Aztecs Defeat Spartans 67-56 For Third Straight Win
The 0-9 in-conference Spartans made this game competitive, while remote fans struggled to watch the game on a poor video stream.
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Fans watching on the Mountain West Network experienced appalling quality: no sound at times- and a fan standing in front of the camera for what seemed an eternity.
San Jose, CA– The San Diego State Aztecs (13-8, 5-3) defeated the SJSU Spartans (3-18, 0-9) 67-56 in a non-televised match on Saturday night, atop one of the gaudiest courts in all of NCAA basketball.
The show stealer, however, was not play at all- but the HORRIBLE coverage of this event by the Mountain West “Network.”
Announcing was novice. Sound cut in and out intermittently to the frustration of fans streaming the game. At one point a Spartans fan stood and other fans walked by, blocking the camera mid-play for what seemed an eternity. The coverage was a small camera on a tripod that swept back and forth.
The game might as well have been streamed from an iPhone.
It spoke volumes for the Aztecs, a team who just two years ago had nearly every game covered by CBS Sports and ESPN- and it resonated deeply that there is shoddy stewardship in the Mountain West, evident by poor choices made regarding current and future media coverage for sporting events, complements of Commissioner Craig Thompson.
If the Mountain West takes itself seriously: let the fan experience surrounding this NCAA Division 1A event be an example of what not to do, and serve as a wake-up call to anybody who desires a successful conference.
The game itself was closer than most Aztecs fans would have thought possible, thanks in part to strong defensive rebounding by the Spartans and less-than-stellar basketball by the Aztecs. But while the Spartans were as close as three points behind in the second half- at no time did San Diego State genuinely relinquish control of the game.
During the first half of the game the Aztecs struggled to rebound. The Spartans missed 19 shots in that first half, and got 10 back via offensive rebounding. During the second half, however, the Spartans managed just two offensive boards, and that was the difference maker.
The Aztecs finally got a Mountain West road win, and has now won three straight games for the first time this season. That is progress for Brian Dutcher and company.
“I definitely feel we have momentum,” senior Devin Watson commented after scoring 27-points.
Jalen McDaniels’ double-doubles streak ended. He had six in a row, one more than Aztecs great Kahwi Leonard had achieved, and the most since Michael Cage managed eight in the 1983-84 season.
The Aztecs leave for Albuquerque on Monday to play the New Mexico Lobos on Tuesday night. Can they manage a second straight road win at The Pit? We will soon find out.
Let’s all hope the coverage for Tuesday’s game is held to a higher standard.