Mountain West Tournament - Quarterfinal

(4) San Diego State 72, (5) Colorado State 71

It was a tale of two teams.  One was playing to remain in at-large consideration for the NCAA Tournament.  The other had absolutely nothing to lose.  One seemed to play with a visible degree of tentativeness.  The other played with an unerring intensity.   And when the clock had struck zero, the San Diego State Aztecs survived a heart-pounding quarterfinal matchup in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, defeating the Colorado State Rams, 72-71.

With its season on the line, San Diego State did just enough to play another day.  Junior forward Malcolm Thomas filled the void for struggling teammate and MWC Freshman of the Year Kawhi Leonard, providing the Aztecs with a fantastic lift.  Thomas finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.

San Diego State was emotionally flat for the vast majority of the game.  Colorado State jumped out to quick 7-0 and 10-4 leads before the game evened out in the middle of the first half.  On the back of an overtly physical New Mexico-Air Force quarterfinal just prior, the officials were seemingly allowing the players to play.  Sadly, they chose to use a specific player as an example, though. 

The officials allowed for a couple of physical situations at the beginning of the game to escalate without interfering.  It seems the referees could have used a scalpel to fix any degree of animosity early in the game.  They didn’t.  And then the situation blew up in their faces. 

With one fell swoop of his left elbow Colorado State’s Andy Ogide went from being the best player in green to the best player in the locker room, as he was ejected for a flagrant foul midway through the first half.  The Rams lost their best player, and seemingly their only chance at victory.  But what could have been a decisive blow to the Rams chances actually worked in their favor. 

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Colorado State responded and came out in the second half with an intensity that was never matched by the Aztecs.  Credit should go to CSU head coach Tim Miles for keeping his players in the game despite such a pivotal setback. 

San Diego State seemingly turned the on-and-off switch at random in the second half.  Whether that meant stretching its lead over the Rams to 10 early in the half, or allowing Colorado State to go on a 14-1 run midway through the second stanza, the Aztecs never seemed interested.  Despite an anemic performance, San Diego State survived when an errant pass by Colorado State point guard Dorian Green rocketed out of bounds with 6.7 seconds left, denying the Rams a decent look at a game-winning shot attempt.

SDSU’s performance was summed up by head coach Steve Fisher during his post game interview.  Fisher stated that Colorado State deserved to win the game and his team was “lucky” to move on to the next round.  With a third matchup against top-seeded New Mexico on the horizon, the Aztecs are going to need a whole lot more than “luck” to advance. 

WHAT’S NEXT

With both higher seeds advancing to the semifinals, the stage has been set for a third matchup between New Mexico and San Diego State.  The teams split their season series at one win apiece, although San Diego State could very easily have won both games.  With teams from the bubble pool dropping like flies, the Aztecs have a great opportunity to get another signature win.  With their lackadaisical performance this afternoon, they would love to leave a better impression upon the minds of the Selection Committee.

By: Zach Bloxham
DFN Sports Guest Writers