San Diego State-Wyoming: Defenses Battle
San Diego State travels to Wyoming for a defensive battle. Wyoming has yet to lose in the Mountain West so this an opportunity for the Aztecs to propel to a top 3 spot in the standings. It will not be an easy one as the Mountain West’s best defense stands before a stagnant Aztecs offense.
Wyoming is doing everything right on defense. They have held all their opponents, except UNLV, to under 60 points and it has led them to 4-0 in the Mountain West. They are shooting 50% and are creating shots through turnovers on defense.
The Aztecs offense has been horrible on the road. They have had 3 losses on the road where they struggled to get up to 60 due to double digits in turnovers. Wyoming matches up strong against SDSU because their strength is in the Aztecs weakness.
Steve Fisher talked about what works so well for Wyoming, “The last couple years, they controlled the clock and wouldn’t shoot until the shot clock ran down. Now, they will run quickly if it’s there. They’re more talented, they’ve got more of a veteran crew and they’re winning more. But we can’t shoot within five seconds and have to play defense for 30 seconds every time.”
Wyoming plays efficiently because of clock control. If they can shoot around 60%, run down the clock, and shutdown on defense then they are winning the game. The key for the Aztecs will be keeping the game up tempo by creating turnovers and playing quick on offense at all times.
Aqeel Quinn mentioned the importance of defense, “When someone runs clock, no one wants to play defense a whole 35 second shot clock. It kind of messes with your mind so you have to be mentally strong. We have to be focused. The first couple seconds might be okay but when it hits the under-15 mark, you have to be focused in and ready to play some defense.”
The Aztecs understand that the strongest defense will win the game. The strength in the Aztecs is they have more veteran leadership than SDSU. I think veteran toughness can be the difference maker and SDSU can win 62-59.
Tipoff for SDSU-Wyoming will be January 14 at 8 p.m. Pacific on ESPN2. It will be a true defensive battle and this could be the game where the Aztecs crack their road woes.