San Diego State Basketball: Making or breaking potential March to 2020 Final Four
Their size and high tempo
The first concern that might figuratively and literally “break” the San Diego Aztecs is that they struggle to compete with opposing frontcourt players, especially at the center position. With an average team height of 6-5, their average of 35 rebounds per game puts them sixth in the MWC.
In their two-point victory over San Jose State, the Aztecs had a six rebound advantage and in their sole loss of the season to UNLV, the Aztecs had a two rebound advantage. Even against inferior competition where San Diego State prevails in other statistical categories, if the rebounding margin in close, the opposition has a chance to win.
Much of these shortcomings are due to the fact that 6 foot 10 sophomore Nathan Mensah has been sidelined since January,17th with a respiratory problem. There is speculation however that he may return in time for the tournament.
Adding more curiosity and concern about how undersized they are, the Aztecs do not look to push the pace of play. While their average of 66.4 possesions per 40 minutes is an explanation for how well they take care of the ball. There also may be a correlation of the slow pace of the MWC as a whole, but teams have had success keeping it close at a higher pace than the Aztecs average.
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BYU, Iowa, and Colorado State have all remained within ten points when the pace of play bordered 70. Whether the Aztecs want to remain under 67 possessions a game or have just fallen into that pace dictated by their opponents, there is no denying that the closer the game gets to 70 possessions, the closer San Diego State gets to breaking.