The final score of the final game of the decade was San Diego State 89, Pomona-Pitzer 54.
To SDSU Coach Steve Fisher there have been more important scores. They include: San Diego State 63, Arizona 46…Brigham Young 81, Arizona State 68…New Mexico 86, California 78…UNLV 76, Louisville 71…Utah 60, Illinois 58.
“You look at some of the wins our conference has posted during this non-conference season,” said Fisher after his team completed its non-conference slate by pulling away from the Division 1-AA Sagehens in the second half Thursday and improving its record to 11-3.
“We all know how good of a conference we’re in. Maybe this will be the year that we get three and maybe four teams into the NCAA Tournament.”
Had that been the case a year ago, SDSU would have gone dancing. But it wasn’t, and with only two Mountain West teams chosen for the NCAA’s, the Aztecs had to settle for the NIT despite a school-record 26 victories.
Hear freshman sensations Kawhi Leonard and Chase Tapley talk about their rookie seasons after the jump.
What happens this time around when the 2010 MWC season gets underway next week is anybody’s guess. But Fisher knows one thing:
“If we win the conference, or if we win the conference tournament, we’ll be in,” he said. “That’s really the only thing we can control. So let’s bring it on and see what we can do.”
The Aztecs already have done plenty, establishing themselves as — at the very least — a realistic contender for the conference championship. But the likes of 19th-ranked New Mexico (13-1), BYU (13-1) and UNLV (12-2) won’t be easy to topple. SDSU opens MWC play Tuesday at Viejas Arena against New Mexico at 7 p.m.
“We’re all very excited to get this race going,” said center Brian Carwell, a transfer from Illinois out of the powerhouse Big Ten. “From what I’ve seen, there’s great basketball being played in this conference. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
If nothing else, SDSU has plenty of weapons to compete. Six players scored in double-figures against Pomona-Pitzer as the Aztecs, leading by just 40-31 at halftime, raced away after the intermission.
Freshman standout Kawhi Leonard scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Pepperdine transfer Malcolm Thomas added 15. Carwelland Billy White both scored 13. Another freshman, Alec Williams, contributed 11, and point guard D.J. Gay added 10.
Listen as freshman standouts Kawhi Leonard and Chase Tapley talk with 619Sports.net about their rookie seasons and what they see ahead in the Mountain West Conference race:
Throughout this season, SDSU has displayed balance and depth in winning 11 of its 14 games. One night it will be Leonard leading the way. Another it will be White. Or Thomas. Or Gay.
Without question, Fisher and his team have accomplished one key goal heading into MWC play: they have managed to successfully incorporate six newcomers (three freshman, three transfers) into the mix.
“We are ready to go play,” Fisher said. “We have everyone healthy except for Tim (Shelton), who is nursing his knee. I held him out, with intent, in the second half to make sure he will be able to give us minutes moving forward. We are relatively injury free given the state of what we do. We just now need to go out and compete. We have the ability to go eight or nine deep. When you come in (to the conference season), you have to perform.”
So far they have. If they continue to do so starting Tuesday night, this might be a year they get to perform on college basketball’s biggest stage.
In March.
– Ello –
Craig Elsten -
Chris Ello -
Chainsaw -
