LAS VEGAS — Brian Dutcher knew what had to be done.
His defensive scheme, paired with matchup advantages throughout the lineup and what he said was an extensive game planning period, created the perfect storm in Colorado State men’s basketball’s 62-71 defeat. San Diego State came into the Mountain West quarterfinals having won just one of its last five games, blemishing an otherwise great season.
But it didn’t matter as the Aztecs took hold of the game midway through the first half, and did so with force, applying pressure and focusing on the things that won them the game.
After a remarkable late-season surge, and a solid first season from head coach Ali Farokhmanesh, the Rams head home.
Aztecs out-muscle the Rams
The matchup was favorable for the Aztecs, but they took advantage of their size and cleaned the glass 43-31, changing the game in the first half with offensive rebounds.
Rashaan Mbemba struggled in against SDSU bigs, tallying 0-of-4 FGs and grabbing one rebound. But even Carey Booth was limited to just seven points off 2-of-8 shooting and four rebounds after having a monster game against the Aztecs at Moby Arena earlier in the season.
Put simply, SDSU took what it wanted down low.
Spacing belongs to SDSU
CSU simply couldn’t get to the spots it wanted for a majority of the game.
And while players like Kyle Jorgensen and Booth have progressed in that sense, it wasn’t present Thursday, as the Aztecs crowded the Rams.
CSU found itself with no room on either end of the court, with SDSU increasing ball pressure and utilizing full court press later in the first half.
But it worked to perfection, as it has for most opposing teams in the Rams’ MW regular season.
Farokhmanesh and the team didn’t necessarily find an answer, drawing out long possessions without a clear point of attack at times.
Shooting keeps CSU in reach
Scanning the stat sheet, a few things stand out in SDSU’s favor: rebounding, points in the paint, steals, blocks.
But then there’s 9% from three off 11 attempts and 22-of-44 free throws.
CSU, on the other hand, still didn’t shoot great from deep at 38% a clip, but it’s where the Rams managed to stay in the game. And their ability to limit good looks on the perimeter forced SDSU into a gameplan that ended up working well.
Big shots from Jorgensen and Brandon Rechsteiner gave CSU some hope down the stretch, but it just wasn’t enough in the end.
SDSU fans show up big
In a neutral setting, most teams don’t need to worry about home-court advantage, but that wasn’t the case in Thomas and Mack.
Red shirts outnumbered green in waves, and every scoring run by SDSU was met with fanfare and whooping. And the Aztecs had plenty of those to go around.
Similar to CSU’s semifinals matchup against Utah State in last year’s MW Tournament, SDSU fed on that energy, stringing together dunks with And-1 layups to wear down the Rams.
CSU could have used a few more well-timed fouls before the last stretch, if at least to slow down the momentum swinging inc the Aztecs’ favor.
Up next
CSU has a chance to play in the National Invitation Tournament, where the top teams in the bubble not playing in March Madness meet. The Rams will find out their fate for the end of the 2025-26 season Sunday, March 15.
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
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