Jan. 11, 2001
SAN DIEGO -
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SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (10-4/0-1 MWC) at BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS (11-4/0-0 MWC)
DATE: Saturday, January 13, 2001 TIME: 4:00 p.m. MST/3:00 p.m. PST SITE: Marriott Center (22,700) in Provo, Utah TELEVISION: ESPN+Plus (Channel 4 San Diego). Chris Marlowe (play-by-play), Irv Brown (analysis), Scott Matthews (producer). Satellite Coordinates: TBA RADIO: KPOP-AM 1360 (San Diego) and via the SDSU internet home page. Jim Stone (play-by-play), Dave Marcus (producer). OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.goaztecs.com THE SERIES: Brigham Young leads 32-13.
SAN DIEGO STATE HEADLINES The Sagarin Ratings show San Diego State as the third most improved team in the country, jumping from a preseason rating of 262 to 104 as of Jan. 10. (page 4)
The ten victories this season equal the total number of wins San Diego State had in the 58 games prior to this season. (page 2)
Junior forward Randy Holcomb earned MWC Player of the Week for the second time this season. Holcomb has scored in double-figures all 13 San Diego State games this season. (page 5)
San Diego State has faced seven opponents in each of Steve Fisher's first two seasons, with the Aztecs showing an average improvemnt this season of 19.0 ppg. (page 4)
n NOTE OF THE WEEK: According to the RPI, San Diego State has recorded two of the Mountain West Conference's three best non-confernce victories. The Aztecs own wins over 37th-ranked Oklahoma State and 50th-ranked Arizona State. SDSU is the only league school to defeat two top 50 teams.
After Suffering First Loss in Seven Games, San Diego State Begins A Stretch of Five Out of Six Games on the Road, with A Tour of the Beehive State The remarkable turnaround of Steve Fisher's San Diego State team gets a stern test as the Aztecs leave the Golden State for the first time this season to battle Brigham Young (11-4/0-0 MWC) on Saturday and Utah (9-6/1-0) on Monday. The Aztecs and Cougars will meet Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center in a game that will be televised live via ESPN+Plus (Channel 4 San Diego) and broadcast by KPOP-AM 600 (San Diego) and on the internet at goaztecs.com. San Diego State's six-game winning streak, the school's longest in 17 years, came to an end on Saturday night when New Mexico handed the Aztecs a 75-67 loss at Cox Arena. Despite the defeat, San Diego State has still drawn national attention for already surpassing the win total of the previous two seasons combined. The 10 victories this season equal the Aztecs' win total from the 58 games prior to this season. Brigham Young is once again off to a fast start, posting an 11-4 record, including a perfect 8-0 mark at the Marriott Center. The Cougars have won four straight games overall and 13 consecutive contests at the Mariott Center, the 14th longest active home-court winning streak nationally. The Cougars have been off since disposing of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 84-68 on Jan. 6. The road doesn't get any easier for the Aztecs, which travel to the state's capital to play Utah on Monday. The Utes, which have qualified and won a game in each of the last six NCAA Tournaments, are 9-6 overall and 1-0 in the league entering Saturday's home game with UNLV.
Aztecs Win Streak Snapped in Conf-erence Opener vs. New Mexico Eric Chatfield scored 27 points as New Mexico rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat San Diego State 75-67 on Saturday night at Cox Arena. The win snapped a six-game win streak for the Aztecs, which suffered their first loss in 30 days. Junior forward Randy Holcomb narrowly missed his fourth double-double in five games. The two-time Mountain West Conference player of the week scored 22 points and added a game-high nine rebounds. San Diego State used a 14-2 run midway through the first half for a 22-11 lead with 7:28 to play before intermission. The Lobos ended the half on an 11-3 run and led by one point at intermission. The game, which featured seven ties and seven lead changes, see-sawed back and forth with neither team leading by more than three points in the first 11 minutes of the second half. New Mexico used an 11-2 run to build an eight point lead with 7:53 to play. The Aztecs closed to within four points on two occasions, but were unable to get any closer. San Diego State enjoyed a 35-31 rebound advantage, but 17 turnovers (compared to 10 for the Lobos) and 15-of-28 shooting from the free throw line sealed the Aztecs' fate.
Postgame Notes: Wrapping Up the New Mexico Game The crowd of 6,739 for the New Mexico game was the second largest of the season and the third largest of the Cox Arena, which is now in its fourth season. The San Diego community continues to respond to the Aztecs' on-court success. Through 11 regular season games, the Aztecs have drawn 4,511 for an average of 4,101, an increase of 56.6 percent over last season. The crowd of 6,739 marks the fifth time this season San Diego State has played at home in front of at least 4,000 fans. All of last season, San Diego State drew just one crowd of more than 4,000 fans. This marks the fourth time this season San Diego State has trailed at intermission, with the Aztecs owning a 2-2 record in those games. Last season the Aztecs trailed 22 times at intermission, winning only one of those games. Junior forward RANDY HOLCOMB scored in double figures for the 14th consecutive game. He has the second longest streak to open an Aztec career since 1981 and is now tied for the eighth longest streak during the same time frame. Holcomb was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on Monday. This is the second time this season he has been awarded the weekly honor. Junior guard AL FAUX scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game and the eighth time this season. Over the last four games he is averaging 18.5 points. Junior forward MYRON EPPS has scored in double figures 15 of the last 17 games and 20 of the last 23. New Mexico also marked his 50th career double digit scoring game.
Talkin' Bout A Revolution Despite the loss to New Mexico, San Diego State is still turning heads across the country with the amazing turnaround. Below is a look at some of the accomplishments for second-year head coach Steve Fisher and the 2000-01 Aztecs. San Diego State is 10-4 this season. The 10 victories this season equal the total number of wins San Diego State had in the 58 games prior to this season. The 10 victories surpass the number of wins for the Aztecs in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons combined and are more wins than the Aztecs have posted in four of the last nine seasons. The Aztecs won six consecutive games, tying for the fifth longest winning streak of the Division I era and the longest since the Aztecs won eight straight games in December of 1984. Prior to this streak, San Diego State had gone 109 consecutive games without a three-game winning streak. The Aztecs have already broken two significant losing streaks. San Diego State opened the season by snapping a 17-game losing streak with a victory over UC San Diego. Last Saturday, the Aztecs put to rest a 30-game road losing streak by defeating Loyola Marymount 61-58. It had been 1,067 days since the Aztecs claimed a road win on Feb. 4, 1998. At 10-4, San Diego State is off to one of the best starts in school history. Only twice since the 1968-69 season, when the Aztecs went Division I, has San Diego State posted a better record through 14 games. Since 1984-85, San Diego State has recorded one winning season. Noting the Cougars Brigham Young has won four consecutive games and is 11-4 overall entering its conference opener against San Diego State. The Cougars' most recent victory was last Saturday, an 84-68 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Brigham Young built a 29-point halftime advantage and cruised to its 13th consecutive victory at home. That is the 14th longest active home-court winning streak in the country. Senior guard Terrell Lyday led the way for the Cougars with 19 points in only 19 minutes of action. Senior guard Trent Whiting and freshman swingman Daniel Bobik also tallied in double figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively. On the season, the Cougars have three players averaging in double figures. Senior forward Mekeli Wesley and Whiting lead the way, each averaging 16.0 points per game. Whiting, a transfer from Utah, has scored in double figures in all eight games since he became eligible on Dec. 16. Joining those two players is Lyday at 15.0 points per game. The Cougars have been impressive in posting an 8-0 mark at home. With the exception of a two-point win over Utah State and a six-point win over Southern Utah, the Cougars have won by double-digits in the other six home games. Brigham Young's average margin of victory at the Marriott Center is 18.9 points.
Know Thy Enemy: About Brigham Young Location: Provo, Utah Founded: 1875 Enrollment: 28,300 President: Merrill J. Bateman Athletic Director: Val Hale Nickname: Cougars Colors: Blue and White Arena (Capacity): Marriott Center (22,700) Conference: Mountain West
SDSU-Brigham Young Series History Brigham Young leads the all-time series with San Diego State 32-13, entering the 46th meeting Saturday afternoon in Provo, Utah. The Cougars have won five straight in the series dating back to an 89-86 Aztec victory on Dec. 31, 1996 at the Mariott Center. That is one of only two victories the Aztecs have in Provo. San Diego State also won during the 1984-85 season, defeating Brigham Young 89-70. The 1984-85 season was the only time the Aztecs recorded a sweep of a home-and-home series with the Cougars. Last season, Brigham Young claimed both games, winning 72-50 in San Diego on Feb. 3 and 67-50 in Provo on March 4. Steve Fisher is 1-2 lifetime against the Cougars, claiming an 86-83 victory on Dec. 28, 1991 in the first round of the Red Lobster Classic in Orlando, Fla.
Cliff Notes: The Aztecs Under second-year coach Steve Fisher, the Aztecs continue to show remarkable progress from last season. At 10-4, the Aztecs have surpassed their win total from the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons combined. The Aztecs have shown improvement in every statistical category. San Diego State has started three line-ups thus far, with nine players seeing action in at least 13 of 14 games this season. Junior forwards Randy Holcomb and Myron Epps lead a scoring punch which has seen the Aztecs' points per game rise from 62.3 last season to 74.9 this year. Holcomb, a transfer from L.A. City College, leads the team with a 17.7 scoring average and 6.9 rebounds per contest. On Dec. 18, Holcomb became the first Aztec player to earn Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors and three weeks later he earned the award for the second time this season. Epps, a two-year starter, has scored in double-figures in 15 of his last 17 games and has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 12 of 14 contests this season. The Tulare, Calif., native is averaging 13.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg, while connecting on 63.8 percent of his field goal attempts. A pair of new guards have helped breathe life into the Aztec backcourt. Sophomore guard Deandre Moore and junior Al Faux have paid immediate dividends. Moore, a transfer from Vanderbilt, is averaging 8.2 points and 5.2 assists while Shoreline Junior College transfer Al Faux is third on the team in scoring at 11.4 ppg, despite average playing time of only 24.6 minutes. Faux set a school-record for three-point field goal percentage by connecting on 7-of-8 attempts from bonus distance en route to a career-high 28 points against Oklahoma State. Senior center Marcelo Correa has connected on 25 of his 43 field-goal attempts this season (58.1 percent), while averaging 5.0 points and 4.2 rebounds. He has a team-high 17 blocked shots. Off the bench, the Aztecs bring experience and scoring punch to the backcourt in juniors David Abramowitz and Karlo Kovacic. Abramowitz, a two-year letterwinner, is averaging less than a turnover a game this season and has nearly a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Kovacic, a transfer from Modesto Junior College, has hit on 25-of-67 three-point attempts for 37.3 percent. He is averaging 6.4 points per contest. Freshmen Chris Walton and Aerick Sanders have provided valuable assistance in the post positions off the bench. Sanders, a native of Carson, Calif., is averaging 3.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest. The freshman already has recorded 15 blocked shots this season. Walton, a San Diego product, has chipped in 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest.
The Nation's Most Improved Team? Not many people would argue that San Diego State is vastly improved over the squad that went 5-23 last season, but is San Diego State one of the most improved team in the country? According to the Sagarin ratings, yes. The Aztecs opened the season as the 262nd team with a 63.66 rating. After a 10-4 start, the Jan. 10th edition of the ratings had San Diego State with a 76.37 rating for 104th place. San Diego State is one of just 12 schools that is currently 100 spots higher than its preseason ranking, and has made the third biggest jump among all Division I schools in the rankings. Below is a look at the biggest jumps from the preseason Sagarin rating as compared to ratings released on Jan. 10. Rk. Team Preseason As of 1/10 +/- 1. Holy Cross 291 115 +176 2. Arkansas-LR 257 96 +161 3. San Diego State 262 104 +158 4. Georgia State 198 43 +155 5. UC Irvine 228 79 +149 6. McNeese State 273 145 +128 7. Boston College 137 10 +127 8. Cal St.-Northridge 205 86 +119 9. Hampton 248 135 +113 10. Chattanooga 219 109 +110
Improvement You Can Measure No one would argue that San Diego State is a much improved team over last season. One way to measure that is to compare scores from repeat opponents from the '99-00 season and the '00-01 seasons. In the seven games between repeat opponents, San Diego State has shown 133 points of improvement or 19.0 points per game. On three occasions, the Aztecs have posted revenge victories, avenging losses to New Mexico State, Arizona State and Oklahoma State. Below is a look at opponents that San Diego State has played in each of Fisher's two seasons with the Aztecs. For conference games, results and scores are compared by site. Opponent '99-00 '00-01 +/- New Mexico State L, 49-66 W, 77-62 +32 UC Santa Barbara W, 60-57 L, 77-80 -6 San Diego L, 45-73 L, 52-55 +25 Arizona State L, 85-99 W, 64-62 +16 Oklahoma State L, 63-97 W, 87-66 +55 Loyola Marymount W, 70-63 W, 61-58 -4 vs. New Mexico L, 57-78 L, 67-75 +13 at Brigham Young L, 50-67
Comparing the Numbers Through 14 games, the improvement in San Diego State from last season and this season is apparent. To date, the Aztecs are holding opponents to 38.6 percent field goal percentage while outrebounding their opponents and committing fewer turnovers than their opponents. Below is a look at how other numbers stack up against last season. 1999-2000 2000-2001 Record 5-23 10-4 PPG 62.3 74.9 Opp. PPG 74.9 64.6 Scoring Margin -12.6 +10.3 FG Percentage 40.9 47.1 3FG Percentage 29.9 35.9 Free Throw Percentage 68.0 62.0 Opponent FG Percentage 45.6 38.6 Rebound Margin -6.3 +1.0 Turnover Margin -1.6 +0.8
If You Win, They Will Come The San Diego community continues to respond to the Aztecs improved play. Through 11 regular-season home games this season, San Diego State is averaging 4,101 fans, for an increase of 56.6 percent. Last season, the Aztecs averaged 2,618 fans for 15 home games. Equally impressive is the increase in attendance in non-conference games. Last season, the Aztecs averaged 2,133 fans per non-conference game. This season, with the non-conference season now complete, the Aztecs averaged 3,838 fans for an increase of 79.9 percent. Earlier this season, the Aztecs played before the 11th largest home crowd in school history and the second biggest crowd of the Cox Arena era when the Aztecs play host to San Diego. In fact two of the three biggest crowds in the history of Cox Arena have occurred this season. San Diego State has played in front of five home crowds of more than 4,000 this year. Last season, the Aztecs drew over 4,000 just one time. The Aztecs have sent the large crowds home happy this season, winning nine of 11 games at Cox Arena.
Two of the Three Best MWC Non-Conference Wins Recorded By SDSU According to the Jan. 10 RPI, San Diego State recorded two of the top three non-conference victories this season and are the only school to record two wins over top 50 opponents. On Dec. 30, the Aztecs recorded a win over 37th-ranked Oklahoma State and on Dec. 16, San Diego State disposed of 50th-ranked Arizona State. Below is a look at the best non-conference victories by Mountain West Conference teams this season. Best MWC Non-Conference Victories 1. Wyoming def. No. 28 Creighton (12/1) 2. SDSU def. No. 37 Oklahoma State (12/30) 3. SDSU def. No. 50 Arizona State (12/16) 4. BYU def. No. 70 Utah State (12/16) 5. UNLV def. No. 86 Pepperdine (12/22) Utah def. No. 86 Pepperdine (12/19)
Holcomb Earns Second Mountain West Player of the Week Honor Junior forward Randy Holcomb has been named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 7. It is the second time he has won the award this season. A native of Chicago, Ill., Holcomb led the Aztecs with 19 points and 7 rebounds in Saturday's 61-58 victory at Loyola Marymount. This is the second time Holcomb has received the honor this season with the first coming the week of Dec. 17. At that time Holcomb became the first Aztec to be honored by the Mountain West Conference and the first player to be honored with the weekly award since Jason Richey earned the WAC player of the week award on Dec. 9, 1996. Holcomb leads San Diego State in scoring with 17.7 ppg and has recorded double-figure scoring games in all 14 of the Aztecs games this season. Holcomb has recorded three double-doubles in the last six games.
Double-Digit Streaks Randy Holcomb, who has scored in double-figures in 14 consecutive games, has the longest San Diego State streak in three seasons. Holcomb has recorded just the ninth streak of 14 or more consecutive double-figure scoring games in the last 20 years, and owns the second longest streak to start an Aztec career. Jason Richey opened his San Diego State career by scoring in 10+ points in 15 consecutive games. Most Consecutive Double-Digit Scoring Games (Since 1981) 1. Anthony Watson, 84-85, 85-86 31 2. Michael Cage, 82-83, 83-84 27 3. Jason Richey, 97-98 18 Michael Cage, 1983-84 18 5. Anthony Watson, 84-85 17 6. *-Jason Richey, 96-97 15 Shawn Jamison, 89-90 15 8. *-Randy Holcomb, 00-01 14 Marty Dow, 90-91 14 10. Carlus Groves, 93-94 12 Shawn Jamison, 89-90 12 Michael Best, 88-89 12 12. Berry Randle, 94-95 11 13. Roy Kruiswyk, 97-98 10 Kevin Betts, 97-98 10 * -?Indicates streak started in first career Aztec game.
Six-Game Winning Streak Was the Longest in 17 Years The Aztecs six-game win streak earlier this season was the longest in 17 years and approached the school's Division I record of eight games set during the 1984-85 season. The streak was the fifth longest in school history. Below is a look at the longest winning streaks during the Division I era. Longest Winning Streaks (Since 1968-69) 1. 1984-85 8 games 2. 1982-83 7 games 1977-78 7 games 1971-72 7 games 5. 2000-01 6 games 1981-82 6 games 7. 1996-97 5 games 1989-90 5 games 1984-85 5 games 1981-82 5 games 1975-76 5 games 1974-75 5 games
The Roaring 20s When three Aztec players scored 20 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi , it became the first time time an Aztec team had three players score 20 or more points since at least the 1981-82 season. At no time during the past 20 years did three Aztec players score 20 or more points in a single game.
Wired For Cox San Diego State has posted a 14-4 record in non-conference home games during the Steve Fisher era. A marked improvement over the 2-6 mark the Aztecs posted during the 1998-99 campaign, the year prior to Fisher's arrival. This season the Aztecs are 9-2 in Cox Arena, with the lone non-conference setback being a three-point loss to San Diego.
Most Wins Before the New Year The Aztecs posted eight victories during the month of December, tying the school record for most wins prior to January 1st. The Aztecs recorded eight victories prior to the year change in 1996-97, 1989-90, 1984-85, 1981-82 and 1971-72. Below is a look at the most victories San Diego State has posted prior to New Year's Day. Most November-December Victories in School History 1. 2000-01 8-3 1996-97 8-2 12-15 overall 1984-85 8-2 23-8 overall, NCAA Tourney 1981-82 8-2 20-9 overall, Postseason NIT 1982-83 8-2 18-10 overall 1971-72 8-2 18-10 overall 1989-90 8-5 13-18 overall 8. 1983-84 7-3 15-13 overall 1978-79 7-3 15-12 overall 10. 1980-81 6-2 15-12 overall 1988-89 6-4 12-17 overall 1987-88 6-5 12-17 overall
The Most Dominating Five Games of the Division I Era In a Division I history that spans 33 seasons and 903 games, the five games San Diego State put together to open the 2000 campaign are the most dominating in school history. By outscoring their foes by 94 points (400-306) in the first five games this season, the Aztecs broke the previous mark of 90 points (417-327) set by the 1984-85 Western Athletic Conference champions and NCAA Tournament team. That season, San Diego State opened with wins at UC Irvine (86-77), vs. Morgan State (128-68), vs. San Diego (57-53), vs. UC Santa Barbara (84-69), at Long Beach State (62-60). This year, the Aztecs have won four games by 15 points or more, three by 22 points or more and two by 32 points or more, to break the record.
Making A Defensive Stand Through 14 games, the Aztecs are holding opponents to 38.6 percent field goal shooting and 64.6 points per contest. Although currently unranked, earlier this season, through games of Dec. 18, San Diego State ranked 12th nationally in field goal percentage defense.
Playing the Field One area in which the 1999-2000 Aztecs struggled was shooting. San Diego State shot just 40.9 percent from the floor last season. In addition the squad was 29.9 percent from behind the arc. This season, the Aztecs are shooting 47.1 percent from the field, including 35.9 percent from three-point range. Individually, senior center Marcelo Correa has hit on 25-of-43 field goal attempts, for 58.1 percent. In addition to connecting on his first nine field goal attempts of the season, he is 20-for-26 from the free throw line for 76.9 percent. Junior guard Al Faux has given the Aztec backcourt a spark. In addition to dishing out 47 assists, Faux is averaging 11.4 points per game, including 22-of-49 (44.9 percent) from three-point range. Junior forward Myron Epps has made 50 percent or more of his field goal attempts in 12 of 14 games this season. Epps is shooting 63.8 percent from the field (74-of-116) while averaging 13.9 points per contest.
Fisher in Lidlifters Steve Fisher is 9-1 in season openers, including a 7-1 record while at Michigan. Fisher has claimed nine consecutive season opening games dating back to an 82-75 loss to Arizona in the Tip-Off Classic in the opening contest of the 1989-90 campaign.
The Future Two more newcomers who will not play this season are transfers Tony Bland (a junior from Syracuse) and Brandon Smith (a senior-to-be from Michigan). Both players will be eligible for the 2001-02 season.
Fishing in November Steve Fisher's teams have been known for their fast starts, and no place is that better demonstrated than in his record in the month of November. Steve Fisher has coached teams to a 17-7 record (70.8 percent) in the month of November, including a perfect 9-0 record in November home games. In home contests, the veteran coach posted a 5-0 record in the month while with the Wolverines and then helped the Aztecs snap a six-game November slide with a 73-57 victory over UC Riverside last season. His victories over UC San Diego, New Mexico State and Florida Atlantic this season have kept his home November record perfect. The seven games Fisher's teams have lost have come to some of the nation's premier programs: Arizona (three times: '89, '94 and '95), Arizona State ('95), Georgia Tech ('95), New Mexico State ('99) and Fresno State ('00). Beating a Fisher-coached team in the opening month is a good way to assure yourself a spot in postseason play. Of the six teams to defeat a Fisher coached squad in the month of Nov. prior to this season, five have advanced to NCAA tournament play and one (New Mexico State) to postseason NIT competition. All five of the teams to advance to the NCAA tournament had a seed of five or higher. Oddly enough, due to tough competition in early-season tournaments, Fisher's teams have a better November record on the road (3-2), than at neutral sites (5-5).