AZTECS HAVE A CULTURE ADVANTAGE
They’ve had just two coaches in 25 years; Rebels have had 11
Three thoughts on San Diego State’s 72-61 win against UNLV on Saturday afternoon at Viejas Arena:
1. Continuity
The difference between the SDSU and UNLV men’s basketball programs was once again on display, and it wasn’t talent.
It was intangibles. Chemistry. Connectivity. Cohesion.
Culture.
That makes it six straight wins against the Rebels, 11 of 12, 22 of 24 over the past decade.
“I just think our continuity,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said Friday when asked to explain their dominance against program steeped in history and resources. “They’ve had a bunch of coaches come through that program, and I think Kevin (Kruger) will do a great job if they give him enough time to do it.
“It takes a while to build a program, as we know here. We had a bell curve. We won, lost early, won, then went
back down, then hit an uptick. I think any coaching staff, if you give them enough time and they’re good at what they do like Kevin is, then he’ll get that program turned around.”
Kruger is the 10th Rebels head coach in the past 25 years — and the 11th if you count Chris Beard, who was hired in 2019 but left for Texas Tech after 19 days. SDSU has had two: Steve Fisher for 18 years and Dutcher for seven.
“They’re no different this year than they’ve been since we moved to Vegas in 2004,” said Kruger, who has been a player, assistant and now head coach at UNLV. “They’re tough. They guard people. They play for each other. And they play incredibly hard.
“Anytime you can get experience together and repetitions together from coach to player, player to player, even
player to program, city, school, whatever it may be, it’s important.”
Kruger is his third season, but continues to spin in the revolving door of roster churn, so tantalizing and potentially so counterproductive. He had 10 new players in his first season, 10 again last season, and seven this season.
“I always think it’s harder to build a culture when you’re bringing all new guys in every year — eight, nine, 10 new guys every year,” Dutcher said. “I think a culture is set by guys who make it four years in your program. Obviously, we’ve had great success with transfers, but I always like to say it’s our four- and five-year guys who set the tone for the program.”
The Rebels have ranked 331st, 255th and 250th in Division I under Kruger in minutes continuity from the previous season. They haven’t been in the top 200 since 2011-12, five coaches ago.
It’s a subject Dutcher is passionate about.
“People in athletics talk about their culture over a year or two,” Dutcher said. “They’ve been somewhere two or three years. We’ve been here 25. This is a 25-year culture. That’s what culture is. We’ve built it.
“Everyone knows about San Diego State. They may not know a player on the team, but they’re going to say, ‘Boy, they really guard, don’t they? And they really get great crowds.’ They talk about all the culture things. They don’t talk about individual players or Fisher or Dutcher. It doesn’t matter. San Diego State is San Diego State. We guard at a high level, win titles and we play the right way.”
2. Doubling down
On the Aztecs’ opening possession, they ran a complex set to work the ball to Jaedon LeDee on the right block. He was defended by 6-foot-9 Kalib Boone, but point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. quickly snuck along the baseline and doubleteamed him from behind.
LeDee got lucky. He dribbled out of the double, but his
bounce pass was behind a cutting Lamont Butler and rolled through the lane to the opposite side of the floor to Micah Parrish, who banked in a 3 for the game’s first points.
LeDee wrecked his usual havoc — 20 points, 11 rebounds, eight fouls drawn — but he also had no assists and equaled his career high with four turnovers.
“They were doubling, and I had some turnovers today I’m not really too proud about,” LeDee said. “Just get back to the drawing board, keep getting better. Like Coach Dutch says, I think they’re going to continue to do that throughout the year. It’s just something I have to get used to.”
In his defense, only two turnovers were the direct result of UNLV double-teams. And turnovers from a double are not always attributable to the post player, since factors like weakside spacing and cutting open passing lanes.
“They’re starting to send two defenders at him every time,” Dutcher said. “That can be frustrating, you know? You’re going to have to be a great playmaker now, Jaedon, because nobody really scores against two defenders. They don’t do it in the NBA with the greatest players in the world.
“Jaedon has to find a way to
get his teammates open 3-point shots when they double him, and that way they’ll be afraid to double because they don’t want to give up (open) 3s when they could give up tough 2s. Jaedon is going to walk that line all year as our best player as to how to play when he’s facing multiple defenders.”
There are doubles off the catch, off the dribble, after a stunt (or fake), from the strongside wing, from the weakside, from the other big. The twist Saturday was a guard coming along the baseline, in his blind spot.
“He’s going to see every double imaginable. He’s probably already seen them all. But he’ll see more,” Dutcher said. “They are going to try to find ways to keep him from impacting the game.”
With a player of LeDee’s size and speed and strength, though, there’s only so much you can do. He had four offensive rebounds that he converted into five points.
And as Dutcher said: “There’s no double for an offensive rebound.”
3. Middling
It is called a middle bet, or middling. And it was in play in the closing seconds Saturday afternoon.
It happens when a betting spread moves several points in one direction or another. UNLV opened in some sports books as an 11-point underdog late Friday morning. By Saturday morning, the Rebels were only 8.5-point underdogs. Here’s how it works: Savvy bettors take UNLV plus the 11 points. When the line drops, they switch sides and bet SDSU minus 8.5 points. Then they hope the Aztecs win by exactly 9 or 10 points, allowing them to cash bets from both sides with minimal risk. Worstcase scenario, they cancel out each other.
It almost happened Saturday. The line dropped, predictably to some, because of uncertainty over injuries to both teams. UNLV put in its pregame media notes Friday afternoon that Oklahoma transfer Jalen Hill, who had missed the previous six games with a wrist injury, would play; and then SDSU starter Reese Waters and key rotation piece Miles Byrd both sat out practice Friday. Money flooded to the Rebels plus-11, and the books tried to entice more money on SDSU by shrinking the spread.
Now fast-forward to the game’s final minute, and people holding certain betting tickets were sweating.
The Aztecs led by 11 … only for Keylan Boone, shooting 25 percent behind the arc and 0of-3 on the day, to drain a deep 3. That cut it to eight.
Then SDSU’s Jay Pal was fouled and made two free throws — right on the middle number of 10.
Then Thomas got fouled with 27 seconds left and went to the line for two free throws. Miss, miss.
The Rebels got the offensive rebound, and Thomas hoisted a deep 3. Miss.
Then Pal was fouled again with 11 seconds to go and had two free throws. Make, miss — back to 11.
UNLV’s Justin Webster had one final attempt to bring the final result into single digits but missed a 3. Byrd grabbed the rebound for the Aztecs, and time expired.
SDSU 72, UNLV 61.