NCAA Basketball: Best games from 2019-20 season – San Diego State vs. Utah State

The Mountain West title game between San Diego State and Utah State gave us perhaps the greatest moment of the postseason; let’s remember how it went down.

While the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament was horrible, we were fortunate that not the entire postseason was eliminated by the national pandemic. There were a few conference tournaments that managed to play all of their games the prior week and a half and those tournaments did give us some excitement.

Continuing our top 40 games of the 2019-20 season, we look at the exciting title game of one of those conference tournaments, with an unexpected final result.

7. Utah State 59, #5 San Diego State 56 (MWC Tournament Championship Game)

March 7, 2020, Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

The cancellation of many of the conference tournaments was a profound disappointment, but there were still plenty of intriguing moments in the postseason games that took place. The Mountain West’s conference tournament had concluded long before the cancellations began, and one of the country’s best mid-major programs really delivered. Last place Wyoming pulled a pair of memorable upsets, but in the end, it was the conference’s two top teams in the title game.

San Diego State’s performance had been one of the surprising storylines of the season. The final unbeaten team, they had only lost a shocking game to UNLV just a few weeks earlier, starting the season at 26-0. Malachi Flynn was playing a starring role for the Aztecs, who also got impressive contributions from Yanni Wetzell and Matt Mitchell among others. San Diego State took care of Air Force and Boise State to make another MWC title game appearance.

Utah State began the year as the conference favorites but took a backseat to the Aztecs as the season progressed. Sam Merrill continued to play at a high level, but Utah State struggled early in conference play, losing both of their games to San Diego State along the way. They knocked out New Mexico and Wyoming to return to the conference title game, but this title game opponent was a completely different animal.

Offense came at a premium early in the game, which wasn’t shocking news for an Aztecs defense that had shined all year. However, it was the Aggies who got off to a 7-2 start after five minutes, getting that lead from a pair of shots from Neemias Queta. As seemed to happen on a regular basis this season, the Aztecs would soon hit another gear.

KJ Feagin hit consecutive 3-pointers, while Flynn and Adam Seiko added their own long-range shots moments later. The Aztecs’ lead only continued to build as the first half progressed, with their defense locking down the Aggies. An 11-0 run was punctuated by an and-1 from Wetzell, giving San Diego State a 27-11 lead. There were still three minutes in the first half, but San Diego State looked well on their way to a conference championship.

But Utah State wasn’t going away that easy and got back into the game on a great stretch to end the half. Merrill made shots on three straight possessions, while Diogo Brito hit a key 3-pointer right before the halftime buzzer, shrinking the Aztecs’ lead to just eight points. Merrill hit a jumper and another 3-pointer after the break and suddenly the Aggies were down just a single point.

Utah State’s 17-2 run got them right back into the game, meaning a frustrated Aztecs squad had to go back to work on offense, especially as their defense struggled. As the second half progressed, that San Diego State defense locked down again, while Flynn led an offense that rebuilt their lead up to seven. However, a pair of 3-pointers from Alphonso Anderson pushed the Aggies right back into the game.

We were set up for an exciting final ten minutes and we certainly got it. Merrill made a pair of 3-pointers to give the Aggies their first lead in a long time, but a Flynn 3-pointer took it away in a snap. A few minutes later, it was Anderson and Queta giving Utah State a 4-point lead, which they’d maintain on a pair of shots by Queta down the stretch.

Flynn gave the Aztecs the lead with just over a minute left, but the game was tied again on a free throw Merrill. Though he missed the first of two from the charity stripe, Merrill would get his chance. Flynn missed a 3-pointer, giving Utah State their last shot. Merrill hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with three seconds left and the Aggies held on for an incredible upset win to take their second straight conference crown.

Merrill’s shot gave the Aggies a stunning 59-56 win in which he scored 27 points to lead the way. Queta’s 15 points were a big part of the run, but Merrill’s shot will be remembered for years to come. The Aztecs got 16 points from Flynn and a 12-point, 13-rebound effort from Wetzell, but faced just their second loss of the season in shocking fashion.

The Mountain West would have had two teams in the NCAA Tournament had it taken place. The Aztecs likely were getting a 2-seed and certainly could have done significant damage. Additionally, Merrill and this talented Aggies team would have been a sneaky opponent that could’ve pulled an upset or two in March. It’s a real shame we didn’t get to see either of these teams on the big stage, but at least we got to see Merrill’s shot and this fantastic conference title game.