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San Diego State Recap: Aztecs score a 30-point win, 87-57.
In boat race, San Diego State wins big at home.
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The Aztecs are “ON FIRE”.
On a night where Coach Brian Dutcher and staff were wearing ultra-rare Air Jordans for their Coaches Against Cancer Suits and Kicks event, Aztecs players went into the rarefied air of scoring 63 points in the first half.
No Mountain West team has performed that feat before, and the Aztecs have been close. In Colorado Springs, the Aztecs went 52 and 41 in the first halves of their 90-point routs and against St. Katherine, San Diego State scored 48.
https://twitter.com/Aztec_MBB/status/1354990171813371912
On Thursday night, San Diego State looked like the best version of themselves. shooting 55% on FG and 52% on 3-pointers all while keeping Wyoming under 30% from the field and 25% from 3-pointers.
Jordan Schakel posted 16 points and six rebounds in the win, but the biggest difference is Matt Mitchell’s presence in the lineup. Losing Mitchell against Utah State significantly hindered the Aztecs to gameplan against Neemas Queta and Utah State’s backcourt. Mitchell has learned how to play injured and no one can question his tenacity and leadership.
Regardless of Mitchell and Schakel, the Aztecs can prove that they are one of the nation’s best defensive teams, but what about their supporting cast?
Mitchell and Schakel combined for 29 points, and two other Aztecs Schakel scored 10+ points. The early route allowed Dutcher to unload the bench and, without Aguek Arop, went to a 9-man rotation and got 4 walk-ons some playing time. Lamont Butler continues to shine with 13 points in 20 minutes against the Cowboys.
The Aztecs dodged a bullet by hosting Wyoming at sea-level instead of the prairie where Aztec teams have lost lopsided games when they needed to keep their tournament odds alive. Now with this 30-point victory, this thrashing keeps them in the bubble conversation. Their blowouts against Air Force have inflated their rankings in the KenPom which helps their tournament resume. But more importantly, it keeps them away from a Quad-3 or Quad-4 loss.
For now, this Aztecs team is hot, and all signs continue to point to a collision course against Boise State in a month.