Busting Brackets
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San Diego State Basketball: 3 keys for Aztecs to move to 27-0 against UNLV

By John Vaccaro

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 11: Fans of San Diego State Aztecs cheer during the first half of a game against the New Mexico Lobos at Viejas Arena on February 11, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 11: Fans of San Diego State Aztecs cheer during the first half of a game against the New Mexico Lobos at Viejas Arena on February 11, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 11: Matt Mitchell #11 of the San Diego State Aztecs (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 11: Matt Mitchell #11 of the San Diego State Aztecs (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Rebound

If there is one thing that UNLV does better than anybody else in the Mountain West, it’s rebounding. They are currently 21st in the country in offensive rebounding, grabbing 33.2% of available offensive rebounds. They are also 12th in defensive rebounding with a 79.1% defensive rebounding percentage. Their ability to crash the offensive glass makes up for a lot of their offensive inefficiencies and helps them remain an above-average scoring team. If the Aztecs can take this advantage away from UNLV, then their offense is going to have a tough time making up for losing these opportunities they usually depend on.

The first time these teams met, SDSU did a great job neutralizing UNLV’s rebounding edge. They held UNLV to only 8 offensive rebounds, which is about three less than their season average, and were only -4 in the rebounding battle. They’ll need to put up a fight like that in this game if they hope to repeat the first result (and maybe do it with a little bit more breathing room).

SDSU doesn’t need to rely on fast-break opportunities to spark their offense, so they should be ready to commit all five guys on the floor to attack the defensive glass. They should be up to the task of neutralizing UNLV once again, as their 66th ranking in defensive rebound percentage shows that they are certainly no slouch in this area.

If SDSU can keep UNLV off the offensive glass then it should slow down the Rebel offense and make it easy for the Aztec defense to put in another impressive display.