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Post by mfaulkhof2011 on Feb 6, 2019 11:15:26 GMT -8
This definitely is one of the most frustrating seasons in a while. I also can hardly see the improvement but it is there. In the pre-game radio it was highlighted that since the start of January we were in the top 25 in defense nationally. It might have to do with playing the soft part of our MWC schedule but that is improvement. McDaniels has definitely improved this season and was a beast in the 1st half last night.
After a night to let it settle in, it must be remembered that we do not ever play well at altitude and I believe that is why we wilted in the 2nd half. McDaniels emptied the tank in the first half scoring 17 to keep us in it and looked a step slow in the 2nd half. I also don't think having to travel back from San Jose Sunday, then get on a flight Monday and then play at 5000 feet Tuesday was easy. Ultimately they shot a great percentage and we did not so they won. We'll take them down in the MWC tourney if we play on a neutral floor with refs not influenced by a home crowd.
However, having said all this my thought is that Saturday is our season (#1). My belief is if we want any chance to get a 5 seed in the MWC tournament we must win this game because our schedule gets much tougher from here on out. Of course we are going to need some other key victories as well since we currently sit at 5-4. I personally am making a special effort to be at this home game. We need the 12,414 for this one or as close to it as possible.
Here's my best guess:
Utah St: Win
@csu: loss because we can't win on the road at altitude
BSU: Win
NEV: Loss(too tough this year and much more depth than they had last year)
@unlv: Win
@utah St: loss as this will be a tough road back to back SAT/Tues deal
SJS: Win
FSU: Win(this is the one that hopefully gets us to the 5 seed and probably our season #2)
@nev: Loss(probably get drilled here)
This gets us to 10-8 in conference. Not sure it will be enough but hopefully in the Mountain Worst and Nevada we all knock each other off and Utah St., FSU, and Nevada win out except when they play us to muddy up the waters for the rest of the also rans.
Then we need to find lightning in a bottle for 3 days. We've done it before. Go Aztecs!!!
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Post by aztecnation76 on Feb 6, 2019 11:20:31 GMT -8
This team is not winning the conference tournament. Sorry to say. Maybe if the tournament was being held at Viejas, but this team away from home is complete trash.
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Post by mfaulkhof2011 on Feb 6, 2019 11:30:16 GMT -8
The Thomas and Mack is Viejas North. We have an excellent track record there so there is some hope that we can rekindle the good vibes. Even when we play UNLV there it never seems like a true road game.
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Post by aztecnation76 on Feb 6, 2019 12:44:40 GMT -8
The Thomas and Mack is Viejas North. We have an excellent track record there so there is some hope that we can rekindle the good vibes. Even when we play UNLV there it never seems like a true road game. I admire your optimism and hope you are correct, but I just don't see it with this team. They are so vastly inconsistent and can't win away from home that I just can't see them winning 3(or 4 games worst case) games in 3 days on a neutral floor. |
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Post by sdsustoner on Feb 6, 2019 12:47:49 GMT -8
This team is painful to watch. Continually telling myself, "I watched the Emerald 8" is a great coping mechanism.
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Post by jpaztec on Feb 6, 2019 12:53:01 GMT -8
This team is not winning the conference tournament. Sorry to say. Maybe if the tournament was being held at Viejas, but this team away from home is complete trash. I’d bet there were a TON of people saying this at the exact same time last season. This teams lack of consistency is their largest issue, can’t deny that, but to say we can’t win the tournament is BS. |
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Post by aztecterrier on Feb 6, 2019 13:05:53 GMT -8
This team is not winning the conference tournament. Sorry to say. Maybe if the tournament was being held at Viejas, but this team away from home is complete trash. The odds are that you're right. But the odds are also that I could go back to last year at this time and find someone (probably not you) who wrote the same thing then. |
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Post by aztecterrier on Feb 6, 2019 13:07:11 GMT -8
This team is painful to watch. Continually telling myself, "I watched the Emerald 8" is a great coping mechanism. It's so much more painful now because we know how much better the team can be. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2019 14:13:04 GMT -8
This team is not winning the conference tournament. Sorry to say. Maybe if the tournament was being held at Viejas, but this team away from home is complete trash. The odds are that you're right. But the odds are also that I could go back to last year at this time and find someone (probably not you) who wrote the same thing then. At this time last year the odds were that we were going to play a 4 game tournament. It was very unlikely that we were going to win the tournament. We managed to do both, which was magical. Despite our fine record at Thomas and Mack, none of the teams between the 2010/2011 team and last year’s miracle run managed to win the tournament (that includes a sweet sixteen team that finished the season in the top 25, the Franklin led team that won a game in the NCAA’s, and a team that won the MW regular season title by three games with a 16-2 record .) Knocking out Nevada will prove difficult enough, but We’ve never won the tournament when we were playing this poorly. |
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Post by sdsustoner on Feb 6, 2019 14:20:06 GMT -8
This team is painful to watch. Continually telling myself, "I watched the Emerald 8" is a great coping mechanism. It's so much more painful know because we know how much better the team can be. Tis true. At least Dutch isn't Trenkle. lol |
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Post by oldie on Feb 6, 2019 16:49:08 GMT -8
improvement? I don't see no stinking improvement.
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Post by legkick on Feb 6, 2019 17:25:08 GMT -8
improvement? I don't see no stinking improvement. Nothing to see here, move along. First 15 games, Aztecs ppg allowed: 72 Last 7 games, Aztecs ppg allowed: 64 nope, no improvement. We're all prisoners of the moment, the last game they played. |
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Post by Section T(urn Up) on Feb 6, 2019 17:28:56 GMT -8
improvement? I don't see no stinking improvement. Nothing to see here, move along. First 15 games, Aztecs ppg allowed: 72 Last 7 games, Aztecs ppg allowed: 64 nope, no improvement. We're all prisoners of the moment, the last game they played. In the interest of academic honesty, two of the last seven were Air Force and one was San Jose. My eye test suggests improvement since they moved Mensah into the starting lineup, but the numbers over the last seven don’t mean much. |
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Post by legkick on Feb 6, 2019 17:36:21 GMT -8
In the interest of academic honesty, two of the last seven were Air Force and one was San Jose. My eye test suggests improvement since they moved Mensah into the starting lineup, but the numbers over the last seven don’t mean much. Air Force averages 67 points a game. The Aztecs held them to an average of 56.5, over 10 points below their average. San Jose averages 65 points a game. The Aztecs held them to 56. Academic honesty. And yes, I already posted in the game thread that they played terrible defense in the 2nd half against New Mexico. They played bad defense for the last 14 or so minutes of the first half against New Mexico as well. |
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Post by AztecJon on Feb 6, 2019 18:55:59 GMT -8
They have been circa 150 in several ranking metrics for awhile this year. And they remain right around there win or lose lately. There is nothing to be surprised about when they play very inconsistent ball. That is what a 150 team does right?
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Post by aztecdan8 on Feb 6, 2019 19:00:35 GMT -8
The Thomas and Mack is Viejas North. We have an excellent track record there so there is some hope that we can rekindle the good vibes. Even when we play UNLV there it never seems like a true road game. Used to be Viejas North. |
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Post by Frantic on Feb 6, 2019 19:26:34 GMT -8
In the interest of academic honesty, two of the last seven were Air Force and one was San Jose. My eye test suggests improvement since they moved Mensah into the starting lineup, but the numbers over the last seven don’t mean much. Air Force averages 67 points a game. The Aztecs held them to an average of 56.5, over 10 points below their average. San Jose averages 65 points a game. The Aztecs held them to 56. Academic honesty. And yes, I already posted in the game thread that they played terrible defense in the 2nd half against New Mexico. They played bad defense for the last 14 or so minutes of the first half against New Mexico as well. Do we really want to debate whether it's a positive that SDSU held San Jose St. and Air Force below their scoring averages? Whoo Hoo! That's great news. Knock yourself out. In the end the Aztecs are an average team in a bad conference. And the magic pixie dust is off the program. |
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Post by aztecanthony on Feb 6, 2019 20:10:16 GMT -8
Air Force averages 67 points a game. The Aztecs held them to an average of 56.5, over 10 points below their average. San Jose averages 65 points a game. The Aztecs held them to 56. Academic honesty. And yes, I already posted in the game thread that they played terrible defense in the 2nd half against New Mexico. They played bad defense for the last 14 or so minutes of the first half against New Mexico as well. Do we really want to debate whether it's a positive that SDSU held San Jose St. and Air Force below their scoring averages? Whoo Hoo! That's great news. Knock yourself out. In the end the Aztecs are an average team in a bad conference. And the magic pixie dust is off the program. Just like many feared and warned when the program was hellbent on the HCIW idea. Too bad, it was nice while it lasted. Many on this board were hostile against those of us who did not think the HCIW idea was a good one, what now? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2019 20:29:27 GMT -8
Do we really want to debate whether it's a positive that SDSU held San Jose St. and Air Force below their scoring averages? Whoo Hoo! That's great news. Knock yourself out. In the end the Aztecs are an average team in a bad conference. And the magic pixie dust is off the program. Just like many feared and warned when the program was hellbent on the HCIW idea. Too bad, it was nice while it lasted. Many on this board were hostile against those of us who did not think the HCIW idea was a good one, what now? It was time for Fisher to hang it up. The recruiting struggles preceded his departure. I always liked Hutson as a recruiter and for his coaching reputation. That said, we were going to have an adjustment period with any new coach. I have no proof but the feelers tell me that Hutson would have performed better. |
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Post by AztecWilliam on Feb 6, 2019 23:36:35 GMT -8
It's so much more painful know because we know how much better the team can be. Tis true. At least Dutch isn't Trenkle. lol Can we PLEASE stop dumping on Fred Trenkle!!!!! The man was a good coach. Maybe not great, but good. He took over what was probably the worst D1 college BB program in the country. SDSU was not able to recruit a full roster of decent D1 players, as we saw when Fisher cleaned house after his first season here. (Which, as I recall, was dreadful, with NO conference wins.) No wonder Trenkle was unable to turn this program around. Let's remember that he was able to post one winning season (though barely). Dutch has taken over a team with ever so much better talent than the one that greeted Fred Trenkle. AzWm |
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