San Diego State 7-footer Magoon Gwath was the most dominant big man in the Mountain West last season, but he hasn’t made the same kind of difference this year.
Gwath led the conference last season with 68 blocks and ranked No. 7 nationally with 2.6 blocks per game. He was named Mountain West Freshman and co-Defensive Player of the Year, but he has struggled to stay healthy this season.
The sophomore from Euless, Texas, has only started 12 games this season due to nagging injuries. A hip injury has kept him out of the past two games, and San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher said Magoon was “day to day” following the Aztecs’ 82-71 win at UNLV on Saturday.
Despite missing its rim protector, San Diego State (14-5, 8-1 MWC) has won eight of its past nine games and sits alone in first place in the Mountain West. The Aztecs welcome Colorado State (12-8, 3-6) to Viejas Arena tonight.
They’ve been able to continue their winning ways without Magoon because every member of the lineup fights for rebounds, and the Aztecs have the offensive firepower to outscore teams, which is something they haven’t been able to do in recent seasons. San Diego State averages 81.3 points a game, which ranks No. 2 in the conference.
Gwath’s absence has also opened the door for the rest of the Aztecs’ big men. Six-foot-8 senior Jeremiah Oden has replaced him in the starting lineup, and 6-foot-9 junior Miles Heide leads the team with 4.9 rebounds a game. Six-foot-6 freshman Tae Simmons has also come off the bench to pull down some rebounds. Meanwhile, guard Reese Dixon-Waters led the team with seven rebounds against UNLV.
Colorado State is coming off a 65-61 home loss to Utah State. The Rams recently got their top two big men back on the court after injuries. Kyle Jorgensen led the team with 24 points and five rebounds against the Aggies. Rashaan Mbemba added 10 points and five rebounds.
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Colorado State at San Diego State Odds
San Diego State is an 8.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is at 138.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -400 for San Diego State and +310 for Colorado State.
Colorado State at San Diego State on TV
The Mountain West game featuring Colorado State and San Diego State will be televised on FS1.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
Colorado State at San Diego State Prediction
I predict San Diego State wins 76-64.
Jorgensen is going to give the Aztecs problems in the paint. He has scored more than 20 points four times this season, and his 24 points against the Rebels were the most he scored since a season-high 29 against Denver last November.
The problem for the Rams is that the Aztecs just have too much experience and firepower in the backcourt to let any game get out of reach.
Miles Byrd, BJ Davis, and Dixon-Waters have played a lot of basketball. They can all score, dish out assists, crash the boards, and they rarely turn the ball over. They’re going to carry the Aztecs a long way this season.
