The No.1-seeded San Diego State Aztecs (23-8) and Utah State Aggies (16-14) meet in the second round of the MWC tournament at Thomas & Mack Center. Action begins at 3:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and can be seen on CCS.
The Aztecs played well in their last game, blowing out UNLV 92-56 in their last matchup. Trey Kell was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Aggies, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-70 win against Wyoming in the 1. Jalen Moore played well for Utah State, registering 19 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Moore has been hot over the last five games for the Aggies, averaging 18.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers.
Keep tabs on San Diego State’s ability to get to the free throw line. They’re ranked 24th in the nation in FTA rate (44.0), but Utah State is among the best in the nation at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking 31st by yielding a FTA rate of 31.3). Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Aggies. They are 280th in the nation in FTA rate (32.8), while the Aztecs are among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 29.9, ranking 23rd in the country).
The Aztecs have emerged victorious in both games against the Aggies this year, including a decisive 70-55 victory in their last matchup. Moore had a stellar game with 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two three-pointers.
Notes
Utah State won its last game by an 18-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, San Diego State is 6-1. Utah State is 6-3 in blowouts this season.
Utah State beats San Diego State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Aggies average 67.9 possessions and 1.084 points per possession, while the Aztecs average 65.7 possessions with 1.039 points per possession.
Utah State has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.4%. San Diego State is undefeated (2-0) when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the San Diego State Aztecs attempt 18.0 three point field goals per game and the Utah State Aggies attempt 22.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, San Diego State has a fantastic 10-1 record, while Utah State is 13-11.
Utah State ranks 85th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.21. San Diego State is ranked lower at 303rd with an A/TO of .84.
San Diego State, the 51st-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.1 rebounds per game. Utah State does worse, ranked 208th with 35.6.
The San Diego State Aztecs average 5.6 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the Utah State Aggies have a losing record (8-13) this season.
