The San Diego State Aztecs started their season with 26 wins in a row. However, the Aztecs undefeated season came to an end at the hands of the UNLV Rebels on Saturday 66-63. San Diego State was the last unbeaten team in the country coming into the game.
UNLV Defeats San Diego State
Game Recap
The Aztecs came into this matchup as 14.5 point favorites. That line seemed fair given that Brian Dutcher’s team was playing at home. The team also raised their banner for winning the Mountain West regular-season title earlier this month. That ended up being the only highlight of the game for the Aztecs.
UNLV took advantage of uncharacteristically poor play by their opponent in the first half. The Rebels only trailed once when Malachi Flynn put his team ahead 14-13 early in the game. UNLV took off from there, going on a 10-0 run sparked by a four-point play from Elijah Mitrou-Long. The Rebels led by 12 at halftime.
The second half found San Diego State continually trying to erase a double-digit lead with no avail. Facing a 14-point deficit with a few minutes left, the Aztecs made one final push. Flynn got his squad within one on a made three with 14.5 remaining. However, after two made free throws, two separate attempts to tie the game fell short. When the buzzer sounded, the Aztecs were 26-1.
… And Then There Were None!#UNLVmbb takes down No. 4 San Diego State on the road, handing the Aztecs their 1st loss of the 2019-20 season! #BEaREBEL pic.twitter.com/nCpvXencAj
— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) February 23, 2020
Inside The Box Score
The box score from this game looks extremely similar to the one from the first meeting between these teams. That was a 71-67 victory for the Aztecs on the road. The Rebels held San Diego State to 38.9 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from three. Both teams were close to even in rebounding, turnovers, and free-throw shooting. This game came down to a sloppy performance by the Aztecs. They missed shots that normally fall and were not sharp defensively.
Mitrou-Long led all Rebels with 19 points off the bench. Amauri Hardy added 17 points while Bryce Hamilton contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds.
San Diego State was paced by Flynn’s 24 points. Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel added 13 and 10 points respectively. In all, 59 of the Aztecs 63 points came from their starters. When the starting five is playing well, this team is dangerous. However, this game shows that an off night could be dangerous in March.
Outlook
UNLV’s victory was their highest-ranked road win since 1991 when the Rebels were a national powerhouse. It also kept them in the thick of the race for the second seed in the Mountain West conference tournament. T.J. Otzelberger has done a fantastic job in his first season in Las Vegas.
Depending on the bracketologist, the Aztecs will either hang on by a thread to their current one-seed projection or drop to the two-line. The worst part about this loss is that it occurred at home. However, it is better to face adversity now rather than in March when there is no chance at redemption after a loss. San Diego State will be fine and should still hit 30 wins before the start of March Madness. Do not let one bad night sour you on the Aztecs’ chances at a run to Atlanta.
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