.
That leaves today against UNLV and Wednesday at Fresno State. They might determine the conference title more than the road showdowns later in the month.
“By nature,” Dutcher said, “I’m not a guy who gets ahead of himself. I don’t think the conference title is won until it’s won. … UNLV will have our full focus. We know how hard it was there (Dec. 31), as much as it was a nine-point win. We had to make a lot of hard shots to win that game. It wasn’t easy.
“We know how they’ll be tomorrow. We’ll get their best shot.”
Think about it: A talented roster wallowing in seventh place and facing (yes) a 10th straight season without an NCAA Tournament appearance … with a shot at a signature win against a ranked opponent that’s won 20 of the last 22 in the series … before a full house at Viejas Arena … before a big-boy Fox national TV audience.
The NFL’s Super Bowl is Sunday in Glendale, Ariz. UNLV’s is today in San Diego.
“I mean, people play hard,” Aztecs forward Jaedon LeDee said, “but when they see San Diego State they play a little harder.”
SDSU has won nine of the last 10 against the Rebels, but Dutcher need only reference the lone loss for motivational purposes. UNLV came to Viejas Arena in 2019 with a 14-14 record; the Aztecs were 26-0, the last remaining undefeated team in the nation. They also had clinched the Mountain West title and unveiled a banner that night before tip-off. UNLV 66, SDSU 63. “That just shows you anything is possible,” Dutcher said. “That was our 30-2 team, and they came here and beat us on our home floor.”
Referee responds
The Mountain West Conference provided a statement from Mike Reed, the lead official in Wednesday night’s SDSU-Utah State game, on the incident late in the first half that resulted in a 10-minute monitor review, multiple technical fouls and four ejections — the most notable being Aztecs starting guard Darrion Trammell.
The problems began when Aggies forward Taylor Funk walked through the SDSU huddle on his way back across the court during a media timeout.
“Words were exchanged and (Trammell) pushed (Funk) in the back,” Reed said. “(Funk) then points his finger in his face. Players and coaches from USU left their bench area and came across halfcourt.”
The key word is definition of “push.” Replays show Funk brushing shoulders with Trammell as he walked past, and Trammell helping him along with his left hand into Funk’s back. Funk does not stumble or break stride.
Trammell, Reed said, “was bench personnel who participated, by pushing (Funk) in the back, during
the confrontation … (and) bench personnel participating in a confrontation results in ejection.”
That’s rule 10-3-2. Two Utah State players and an assistant coach were ejected for violating rule 10-4-2 because they crossed midcourt. Head coach Odom also crossed midcourt but was not ejected because, Reed said, “the head coach is the only person allowed to leave the bench area to prevent a situation from escalating.” (Whether a visibly enraged Odom ran across the court to deescalate the situation or argue with officials is debatable, and official John Higgins violently shoved him back toward his bench.)
Reed said Funk and Trammell were both assessed technical fouls, although the official box score only indicates one for Funk. Dutcher was given a Class B technical because “bench personnel” (Trammell, in this case) was ejected. The two free throws that SDSU did shoot, Reed said, were for a T on Odom.
Dutcher didn’t learn of his T until someone noticed it in the box score the next day.
“I usually like to earn my technicals, but I guess I got one anyway,” Dutcher said Friday.
“It was a good officiating crew. They went to the monitor, they took painstaking time to make sure they got it right, and in their opinion they got it right.”
The good news for Trammell is that it’s not soccer, where you face suspension for several games after receiving a red card. He can play today against UNLV.