SDSU vs Colorado State University
Date and hour: Tuesday 8pm
Venue: Viejas Arena
Broadcast: CBSSN; 760am
Records: SDSU 10-4 (3-2), CSU 10-6 (4-1)
Series overview: SDSU is ahead 52-44 and has triumphed in 12 of the past 15 encounters. The teams evenly divided the series last year – the Aztecs obtained a victory 71-55 at Viejas Arena while the Rams claimed a win 79-71 at Moby Arena.
Latest for the Aztecs: A 67-38 home victory against Air Force last Wednesday, marking their third contest in seven days following Saturday’s 62-48 defeat against New Mexico. This setback resulted in a further drop in the Associated Press rankings. Three weeks after ranking 20th (13th in some votes), only 1 out of 62 voters included them. This places them 10th in voting, or 35th overall. This aligns with the Aztec’s key metrics, ranking 36th in KenPom and 40th in NET. Their schedule strength is rated 16th in one evaluation and 18th in another. Although the offense has faced challenges recently, the defense has been outstanding. KenPom currently positions them fifth among 364 Division I teams in defensive efficiency and second nationally in defensive field goal percentage at 35.5 percent. The top team, Houston, stands at 34.7%. Eight of SDSU’s adversaries recorded their poorest shooting outings of the season, while three others noted their second-lowest. This matchup features the two leading defensive squads in the conference, with SDSU taking first place and Colorado State in second (50th nationally). Miles Byrd (13.4 points) surpassed Nick Boyd (12.7 points) as the team’s top scorer. No other players are in double digits. KenPom estimates a 69-60 victory for the Aztecs.
Update on the Rams: They began at 207th in NET rankings in early December and have since ascended to 84th. They secured victories in their last three games by margins of 22, 27, and 22 points, raising their record to 4-1 in the Mountain West, albeit against lower-ranked teams such as San Jose State, Fresno State, and UNLV. They also boast a win against Nevada and a home defeat to New Mexico. Point guard Isaiah Stevens is no longer with them, now signed to a two-way deal with the NBA’s Miami Heat. However, Colorado transfer Nik Clifford (16.9 points, 9.9 rebounds) has chosen to return and is viewed as the Mountain West’s premier pro prospect according to many scouts. His 8.6 defensive rebounds per game rank third nationally. Senior Jalen Lake (12.8 points per game) is currently the only player averaging double-digit points this season, while sophomore Kaiann Evans is averaging 11.2 points and shooting 53.8 percent from beyond the arc over the past six games. Austrian forward Rashaan Mbemba scored a career-high 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting during Saturday’s 84-62 triumph over UNLV. The Rams’ free-throw shooting stands at 78.1 percent, placing them 20th in Division I. One statistic favoring SDSU is CSU’s struggles on the offensive rebound front, ranking 319th nationally in recovering missed attempts. They are not a particularly large team, starting lineups include 6-2, 6-4, 6-6, 6-7, and 6-8 players.
Upcoming: Saturday vs. UNLV (5 p.m., CBSSN)
— Mark Zeigler
First Published: January 13, 2025 7:12pm PST