San Diego State was picked to win the Mountain West in the preseason, and the Aztecs have been near the top of the conference all year. But they find themselves trailing Utah State and New Mexico in the standings after a recent losing skid.
San Diego State (19-9, 13-5 MWC) has dropped three of its past four games, including an 81-76 loss to the Lobos on Saturday. The Aztecs also lost on the road at Colorado State and at home against Grand Canyon. Ironically enough, their lone win in that span was against Mountain West leader Utah State (24-5, 14-4).
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Despite its struggles, San Diego State is still alive in the hunt for the Mountain West’s regular-season championship, but the Aztecs’ title hopes ride on the next two games. They’re at Boise State tonight and wrap up the regular season at home against UNLV on Friday.
The Mountain West Tournament begins on March 11. Utah State, San Diego State, and New Mexico (22-7, 13-5) have already clinched top-four seeds, which come with a first-round bye.
San Diego State had no answer for New Mexico’s Tomislav Buljan in what was the Aztecs’ final game at The Pit as a member of the Mountain West, even with 7-foot sophomore Magoon Gwath on the court. Buljan finished with 24 points and 18 rebounds. Gwath, playing in his second full game back since returning from a hip injury, finished with 11 points and just three rebounds. Miles Byrd led the Aztecs with 17 points and seven rebounds, while their leading scorer on the season, Reese Dixon-Waters, was held to just five points.
Boise State (18-11, 10-8) has won three-straight games, including a 69-53 slugfest at Fresno State on Saturday. Former NAIA All-American Javan Buchanan led the Broncos with 26 points.
Georgetown transfer Drew Fielder leads Boise State with 13.9 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. Former UCLA point guard Dylan Andrews is adding 12.4 points a night. Buchanan, who scored 1,000 points in two seasons at Indiana Wesleyan, is averaging 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds a game.
Boise State gave San Diego State all it could handle the first time the teams met this season. The Aztecs won 110-107 in triple overtime after veteran guard BJ Davis scored nine of his team-high 22 points in overtime. Buchanan put up a season-high 29 points at Viejas Arena, where the Aztecs are 13-2 this season.
San Diego State at Boise State Odds
Boise State is a 1.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 144.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -118 for the Broncos and -102 for the Aztecs.
San Diego State leads the all-time series 21-14, but the Aztecs are 5-8 against Boise State at ExtraMile Arena.
San Diego State at Boise State On TV
The Mountain West game featuring San Diego State and Boise State will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
San Diego State at Boise State Prediction
I predict San Diego State wins 75-72.
There’s a lot riding on this game for the Aztecs. A win not only keeps their Mountain West title hopes alive, but it also gives their NCAA Tournament resume a much-needed boost. San Diego State is very much on the bubble, and it may have to win the Mountain West Tournament to ensure itself a spot in the Big Dance. The Aztecs have made the NCAA Tournament five years in a row and 12 times since 2010.
San Diego State needs Gwath to get back to the form he showed last season when he was named Mountain West Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year. Byrd is going to get his points, and Dixon-Waters will bounce back from a down game, but the Aztecs need their rim protector operating at 100 percent heading into the postseason.
