Three ideas on San Diego State’s 72-61 win in opposition to UNLV on Saturday afternoon at Viejas Area:
1. Continuity
The distinction between the SDSU and UNLV males’s basketball packages was as soon as once more on show, and it wasn’t expertise.
It was intangibles. Chemistry. Connectivity. Cohesion. Tradition.
That makes it six straight wins in opposition to the Rebels, 11 of 12, 22 of 24 over the previous decade.
“I simply assume our continuity,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher stated Friday when requested to clarify their dominance in opposition to program steeped in historical past and sources. “They’ve had a bunch of coaches come via that program, and I feel Kevin (Kruger) will do an important job if they provide him sufficient time to do it.
“It takes some time to construct a program, as we all know right here. We had a bell curve. We gained, misplaced early, gained, then went again down, then hit an uptick. I feel any teaching workers, in the event you give them sufficient time they usually’re good at what they do like Kevin is, then he’ll get that program rotated.”
Kruger is the tenth Rebels head coach prior to now 25 years — and the 11th in the event you depend Chris Beard, who was employed in 2019 however left for Texas Tech after 19 days. SDSU has had two: Steve Fisher for 18 years and Dutcher for seven.
“They’re no totally different this 12 months than they’ve been since we moved to Vegas in 2004,” stated Kruger, who has been a participant, assistant and now head coach at UNLV. “They’re powerful. They guard individuals. They play for one another. They usually play extremely onerous.
“Anytime you may get expertise collectively and repetitions collectively from coach to participant, participant to participant, even participant to program, metropolis, college, no matter it could be, it’s essential.”
Kruger is his third season, however continues to spin within the revolving door of roster churn, so tantalizing and doubtlessly so counterproductive. He had 10 new gamers in his first season, 10 once more final season, and 7 this season.
“I all the time assume it’s more durable to construct a tradition once you’re bringing all new guys in yearly — eight, 9, 10 new guys yearly,” Dutcher stated. “I feel a tradition is about by guys who make it 4 years in your program. Clearly, we’ve had nice success with transfers, however I all the time wish to say it’s our four- and five-year guys who set the tone for this system.”
The Rebels have ranked 331st, 255th and 250th in Division I beneath Kruger in minutes continuity from the earlier season. They haven’t been within the prime 200 since 2011-12, 5 coaches in the past.
It’s a topic Dutcher is obsessed with.
“Individuals in athletics discuss their tradition over a 12 months or two,” Dutcher stated. “They’ve been someplace two or three years. We’ve been right here 25. It is a 25-year tradition. That’s what tradition is. We’ve constructed it.
“Everybody is aware of about San Diego State. They might not know a participant on the staff, however they’re going to say, ‘Boy, they actually guard, don’t they? They usually actually get nice crowds.’ They discuss all of the tradition issues. They don’t discuss particular person gamers or Fisher or Dutcher. It doesn’t matter. San Diego State is San Diego State. We guard at a excessive stage, win titles and we play the correct approach.”
2. Doubling down
On the Aztecs’ opening possession, they ran a fancy set to work the ball to Jaedon LeDee on the correct block. He was defended by 6-foot-9 Kalib Boone, however level guard Dedan Thomas Jr. rapidly snuck alongside the baseline and double-teamed him from behind.
LeDee obtained fortunate. He dribbled out of the double, however his bounce move was behind a reducing Lamont Butler and rolled via the lane to the other facet of the ground to Micah Parrish, who banked in a 3 for the sport’s first factors.
LeDee wrecked his normal havoc – 20 factors, 11 rebounds, eight fouls drawn — however he additionally had no assists and equaled his profession excessive with 4 turnovers.
“They had been doubling, and I had some turnovers in the present day I’m not likely too proud about,” LeDee stated. “Simply get again to the drafting board, hold getting higher. Like Coach Dutch says, I feel they’re going to proceed to do this all year long. It’s simply one thing I’ve to get used to.”
In his protection, solely two turnovers had been the direct results of UNLV double-teams. And turnovers from a double aren’t all the time attributable to the publish participant, since components like weakside spacing and reducing open passing lanes.
“They’re beginning to ship two defenders at him each time,” Dutcher stated. “That may be irritating, you realize? You’re going to must be an important playmaker now, Jaedon, as a result of no one actually scores in opposition to two defenders. They don’t do it within the NBA with the best gamers on the planet.
“Jaedon has to discover a option to get his teammates open 3-point photographs once they double him, and that approach they’ll be afraid to double as a result of they don’t wish to quit (open) 3s once they may quit powerful 2s. Jaedon goes to stroll that line all 12 months as our greatest participant as to methods to play when he’s going through a number of defenders.”
There are doubles off the catch, off the dribble, after a stunt (or faux), from the strongside wing, from the weakside, from the opposite large. The twist Saturday was a guard coming alongside the baseline, in his blind spot.
“He’s going to see each double possible. He’s in all probability already seen all of them. However he’ll see extra,” Dutcher stated. “They’ll attempt to discover methods to maintain him from impacting the sport.”
With a participant of LeDee’s dimension and velocity and power, although, there’s solely a lot you are able to do. He had 4 offensive rebounds that he transformed into 5 factors.
And as Dutcher stated: “There’s no double for an offensive rebound.”
3. Middling
It’s known as a center guess, or middling. And it was in play within the closing seconds Saturday afternoon.
It occurs when a betting unfold strikes a number of factors in a single route or one other. UNLV opened in some sports activities books as an 11-point underdog late Friday morning. By Saturday morning, the Rebels had been solely 8.5-point underdogs.
Right here’s the way it works:
Savvy bettors take UNLV plus the 11 factors. When the road drops, they swap sides and guess SDSU minus 8.5 factors. Then they hope the Aztecs win by precisely 9 or 10 factors, permitting them to money bets from each side with minimal danger. Worst case situation, they cancel out one another.
It virtually occurred Saturday. The road dropped, predictably to some, due to uncertainty over accidents to each groups. UNLV put in its pre-game media notes Friday afternoon that Oklahoma switch Jalen Hill, who had missed the earlier six video games with a wrist damage, would play; after which SDSU starter Reese Waters and key rotation piece Miles Byrd each sat out follow Friday. Cash flooded to the Rebels plus-11, and the books tried to entice more cash on SDSU by shrinking the unfold.
Now fast-forward to the sport’s closing minute, and folks holding sure betting tickets had been sweating.
The Aztecs led by 11 … just for Keylan Boone, taking pictures 25 p.c behind the arc and 0-of-3 on the day, to empty a deep 3. That lower it to eight.
Then SDSU’s Jay Pal was fouled and made two free throws — proper on the center variety of 10.
Then Thomas obtained fouled with 27 seconds left and went to the road for 2 free throws. Miss, miss.
The Rebels obtained the offensive rebound, and Thomas hoisted a deep 3. Miss.
Then Pal was fouled once more with 11 seconds to go and had two free throws. Make, miss – again to 11.
UNLV’s Justin Webster had one closing try to deliver the ultimate end result into single digits however missed a 3. Byrd grabbed the rebound for the Aztecs, and time expired.
SDSU 72, UNLV 61.
