Busting Brackets
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San Diego State Basketball: 2019-20 keys vs Air Force in Mountain West tournament

By John Vaccaro

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 26: Malachi Flynn #22 of the San Diego State Aztecs drives to the basket against Cheikh Mbacke Diong #34 of the UNLV Rebels during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 26, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aztecs defeated the Rebels 71-67. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 26: Malachi Flynn #22 of the San Diego State Aztecs drives to the basket against Cheikh Mbacke Diong #34 of the UNLV Rebels during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 26, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aztecs defeated the Rebels 71-67. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 21: Nathan Mensah #31 of the San Diego State Aztecs (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 21: Nathan Mensah #31 of the San Diego State Aztecs (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Don’t get Beaten Inside

The 3 point shooting of Air Force has been the obvious wrong point of their offense, but I actually think it is their interior game that SDSU needs to worry about. Their inside game is what kept them alive against Fresno State even though the Bulldogs hit eight more 3s than them. Their inside game was also what kept their first matchup against SDSU from turning into a complete blowout.

In that game, the Falcons made 50% of their shots inside the arc and they grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, which helped them try to keep up with the Aztec offense, which absolutely lit up their defense.

The Aztec interior has been the weaker part of their defense throughout the season and it is really the only area where the Air Force might actually be able to find an advantage. If they can score consistently inside or get an advantage on the offensive glass as they did in the first game, then they can make this game much more interesting than it should be.

Next. Mountain West tournament preview and predictions. dark

The Aztecs need to be ready to battle inside, fight for rebounds, and contest every shot when the Falcons get inside. If they do those things, then I don’t see any path to victory for Air Force outside of them getting unfathomably hot knocking down contested 3s or SDSU getting colder than we’ve ever seen them. If SDSU can keep Air Force from scoring in the lane, then they should be moving on to the Mountain West tournament semifinal.