The San Diego State Aztecs welcome the Grand Canyon Antelopes to Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 18 and can be seen on CI.
The Aztecs enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out Nicholls 84-47 in their last matchup. Jeremy Hemsley was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The Antelopes, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-59 win against Delaware State in their last game. Keonta Vernon claimed his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The physical San Diego State offense might be getting to the charity stripe a lot in this one. It ranks 13th in the nation at getting to the line (FTA rate of 49.1), while Grand Canyon is among the nation’s most foul-prone teams (giving up a 297th-ranked FTA rate of 43.2).
Notes
Ranked 23rd, the San Diego State Aztecs have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 90.3 points per 100 possessions. The Grand Canyon Antelopes rank 67th in offense, scoring 112.8 points in the same number of possessions.
San Diego State has an average field goal percentage of 42.7%. Grand Canyon is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The San Diego State Aztecs and the Grand Canyon Antelopes both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. San Diego State is 235th and 226th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Grand Canyon ranks 79th and 46th in these categories.
Grand Canyon ranks 75th in assists, recording 15.6 per game. San Diego State performs worse at 335th with 10.3 assists per game.
Grand Canyon, the 81st-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.9 rebounds per game. San Diego State does worse, ranked 136th with 38.3.
The San Diego State Aztecs make an average of 5.1 steals per game. When the Grand Canyon Antelopes allow 5 or more steals, they are an exceptional 6-2.
