Feb. 1, 2001
SAN DIEGO -
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SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (11-7/1-4 MWC) at WYOMING COWBOYS (14-4/5-1 MWC)
DATE: Saturday, February 3, 2001 TIME: 4:05 p.m. MST/3:05 p.m. PST SITE: Arena-Auditorium (15,028) in Laramie, Wyo. TELEVISION: SportsWest (Channel 4 San Diego). Eddie Doucette (play-by-play), Blaine Fowler (analysis), Jessica Johnson (producer). Satellite Coordinates: Telstar 5, Transponder K-11. 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: Wyoming leads 26-18.
Aztecs Road Tour Nears End, Conclude a League Stretch of Five of Six Mountain West Conference Games on Road with Trip to Wyoming and Colorado State San Diego State continues the most difficult league schedule of the first-half of the season with its next to last road trip of the season, playing at first-place Wyoming on Saturday and at Colorado State on Monday. The Aztec-Cowboy game will be televised live via SportsWest (Channel 4 San Diego) and broadcast by KPOP-AM 1360 (San Diego) and on the internet at goaztecs.com. This is the second of three consecutive road games for San Diego State, which is also in a stretch of playing five of six conference games on the road. On Saturday, the Aztecs enjoyed the lead for more than 32 minutes, but were unable to come away with the victory as UNLV rallied for an 82-72 victory in overtime. The remarkable turnaround of Steve Fisher's San Diego State team continues to draw national attention as the Aztecs have already surpassed the win total of the previous two seasons combined. The 11 victories this season equal the Aztecs' win total from the 62 games prior to this season. Wyoming claimed its third road victory of the conference season and opened up a 1 1/2-game lead in the Mountain West Conference race with an 82-78 victory at New Mexico on Monday night. The Cowboys have won five straight contests after opening the league season with a loss at Utah. Wyoming is 14-4 overall and owns a 5-1 conference mark. This is just the fifth time this season that San Diego State will enter a game with more time off than its opponent. Steve Fisher is 23-11 (67.6 percent) lifetime when his teams have at least seven days in between contests as the Aztecs do between games with UNLV and Wyoming.
UNLV Rallies for 82-72 Win in OT Jermaine Lewis and Kaspars Kambala each scored 22 points as UNLV rallied for an 82-72 overtime victory over San Diego State last Saturday in Las Vegas. The Aztecs, which led for more than 32 minutes of regulation, led by as many as 13 points and enjoyed a 12-point advantage early in the second half, were outscored in the paint 36-24. Junior guard Al Faux came off the bench to score 19 points and added a team-high four assists, Junior forward Randy Holcomb, who has scored in double figures every game this season, had 17 points and nine rebounds while junior guard Deandre Moore added 14 points and six rebounds. The Aztecs limited UNLV to 31 percent shooting in the first half en route to a 37-24 halftime advantage. The Aztecs led by 11 with 16:32 remaining in regulation and by nine points, 46-37, with 12:58 left. The Rebels cut the lead to one, but San Diego State responded by scoring the next five points to build a 55-49 advantage with 6:35 left. The Rebels went on a 14-4 run and led by five points with 22 seconds remaining. The Aztecs forced overtime when Holcomb converted with 16 seconds left and Faux nailed a three-point field goal with 10 seconds left to force overtime. The Rebels controlled the extra period. After trading baskets, UNLV scored six points in 37 seconds to claim the win.
Talkin' Bout A Revolution 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 11-7 this season. The 11 victories this season equal the total number of wins San Diego State had in the 62 games prior to this season. The 11 victories surpass the number of wins for the Aztecs in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons combined and equal or are more wins that the Aztecs have posted in five of the last nine years Earlier this season 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 the streak, San Diego State had gone 109 consecutive games without a three-game winning streak. The Aztecs have already broken three significant losing streaks. San Diego State opened the season by snapping a 17-game overall losing streak with a victory over UC San Diego. On Jan. 6, 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. The Aztecs claimed their first Mountain West Conference victory, snapping a 17-game conference losing streak with the win over Air Force. At 11-7, San Diego State is off to one of the best starts in school history. Since 1984-85, San Diego State has recorded one winning season. The Aztecs' dramatic turnaround has carried over to the turnstiles. Attendance for the 2000-01 season is up 60.1 percent over last season and that figure is likely to increase with five Mountain West Conference games remaining. This season the Aztecs have played before crowds of 4,000 or more six times after drawing only one crowd of more than 4,000 last season.
MASH Update San Diego State has been bitten by the injury bug during the past three weeks, taking its toll on Deandre Moore, Randy Holcomb, Al Faux and Jim Roban. On Jan. 16, the Aztecs learned they would be without freshman Aerick Sanders a minimum of four weeks due to a stress reaction in his right foot. Sanders, who has played through pain the last three weeks, had played in all of the first 16 games this season, averaging 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. On Jan. 23, Jim Roban reaggravated a back injury during practice and the senior has not participated in live drills since. Roban had played in three consecutive games prior to his most recent injury. As for the other injuries, none of the afflicted Aztecs are expected to miss any additional games. Moore (slightly separated left shoulder), Holcomb (sore knee) and Al Faux (flu) have all missed practice time recently, but only Moore and Roban have missed game time.
Know Thy Enemy: About Wyoming Location: Laramie, Wyo. Founded: 1886 Enrollment: 10,600 President: Dr. Philip L. Dubols Athletic Director: Lee Moon Nickname: Cowboys, Pokes Colors: Brown and Wyoming Prairie Gold Arena (Capacity): Arena-Auditorium (15,028) Conference: Mountain West
Noting the Cowboys Wyoming won its fifth consecutive Mountain West Conference game with an 82-78 victory over New Mexico on Monday night at The Pit. The Cowboys now own three of the four road victories recorded by league teams in conference play. Sophomore Uche Nsonwu-Amadi scored a game-high 22 points and added 11 rebounds against the Lobos. A native of Enugu, Nigeria, Nsonwu-Amadi was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field. The Cowboys shot 62.5 percent from the field in the second half to help overcome a 35-32 halftime deficit. For the season, sophomore Marcus Bailey is the Lobos' leading scorer averaging 17.6 points per game. Junior forward Josh Davis averages 12.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest, while Nsonwu-Amadi averaged 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds. This is the first of three straight home games for the Cowboys, who enjoy a 1 1/2-game lead in the Mountain West standings.
SDSU-Wyoming Series History Saturday will mark the 45th meeting between San Diego State and Wyoming, with the Cowboys owning a 26-18 series advantage. The home team in the series has won 13 of the last 14 games played at one of the two schools. The lone exception was last season when the Cowboys swept the season series. Wyoming claimed a 93-87 victory last season in Laramie on Jan. 29, before winning 57-51 in San Diego on Feb. 19. The Aztecs' most recent victory in the series came on March 3, 1998, when the Aztecs claimed a 60-57 overtime victory in the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. The Cowboys have won seven straight meetings between the teams in Laramie, dating back to a 95-83 Aztec victory on Feb. 23, 1991. Eleven of the last 14 series meetings have been decided by eight points or less.
Cliff Notes: The Aztecs Under second-year coach Steve Fisher, the Aztecs continue to show remarkable progress from last season. At 11-6, the Aztecs have two more victories than 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 eight players seeing action in at least 17 of 18 games this season. One area in which the Aztecs have been particularly solid is on defense. San Diego State has held opponents to 64.8 points per contest. More impressive has been a defensive effort that has held opponents to 39.3 percent field goal shooting on the season. Last week, the Aztecs were 17th nationally in field goal percentage defense. 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 70.7 this year. Holcomb, a transfer from L.A. City College, leads the team with a 17.0 scoring average and 7.2 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 16 of his last 21 games and has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 14-of-18 contests this season. The Tulare, Calif., native is averaging 12.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg, while connecting on 58.0 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 7.4 points and 4.9 assists while Shoreline Junior College transfer Al Faux is third on the team in scoring at 10.6 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 32 of his 54 field-goal attempts this season (59.3 percent), while averaging 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. He has a team-high 19 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 29-of-76 three-point attempts for 38.2 percent. He is averaging 6.2 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., was averaging 3.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest, before being sideline with a foot injury. The freshman already has recorded 15 blocked shots this season. Walton, a San Diego product, has chipped in 2.7 points and 1.9 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 an 11-7 start, the Jan. 29th edition of the ratings had San Diego State with a 73.81 rating for 133rd place. San Diego State is one of just 11 schools that is currently 100 spots higher than its preseason ranking, and has made the fifth 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. 29. Rk. Team Preseason As of 1/29 +/- 1. Holy Cross 291 113 +178 2. McNeese State 273 118 +145 UC Irvine 228 83 +145 4. Georgia State 198 54 +144 5. San Diego State 262 133 +129 6. Central Michigan 217 90 +127 7. Boston College 137 12 +125 Arkansas-LR 257 132 +125 9. Cal State Northridge 205 95 +110 10. Southern Utah 214 105 +109
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 11 games between repeat opponents, San Diego State has shown 162 points of improvement or 14.7 points per game. On four occasions, the Aztecs have posted revenge victories, avenging losses to New Mexico State, Arizona State, Oklahoma State and Air Force. 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 L, 50-79 -12 at Utah L, 65-83 L, 39-58 -1 Air Force 3ot-L, 77-81 W, 67-43 +28 at UNLV L, 55-83 ot-L, 72-82 +18
Give Him a Week and Fisher Will Give You a Win San Diego State is enjoying a seven-day period between the the UNLV game and the next contest at Wyoming. That is welcome news for Aztec fans. Steve Fisher has compiled a 23-11 record (67.6 percent) in his coaching tenure when he has at least seven days of preparation before a game. This season the Aztecs are 2-1 in similar situations, claiming a victories over UC San Diego and Arizona State while losing in overtime at UNLV.
No Comp Time The Wyoming game will mark just the fifth time this season and the second time in more than a month that the Aztecs will enter a game with more time off than their opponent. San Diego State has not played since last Saturday while the Cowboys played Monday, giving the Aztecs more rest time that their opponent entering a game for only the second time since the Norfolk State contest on Dec. 28. The Aztecs are 2-2 when drawing more rest time, including a respectable eight-point loss at Fresno State and an overtime defeat at UNLV to go along with victories over New Mexico State and Norfolk State. Amazingly, San Diego State is 7-2 when getting less time off than its opponents and 2-3 when the teams have the teams have the same time off.
Comparing the Numbers Through 18 games, the improvement in San Diego State from last season and this season is apparent. To date, the Aztecs are holding opponents to 39.3 percent field goal percentage and last week was 17th nationally in that category. Below is a look at how other numbers stack up against last season. 1999-2000 2000-2001 Record 5-23 11-7 PPG 62.3 70.9 Opp. PPG 74.9 64.8 Scoring Margin -12.6 +6.1 FG Percentage 40.9 46.1 3FG Percentage 29.9 35.2 Free Throw Percentage 68.0 63.1 Opponent FG Percentage 45.6 39.3 Rebound Margin -6.3 +0.1 Turnover Margin -1.6 -0.3
If You Win, They Will Come The San Diego community continues to respond to the Aztecs' improved play. Through 12 regular-season home games this season, San Diego State is averaging 4,192 fans, for an increase of 60.1 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 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 and four of the largest eight crowds in the history of Cox Arena have occurred this season. San Diego State has played in front of six 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 10 of 12 games at Cox Arena.
Best MWC Non-Conference Win Recorded By San Diego State According to the Jan. 24 RPI, San Diego State has recorded the best non-conference victory and owns two of the top nine victories among Mountain West Conference schools. On Dec. 30, the Aztecs recorded a win over 33rd-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. SDSU def. No. 33 Oklahoma State (12/30) 2. Wyoming def. No. 39 Creighton (12/1) 3. BYU def. No. 50 Utah State (12/16) 4. Utah def. No. 77 Memphis (11/25) 5. UNLV def. No. 84 Pepperdine (12/22) Utah def. No. 84 Pepperdine (12/19) 7. New Mexico def. No. 85 W. Kentucky (12/2) 8. BYU def. No. 89 South Alabama (12/22) 9. SDSU def. No. 50 Arizona State (12/16)
Holcomb Earns Second Mountain West Player of the Week Honor Junior forward Randy Holcomb was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 7. It was the second time he won the award this season. A native of Chicago, Holcomb led the Aztecs with 19 points and seven rebounds in the 61-58 victory at Loyola Marymount on Jan. 6. It 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 17.0 ppg and has recorded double-figure scoring games in all 18 of the Aztecs games this season. Holcomb has recorded four double-doubles in the last nine games.
Double-Digit Streaks Randy Holcomb, who has scored in double-figures in 18 consecutive games, has the longest San Diego State streak in three seasons. Holcomb has recorded just the sixth streak of 16 or more consecutive double-figure scoring games in the last 20 years, and owns the longest streak to start an Aztec career. 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. *-Randy Holcomb, 00-01 18 Jason Richey, 97-98 18 Michael Cage, 1983-84 18 6. Anthony Watson, 84-85 17 7. *-Jason Richey, 96-97 15 Shawn Jamison, 89-90 15 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 10-2 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.
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 46.1 percent from the field, including 35.2 percent from three-point range. Individually, senior center Marcelo Correa has hit on 32-of-54 field goal attempts, for 59.3 percent. In addition to connecting on his first nine field goal attempts of the season, he is 27-for-37 from the free throw line for 73.0 percent. Junior guard Al Faux has given the Aztec backcourt a spark. In addition to dishing out 54 assists, Faux is averaging 10.6 points per game, including 26-of-63 (41.3 percent) from three-point range. Junior forward Myron Epps is shooting 58.0 percent from the field (83-of-143) while averaging 12.4 points per contest.
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).