Feb. 9, 2001
SAN DIEGO -
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Game No. 21 UTAH UTES (13-9/5-3 MWC) at SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (11-9/1-6 MWC)
DATE: Saturday, February 10, 2001 TIME: 7:07 p.m. PST (tip)/7:05 p.m. PST (announced) SITE: Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414) in San Diego TELEVISION: Channel 4-San Diego. Mel Proctor (play-by-play), John Kentera (analysis), Jason Bott (producer). The game will air in Salt Lake City via KJZZ-TV. RADIO: KOGO-AM 600 (San Diego) and via the SDSU internet home page. Jim Stone (play-by-play), Dave Marcus (producer). OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.goaztecs.com THE SERIES: Utah leads 39-8.
AZTEC HEADLINES *?-?The Sagarin Ratings show San Diego State as the eighth most improved team in the country, jumping from a preseason rating of 262 to 142 as of Feb. 9. (page 4)
*?-?The 11 victories this season equal the total number of wins San Diego State had in the 62 games prior to this season. (page 2)
*?-?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. (page 4)
*?-?Myron Epps is 43 points away from becoming the 18th player in SDSU history with 1,000 career points. (page 4)
Aztecs Open Second Half of Mountain West Conference Schedule, which Features Five of Seven Games at Home, with a Saturday Night Game with Utah San Diego State, which has played just one home game in a 31-day period from Jan.9 through Feb. 9, opens the second half of the Mountain West Conference schedule with home games against Utah on Saturday and Brigham Young on Monday. The Aztec-Utes game will broadcast live by both Channel 4-San Diego and KJZZ-TV (Salt Lake City) and broadcast by KOGO-AM 600 (San Diego) and on the internet at goaztecs.com. The Aztecs lost their third consecutive game -?all on the road -?in a 77-56 defeat at Colorado State on Monday night. Despite the defeat,with an 11-9 record, the Aztecs have their best 20-game record since the 1997-98 squad had a similar mark after 20 games. The 11 wins this season equal the total number of wins for San Diego State in the 62 games prior to this season. Utah, the preseason Mountain West Conference favorite, is 13-9 overall and 5-3 in conference play following victories over Air Force (63-58) and New Mexico (80-69) last week. The Utes are in third place in the league, one full game behind the conference leader, Wyoming. The Aztecs, 10-2 at home this season with victories over Oklahoma State, Arizona State and New Mexico State, end the regular season with five of their remaining seven games at Cox Arena.
Slow Start Dooms Aztecs in 77-56 Loss at Colorado State Colorado State jumped out to a 28-7 lead and withstood an Aztec second-half rally to defeat San Diego State 77-56 on Monday in Fort Collins, Colo. The Rams outrebounded the Aztecs 43-24 in recording their second victory in three days. On Saturday, Colorado State blew out UNLV 80-55. Four Colorado State players tallied in double figures, led by John Sivesind with 17 points. Ron Grady recorded a double-double for the Rams with 16 points and 10 rebounds. San Diego State was led by junior forward Randy Holcomb's 11 points and five rebounds. Senior center Marcello Correa added 10 points in 12 minutes of action. Colorado State waisted little time in taking control of the game. After San Diego State scored the first basket of the game on a layup by junior forward Myron Epps. After that, the Rams scored the next nine points. Colorado State enjoyed leads of 9-2, 19-4, 23-6 and 28-7 before settling for a 41-23 halftime advantage. The Aztecs mounted a second-half rally, cutting the deficit to 12 points midway through the second half, but the Rams responded by hitting one of their nine three-point field goals on the night and the Aztecs got no closer. For the game, Colorado State shot 50.0 percent, and connected on 9-of-18 attempts from three-point range.
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 11-9 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 than 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 11-9, San Diego State is searching for just its second winning season since the 1984-85 campaign. In 1995-96 the Aztecs finished with a 15-14 record. 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 month, 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 until at least March 1st due to a stress reaction in his right foot. Sanders, who has played through pain through 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 Utah Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Founded: 1850 Enrollment: 25,803 President: Dr. Bernie Machen Athletic Director: Dr. Chris Hill Nickname: Utes Colors: Crimson and White Arena (Capacity): Huntsman Center (15,000) Conference: Mountain West
Noting the Utes The preseason pick to win the Mountain West Conference, Utah is 13-9 overall and 5-3 after the first half of the conference season. The Utes broke a three-game losing streak last week with home wins over Air Force (63-58) and New Mexico (80-69). Utah is in third place in the Mountain West, one game behind first-place Wyoming. Five players average eight or more points for the Utes, led by junior guard Kevin Bradley at 10.8 points per game. Bradley, has started only 12 of the Utes' 22 games and has started a contest since late Dec. Utah leads the conference and ranks 12th nationally in rebounding margin at +7.3.
SDSU-Utah Series History Saturday marks the 48th meeting between the teams with Utah owning a 39-8 series advantage. Utah has won 11 consecutive encounters between the teams, including four straight in San Diego dating back to a 76-73 Aztec victory on Jan. 22, 1994. The Utes have won the last six meetings in the series by at least 14 points, with an average margin of victory during that stretch of 23.3 points. Earlier this season, Utah claimed its 19th consecutive victory over the Aztecs in Salt Lake City, with a 58-39 decision. San Diego State limited Utah to 42.9 percent field goal shooting, including 7-of-29 from beyond the arc, but struggled offensively at the Huntsman Center. The Aztecs connected on a season low 31.6 percent from the floor and made only 12 field goals in the game, recording its lowest point output since an 86-38 loss at Utah on Feb. 11, 1999. The game was close throughout the first half, with nine lead changes and four ties in the opening half. Senior guard Jim Roban made a three-point goal to give the Aztecs a 15-12 lead with 9:27 remaining in the first half. Utah responded with a 20-2 run over the next seven minutes and enjoyed an 11-point halftime advantage. San Diego State cut the deficit to nine points with 13:33 left, after junior guard David Abramowitz converted three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt. But that was as close as the Aztecs would get after the Utes responded with eight unanswered points to put the game out of reach. Junior forward Randy Holcomb was the only Aztec player to score in double figures and posted his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Nick Jackson led seven Utah players with at least five points in the contest, scoring 13 points. Utah enjoyed a 39-28 rebound advantage and turned the ball over eight times.
Cliff Notes: The Aztecs Under second-year coach Steve Fisher, the Aztecs continue to show remarkable progress from last season. At 11-9, 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 19 of 20 games this season. One area in which the Aztecs have been particularly solid is on defense. San Diego State has held opponents to 67.3 points per contest. More impressive has been a defensive effort that has held opponents to 40.6 percent field goal shooting on the season. As late as last month, 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 70.0 this year. Holcomb, a transfer from L.A. City College, leads the team with a 16.3 scoring average and 7.1 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 17 of his last 23 games and has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 16-of-20 contests this season. The Tulare, Calif., native is averaging 12.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg, while connecting on 58.1 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 6.8 points and 4.9 assists while Shoreline Junior College transfer Al Faux is third on the team in scoring at 10.7 ppg, despite average playing time of only 25.1 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 37 of his 60 field-goal attempts this season (61.7 percent), while averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds. He has a team-high 21 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 35-of-91 three-point attempts for 38.5 percent. He is averaging 6.7 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 2.6 points and 2.1 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 11-9 start, the Feb. 9th edition of the ratings had San Diego State with a 72.88 rating for 142nd place. San Diego State is one of just 12 schools that is currently 100 spots higher than its preseason ranking, and has made the eighth 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 Feb 9. Rk. Team Preseason As of 2/9 +/- 1. Holy Cross 291 111 +180 2. McNeese State 273 115 +148 UC Irvine 228 80 +148 4. Georgia State 198 54 +144 5. Arkansas-LR 257 127 +130 6. Central Michigan 217 90 +127 7. Boston College 137 11 +126 8. San Diego State 262 142 +120 9. Cal State Northridge 205 94 +111 10. Monmouth 271 162 +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 13 games between repeat opponents, San Diego State has shown 120 points of improvement or 9.2 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 at Wyoming L, 87-93 L, 66-101 -29 at Colorado State L, 67-75 L, 56-77 -13
Comparing the Numbers Through 20 games, the improvement in San Diego State from last season and this season is apparent. To date, the Aztecs are holding opponents to 40.6 percent field goal percentage. Below is a look at how other numbers stack up against last season. 1999-2000 2000-2001 Record 5-23 11-9 PPG 62.3 70.0 Opp. PPG 74.9 67.3 Scoring Margin -12.6 +2.7 FG Percentage 40.9 45.0 3FG Percentage 29.9 34.4 Free Throw Percentage 68.0 63.9 Opponent FG Percentage 45.6 40.6 Rebound Margin -6.3 -2.2 Turnover Margin -1.6 +0.1
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, had his double-figures scoring streak snapped at 18 consecutive games, when he tallied eight pointa in tyhe game at Wyoming on Feb. 3. Holcomb recorded just the fifth streak of 18 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 45.0 percent from the field, including 34.4 percent from three-point range. Individually, senior center Marcelo Correa has hit on 37-of-60 field goal attempts, for 61.7 percent. In addition to connecting on his first nine field goal attempts of the season, he is 37-for-49 from the free throw line for 75.5 percent. Junior guard Al Faux has given the Aztec backcourt a spark. In addition to dishing out 56 assists, Faux is averaging 10.7 points per game, including 29-of-71 (40.8 percent) from three-point range. Junior forward Myron Epps is shooting 58.1 percent from the field (93-of-160) 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.