Sdsu Basketball hosts UNLV with a chance to share Mountain West crown
sdsu basketball closes the regular season at home against UNLV with the Aztecs still alive to share the Mountain West title, and coach Brian Dutcher said the team must win the finale and then hope for outside results. SDSU enters the matchup 19-10 overall and 13-6 in conference; UNLV is 16-14 and 11-8.
Sdsu Basketball heads into finale with seeding scenarios
San Diego State can still finish with a share of the regular-season crown, but it cannot earn the No. 1 seed outright, Dutcher’s staff outlined. A victory would most likely land the Aztecs the No. 2 or No. 3 seed; a loss could drop them to the No. 4 seed if they finish tied with Grand Canyon, which holds the tiebreaker a season sweep.
Coach Dutcher acknowledged lineup uncertainty — Elzie Harrington and Reese Dixon-Waters did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday — but said he hopes to have a full roster available for the home finale. Dutcher also told his team they needed to respond after Tuesday’s 86-77 loss at Boise State, when the Aztecs trailed by 21 and were out-rebounded.
UNLV’s scorers and recent form present a test
The Rebels arrive having righted the ship after a rough patch: UNLV went 6-2 after a four-game losing streak and is tied in a multi-team scramble for fifth place with an 11-8 conference mark. Illinois transfer guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn leads the Mountain West at 20. 6 points per game and had a nine-game stretch from Jan. 30 to Feb. 28 in which he averaged 29. 7 points, including a 42-point outburst against Nevada.
Kimani Hamilton has been a contributor as well — he scored 24 points in UNLV’s 92-65 victory over Utah State — and Tyrin Jones and Howie Fleming Jr. provide size and rebounding, with Fleming fifth in the conference at 6. 2 rebounds per game and Jones leading the league with 2. 0 blocks per contest.
What Dutcher said and what to watch at Viejas Arena
“Despite losing four of our last five games, we're a game out of first place with one game to play, ” Dutcher said in preview remarks. “We need some help, but we have to help ourselves first, playing a very good UNLV team at home. We'll have to be at our best in order to win that game. ”
The teams split key meetings this season: San Diego State won the first matchup 82-71 in Las Vegas on Jan. 24, when Miles Byrd scored 23 points. The Aztecs have gone 13-2 at home this season and enter the finale ranked 44 in KenPom and 45 in the NET, though their strength of record and WAB have slipped in recent weeks.
The UNLV game is set to tip off at 7 p. m. ET and will air on CBS Sports Network. After the regular-season finale, San Diego State will turn its focus to the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas, where the Aztecs will need a run to secure an automatic NCAA Tournament berth if they want to guarantee a sixth straight trip.
