San Diego State vs. UNLV
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Viejas Arena
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 760-AM
Records: SDSU is 19-10 overall and 13-6 in Mountain West play; UNLV is 16-14, 11-8
Series history: SDSU leads 45-40 but has lost three of the last five, including 77-76 in overtime at Viejas Arena last year. The Aztecs won the first meeting 82-71 in Las Vegas on Jan. 24.
Rebels update: It’s been an up-and-down season in Josh Pastner’s first year, going 7-7 in Quad 3 and Quad 4 games but sweeping first-place Utah State. They righted the ship after a four-game losing streak and are 6-2 since. At 11-8, they are in a four-way logjam for fifth place, meaning they could end up with the No. 5, 6, 7 or 8 seeds in the conference tournament. Illinois transfer guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is making a case for Mountain West Player of the Year, leading the conference in scoring at 20.6 points. During a nine-game stretch between Jan. 30 to Feb. 28, he averaged 29.7 points, including 42 against rival Nevada. In the first meeting against SDSU, he had 27 and would have had more if he didn’t shoot 1-for-7 behind the arc. Kimani Hamilton (12.7) and Tyrin Jones (11.5) both average in double figures. Howie Fleming Jr. is fifth in the conference in rebounding (6.2) and sixth in assists (3.9). The long, athletic Jones leads the conference in blocks at 2.0 per game but went 2 of 10 at the line against SDSU. The Rebels are 107 in Kenpom, which projects an 83-72 Aztecs win.
Senior Night takes on added meaning as Aztecs face uncertain future
Aztecs update: They are still alive for a share of the regular-season Mountain West title, but can’t get the No. 1 seed. More likely is the No. 2 or 3 seed if they beat UNLV, and the No. 4 seed if they lose and finish tied for third with Grand Canyon (which holds the tiebreaker based on its season sweep). Of those options, the 4 seed is preferable because of the afternoon game in the quarterfinals and early-evening game in the Friday semis. The No. 2 and 3 seeds feed into the late semi, which doesn’t tip until 9 p.m. (and sometimes later) with a ridiculous turnaround for a 3 p.m. final on Saturday. Coach Brian Dutcher is hoping to have a full roster but admitted Elzie Harrington and Reese Dixon-Waters didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday. Normally, he might have rested legs on Wednesday but opted to practice — and said his players wanted to — after Tuesday’s 86-77 loss at Boise State in which they trailed by 21 and were crushed on the boards. The Aztecs are still 44 in Kenpom and 45 in NET but plummeted in the key metrics of strength of record (67) and WAB (57).
Next up: Thursday at the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.
— MARK ZEIGLER