Aztecs Face Major Test at Utah State — Best Coast Sports Connection

Malachi Flynn (No. 22) dribbles around a defender during SDSU’s 80-52 victory over Utah at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sat. Dec. 21st. (Photo:©Kelvin Kuo/USA Today Sports)

The San Diego State University Men’s Basketball Team is off to a 14-0 start for just the second time in program history. The Aztecs are ranked No. 13 in the most recent AP Poll and No. 1 in the NCAA’s NET Rankings. They are 3-0 to start Mountain West play as they hit the road for what will likely be their most difficult test of the season on Saturday in front of over 10,000 fans at the Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah against preseason Mountain West favorites, Utah State (13-3).

It will be the first meeting between the two teams since last year’s Mountain West Tournament championship game. Utah State defeated San Diego State 64-57 to win the 2019 MWC tournament and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. San Diego State had won 11 straight games against Utah State before dropping two games to the Aggies last season.

Utah State returns the bulk of last season’s championship team, including Senior Sam Merrill and Sophomore Justin Bean. Merrill leads the Aggies is scoring, averaging over 17 points per game, while Bean is averaging a double-double (14.2 points, 11.4 rebounds). 2018-19 MWC Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Neemias Queta, has missed the last two games after re-aggravating a knee injury during the Aggies 65-62 win against Florida on December 21st. It is unlikely that the 7-foot, 245-pound Sophomore will be available for the Aggies this Saturday.

2019 MWC Tournament MVP Sam Merrill (No. 5) leads Utah State in scoring with over 17 points per game this season. (Photo:©Spenser Heaps/Deseret News)

For undefeated San Diego State, a team that came into the 2019-20 season with high expectations, this date has been circled on the calendar since the schedule was released last year. San Diego State knew that Utah State would likely pose the biggest threat to its title hopes, and the Aztecs are very aware of how difficult it is to win on the road in the Mountain West.

If the Aztecs want to stay on The Map, they will have to play the type of complete game that has led to convincing victories over Creighton (by 31), Iowa (by 10) and Utah (by 28), and a 76-71 win at BYU. In those four victories, San Diego State shot almost 48% from 3-point range (40-of-84) while averaging 29 points in the paint. If San Diego State can find its range from the outside, and continue its strong interior play, there is no reason the team cannot push its record to 15-0.

Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel are the only current Aztecs who played over 20 minutes in last year’s MWC title game loss to Utah State. The pair combined to go 3-of-16 from the field (1-of-9 on 3-pointers). That Aztecs team shot just 33% from the field but managed to stay in the game with stifling defense, holding Utah State to 15 points below its season average. Look for both Mitchell and Schakel to come out firing as two of the primary weapons in the San Diego State offense. Mitchell (11.1) and Schakel (10.1) are among four Aztecs averaging double-digit points this season. Malachi Flynn leads the way (15.5 PPG), and graduate-transfer Yanni Wetzell (Vanderbilt) averages 10.7 points while shooting 59% from the field.

6’10” Sophomores Nathan and Joel Mensah (no relation) have given the Aztecs a big presence in the block, complementing nicely with Wetzell. Nathan Mensah leads the team with 22 blocks. Both Mensah’s are shooting 62% from the field, with a majority of their buckets coming in the form of dunks.

Graduate-transfer Yanni Wetzell celebrates SDSU’s buzzer-beating win over San Jose State on Sat. Dec. 8th. (Photo:©K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

But the main story from this dream start for San Diego State has been the play of Washington State transfer Malachi Flynn. Flynn, a redshirt Junior, had to sit out last season under NCAA transfer rules. He leads the team in points (15.5), assists (5.1) and steals (1.6) per game, and his assist-to-turnover-ratio (3.43) ranks sixth nationally. His game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer against San Jose State in December shows a level of clutch that coaches dream of seeing, and it gives the fans reason to believe that something special is brewing on Montezuma Mesa.

Could this be the best Aztecs basketball team ever? It is too early to tell, but Saturday in Logan, Utah will get us another step closer to the answer. If San Diego State handles its business against Utah State, the sky is the limit for Head Coach Brian Dutcher and the Aztecs.