SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men’s basketball team welcomes the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels to Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena on Saturday evening. The Aztecs are seeking to break a log jam in the Mountain West Conference early-in-the-season standings.
Both teams are 4-2 in conference play, tied for fourth with Colorado State and behind the top three of Utah State, New Mexico and Boise State. SDSU and UNLV come into Saturday’s contest riding the momentum from big rebound wins.
The Aztecs dispatched Colorado State 75-60 on Tuesday behind a career night from Myles Byrd. The win wiping out the bitter taste following a 14-point defeat in New Mexico last Saturday.
The Rebels bounced back from being stomped by both Boise State and Colorado State recently by knocking off 1st place Utah State 65-62 late Wednesday evening.
At 11-4 overall, SDSU again possesses one of the top defenses in the country, not to mention the MWC. In conference games, the Red and Black rank number one in both scoring defense—allowing only 59.5 points per game—and defensive field goal percentage with opponents connecting on only 39.9% of their shots.
When Byrd flies around interrupting passing lanes and turning steals into rim-rattling dunks like he did against the Rams, the Aztecs are a match up nightmare for any team’s offense.
San Diego State will need to lock in defensively on the Runnin’ Rebels (10-7 overall) star point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. But they will also have their hands full covering against JUCO transfer big Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry on the boards .
These two Rebels helped UNLV stay within striking range late in the upset of Utah State—the #22 ranked team in the country—as it was Thomas coming up big down the stretch.
Thomas, a first-team preseason All-MW selection, leads the Rebels in scoring at 15.6 per game. His tough two in the lane with time winding down sealed the win on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
The super sophomore presents a challenge for the Aztecs’ perimeter defenders. Keeping Thomas from going left and finishing at the rim or kicking out to an open shooter, like Florida transfer Julian Rishwain, will likely be a key part of SDSU’s defensive strategy.
Another defensive point of emphasis will once again be rebounding for SDSU. Cherry, UNLV’s large post player, stands 6’11” and 280 pounds. He leads the Rebels at 5.5 rebounds per game having collected a team high 24 offensive boards. He will be a handful for the Aztecs slightly undersized forwards.
Joining the man they call “Bear” in crashing the glass is Jalen Hill. The sixth-year forward from Las Vegas played really well against the Aggies, picking up 8 rebounds and scoring 15 points in 31 high-energy, productive minutes.
Although UNLV only ranks 7th out of 11 conference teams in rebounding margin, they out-rebounded Utah State 37-34 and that provided them with the chance for the upset. SDSU must not allow the Rebels second chances on the offensive end.
If SDSU can do this and prevent Thomas from wreaking havoc in the front court, the Aztecs have a great opportunity to climb up the MWC standings and create some space between themselves and the Rebels.
When San Diego State has the ball, expect UNLV to force someone other than the hot-shooting Byrd to make buckets. After a career-high 25 points against Colorado State, Byrd leads the team in scoring averaging 14.2 points per game.
Look for the 6’7” redshirt sophomore’s backcourt mates Nick Boyd and BJ Davis to help shoulder the scoring load on Saturday night. Both have shown an ability to hit shots from all over the court, but have been out of sorts offensively recently.
UNLV bigs struggled to guard the perimeter screens by the Aggies and the Aztec guards should be able to replicate that success on Saturday.
With its usual SDSU lockdown defense, the Aztecs should be able to conjure up enough offense to come out of Saturday’s game with a modest two-game winning streak taking another step up the conference standings ladder.
San Diego State’s men’s basketball team takes on UNLV Saturday, January 18 at 5:00pm. Radio will be on San Diego Sports 760 with television coverage provided by CBS Sports Network.
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