San Diego State Opens Three-Game Homestand Against Colorado State

Jan. 29, 2003

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Colorado State (13-5/2-1) at San Diego State (11-6/2-2)
Saturday, February 1, 2003
7:05 p.m. PST (announced)
Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl (12,414)
San Diego, Calif.

Tip Time: Tip time is set for 7:05 p.m. PST. Television: The game will be televised by Channel 4 San Diego. Chris Marlowe (play-by-play), John Kentera (analysis), Lya Vallat (producer). Radio: XTRA 690-AM. Jim Stone (play-by-play), Mike McGregor (producer).

SDSU Coach Steve Fisher: Fisher (Illinois State '67) is in his fourth season at San Diego State with a record of 51-55. Now in his 12th full season as a head coach, he has amassed a 235-137 mark. Fisher led Michigan to the 1989 national championship and made three trips to the national championship game in his eight full seasons in Ann Arbor. The 1991-92 national coach of the year, he led the Aztecs to a 21-12 mark last year en route to the NCAA Tournament. Fisher has helped the Aztecs increase their win total in each of his first three seasons (from 4-to-5-to-14-to-21).

Colorado State Coach Dale Layer: Coaching his third season at Colorado State and his 13th year overall, Layer (Eckerd '80) holds a career head-coaching record of 207-123, including a 40-36 mark at CSU. After serving two seasons as an assistant under now-New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay, Layer took over the Rams program in 2000-01 and finished 15-13 in 2000-01 and 12-18 in 2001-02 in his first two seasons as a Div. I head coach.

The Series: San Diego State and Colorado State are meeting for the 46th time, with the Rams holding a 30-15 lead in the series. SDSU owns a 12-11 mark in San Diego. The Aztecs have won the last three meetings after dropping six straight and 18-of-20.

The Tickets: Tickets are available for the game through the SDSU ticket office (619-283-SDSU) or at any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets range in price from $10-20.

San Diego State Opens Three-Game Homestand Against Colorado State
San Diego State (11-6 overall/2-2 Mountain West Conference) opens a three-game homestand on Saturday against Colorado State (13-5/2-1).

Game time is set for 7 p.m. Pacific time and the game will be televised by Channel 4 San Diego (no satellite coverage available). The game can be heard along the West coast on XTRA-AM 690 (San Diego).

Both teams are trying to rebound from losses over the weekend. The Aztecs lost their second consecutive game, falling at New Mexico, 66-62. Meanwhile, the Rams suffered their first loss in 14 home games this season on Saturday, a 79-77 setback to Wyoming.

The two teams, picked to finish in the lower half of the MWC (SDSU picked fifth and CSU picked sixth in the preseason media poll), are looking to climb back into the conference race. Colorado State enters the contest in a three-way tie for second place, one game behind conference-leading Wyoming. San Diego State is in fifth place, but just one-half game out of second entering Saturday's play.

On Saturday, the Aztecs suffered their second consecutive loss for just the second time this season at Albuquerque. San Diego State, which shot 55.1 percent from the field while limiting the Lobos to 45.2 percent field goal shooting, was not able to overcome a 19-4 New Mexico edge at the free-throw line.

Despite trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, the Aztecs rallied to within a single point and had the ball with less than 15 seconds to play. But a Mike Mackell pass missed an open Evan Burns underneath the basket and the Lobos connected on three free throws in the final 3.3 seconds to secure the win.

Colorado State, despite Saturday's loss, has won nine of its last 12 games. The Rams have already eclipsed their victory total from last season when they posted a 12-18 mark. The Rams have four players that average in double figures, led by sophomore center Matt Nelson (14.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and senior forward Brian Greene (13.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg).

This is the 46th meeting between the teams with the Rams owning a 30-15 series lead. The Aztecs own a 12-11 edge in games played in San Diego and have won the last two meetings at Cox Arena. The Aztecs swept the series last season and have won three straight overall, the longest Aztec win streak in the series since claiming five straight from Jan. 5, 1981 to Jan. 27, 1983.

This marks the first of three straight home games for the Aztecs, but the homestand won't be any picnic. The three upcoming opponents - Colorado State, Wyoming and UNLV - have posted a 39-14 record (73.6 percent) this season. Wyoming is the league's lone undefeated team in conference play and the Rebels were the preseason pick to win the MWC.

Following the contest, the Aztecs will have a quick turnaround to get ready for a Monday night game against league-leading Wyoming. That game will be televised nationally by ESPN and will begin at 9 p.m. Pacific.

Streaks, Storylines and Sidebars

• At 11-6, San Diego State has tied its best start since the 1984-85 NCAA tournament-bound team opened with a 13-4 mark. The Aztecs are even with last season's pace, when SDSU got off to an 11-6 start before ending the season with a 21-12 record and a trip to the NCAA tournament. The 1984-85 squad also advanced to the NCAA tournament and ended the campaign with a 23-8 record.
• The 11-6 record through 17-games ties for the seventh-best start in San Diego State's Division I history. In just four seasons, Steve Fisher-coached Aztec teams own three of the top 10 records after 17 games in San Diego State history.
• This is the third consecutive season that San Diego State has been 11-6 after 17 games. Prior to the 2000-01 season, starting the string of 11-6 starts, San Diego State had posted a 9-45 record in the two previous seasons.
• San Diego State is looking to avoid three straight losses in the same season since the 2000-01 season. The Aztecs have gone 57 straight games without losing three in a row in the same campaign.
• Another indication of San Diego State's recent surge can be found in the RPI. As of Wednesday morning, San Diego State was ranked 105th in the RPI, a remarkable accomplishment considering the Aztecs were ranked 209 the week of Dec. 7 when Evan Burns and Chris Manker became eligible and 171 the week of Dec. 14 when Travis Hanour began competing. San Diego State has won 11 of its last 15 games with losses during that stretch to top-ranked Arizona and 23rd-ranked Texas Tech as well as BYU, ranked No. 17 in the RPI and at New Mexico.
• San Diego State has now won the last encounter with five of the other seven Mountain West Conference schools (with Brigham Young and New Mexico being the lone exceptions). In fact, the Aztecs have a multiple-game win streak against three of those five league members (exceptions are UNLV and Utah). San Diego State has won 10 of its last 13 games against MWC competition and has posted the league's second-best conference record since Feb. 13, 2002.
• The Aztecs opened league play 2-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 season (first time in seven seasons). Despite losses to Brigham Young and New Mexico, the Aztecs' 2-2 league start is the best since getting off to an identical mark in the 1998 WAC campaign (five seasons ago).
• San Diego State has won the last three meetings with Colorado State, the Aztecs' longest active win streak over any MWC school. The three straight victories by SDSU represent the second-longest win streak in the series for the Aztecs. San Diego State claimed five straight wins from Jan. 5, 1981-Jan. 27, 1983.

Aztec Cliff Notes
Steve Fisher, who has authored one of the nation's most remarkable turnarounds at San Diego State, has San Diego State playing some of the best basketball in the Mountain West Conference and the entire West coast.

The Aztecs have won 11 of their last 14 games in posting an 11-6 overall record and a 2-2 mark in Mountain West Conference play. Two of the Aztecs' six losses have come to nationally ranked opponents in top-ranked Arizona and then-No. 23 Texas Tech and two others occurred prior to sophomores Travis Hanour and Chris Manker and freshman Evan Burns were cleared to play.

Statistically, solid defense and rebounding have been the Aztecs' two major weapons this season. San Diego State has only been outrebounded three times this season and boasts a +4.9 rebound margin. Meanwhile on defense, the Aztecs have limited their opposition to 41.8 percent field-goal shooting with no opponent shooting better than 49 percent against the Aztecs this season.

The Aztecs sport one of the nation's most experienced backcourts in seniors Tony Bland and Deandre Moore. Both have played in more than 100 career games and are among the conference leaders in many categories.

Bland, who last season became the first player in MWC history to rank among the league's top 10 in points and assists and the top 20 in rebounds, ranks among the conference leaders in five statistical categories - points, rebounds, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and free-throw shooting. Bland is averaging a team-high 15.5 ppg and leads the league with a 1.74 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Moore, the quintessential point guard, is the second-leading assist man in the league and has become quite a threat from long range. He has connected on 44.4 percent from bonus distance and is fifth in the conference in three-point percentage and 13th in three-point field goals made (1.4 per game). Moore is averaging 8.3 ppg, 4.5 apg and 3.6 rpg.

San Diego State is led by one of the conference's premiere low post players in Mike Mackell. The senior is seventh in the MWC in scoring, averaging 15.4 ppg, and is 15th in rebounding at 4.6. He is also connecting on 58.5 percent of his shots from the field, third-best in the league.

Aerick Sanders has started all 17 games this season at the power forward spot. The junior is second in the league in rebounding and posting 6.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg.

The fifth starting spot, another wing position, has been filled by freshman Steve Sir and sophomores Tommy Johnson and Travis Hanour. All three contribute in different ways, with playing time often dictated by the match-up with the opposition.

Sir (6.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg) is an unbelievable three-point shooter who has made 31 treys and is connecting on 37.8 percent of his long-range attempts this season. Johnson (5.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg) is an athletic wing with the ability to beat people off the dribble. Hanour (4.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg) is the most athletic of the three but has fought tendinitis in both knees throughout the season.

Fisher's bench is deeper than it has been in the past with McDonald's All-American freshman Evan Burns, sophomore center Chris Manker and freshman walk-on John Sharper ready to contribute.

Burns, who made his long-awaited Aztec debut on Dec. 7 against top-ranked Arizona, continues to look more comfortable on both offense and defense. He is averaging 7.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg in less than 18 minutes of action.

Manker, the Aztecs' tallest player at 7-0, has shown guard-like skills. He can run the floor and pull up and shoot the three. He is averaging 3.4 ppg and 2.2 rpg and has played in all 13 games since he became eligible.

Sharper, who was originally recruited to back up Moore at the point guard position, has proven he can play both guard spots. He has averaged 2.1 ppg in 15 games and has turned the ball over just six times in 135 minutes of action.

Last Time Out: Aztecs Drop Second Straight Conference Game, 66-62
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - New Mexico thwarted a late Aztec rally and used significant advantages from the free-throw line and three-point range to send San Diego State to its second straight conference loss, 66-62, at The Pit/Bob King Court.

SDSU (11-6/2-2 MWC) suffered its second consecutive MWC loss after winning seven of its last eight conference games and 9-of-10 games overall. It was also the second straight loss to an unranked team after an NCAA Division I school-record 11-game win streak over nonranked foes. The loss snapped a four-game road winning streak, the second-longest such streak in the Aztecs' Div. I era.

The Lobos (7-9 overall/1-2 MWC) outscored the Aztecs 19-4 from the free-throw line and 27-12 from behind the arc, large margins that helped withstand SDSU's 55.1 percent shooting and 16-4 run going into the waning moments of the game. After leading 37-30 at halftime, New Mexico had built a 59-46 margin with 8 minutes, 56 seconds remaining on one of Javin Tindall's career-high five three-pointers.

The Aztecs then responded with 10 straight points over the next four-plus minutes, highlighted by four Tony Bland points and three-pointers from Steve Sir and Evan Burns.

Another Tindall three-pointer put the Lobos up 63-58, but Mike Mackell scored the game's next four points to get the Aztecs within one at 63-62 with 46 seconds remaining, the closest SDSU had been since midway through the first half.

The Aztecs regained possession and had a chance to take the lead, but Mackell's pass from the right side went through Burns' hands on the left baseline and out of bounds. New Mexico then iced the game on a Mark Walters breakaway lay-up and Walters' steal of the subsequent full-court inbounds pass and free throw.

Bland led the Aztecs in scoring for the third straight game and 10th time this season with 14 points. Mackell and Aerick Sanders each scored 10 points, while Deandre Moore and Burns, in 15 second-half minutes, both added seven.

Ruben Douglas, the NCAA's fourth-leading scorer at 25.7 points per game, totaled a game-high 21 points but was held below his average and harassed into 4-of-17 shooting thanks to an SDSU defensive effort led by Bland. Douglas picked up nearly half of his points at the free-throw line, where he went 10-of-10 as part of the Lobos' 19-for-24 effort from the charity stripe. Tindall (17 points) and Williams (13) were the Lobos' other double-digit scorers.

NOTES OF THE GAME: SDSU lost despite shooting better than 50 percent (55.1 percent) for the second time this season... The Aztecs were out-rebounded (24-25) for only the third time in 2002-03... UNM was whistled for only 12 fouls compared to SDSU's 21.

San Diego State - Colorado State: The Series
San Diego State and Colorado State are meeting for the 46th time in history, with the Rams holding a 30-15 series lead despite three straight Aztec victories. Colorado State's large advantage in the all-time series comes from winning 23-of-26 meetings from Jan. 30, 1986 to Feb. 5, 2001.

• Of the Aztecs' 15 wins in the all-time series, 12 have come in San Diego (12-11). Before last season's win in Fort Collins, the Aztecs' last eight victories over the Rams had come at home.
• The Aztecs' three straight wins in the series is their second longest such streak, trailing five straight wins from Jan. 5, 1981 to Jan. 27, 1983. Colorado State's longest win streak in the series is 12 straight from Feb. 2, 1989 to Jan. 4, 1995.
• Last season's pair of victories over the Rams was SDSU's first season series sweep over CSU since the the 1981-82 season in the Western Athletic Conference.

San Diego State Players vs. Colorado State

• Senior guard Tony Bland: Bland played very efficiently against the Rams last season, tallying 36 points on combined 13-of-20 shooting from the floor and 9-of-14 from the line. He grabbed a season-high eight rebounds in the road win Feb. 16 and averaged 6.0 rebounds in the Aztecs' pair of wins while dishing out eight assists against six turnovers.

Bland has stepped up his defensive play this season as he has primarily matched up against the opposition's top scoring wing player. Thus far in 2002-03, the Los Angeles native has held several of the nation's top players in check and below their season shooting percentages and scoring averages.

Season GameOpponent Player FG% Avg. TP FG 3FG FT OutcomeHawai'i Carl English 43.5 19.9 16 4-15 3-7 5-7 W, 60-49Tx Tech Andre Emmett 53.7 21.1 16 8-21 0-1 0-0 L, 75-63Utah Nick Jacobson 41.9 12.6 11 4-16 0-8 3-3 W, 58-56BYU Travis Hansen 46.3 15.5 14 4-7 0-1 6-9 L, 80-69UNM Ruben Douglas 40.7 26.2 21 4-17 3-10 10-10 L, 62-66

• Senior center Mike Mackell: Mackell was perfect from the floor in the teams' first meeting last season, hitting all six of his field goal attempts. He shot 5-of-8 from the free-throw line and totaled 17 points as he was one of four Aztecs in double-figures. He averaged 5.5 rebounds in the two games against the Rams.

• Senior guard Deandre Moore: Moore has struggled with his shooting against the Rams, hitting on only 20 percent of his shots in four career games. However, he has averaged 4.3 assists per game against CSU, his best assist average against any MWC opponent except Wyoming (4.7 apg), and has turned the ball over only four times in 92 minutes. He matched his career-high of four steals in the season's first meeting with the Rams.

• Junior forward Aerick Sanders: Sanders missed both meetings with Colorado State in his freshman season due to a stress reaction in his right foot, then played a total of 18 minutes in the two meetings last season and totaled two points and two rebounds. In his junior season of 2002-03, Sanders has matched or surpassed those totals in a single game several times already: 18 minutes (all 17 games), 2 rebounds (all 17 times), 2 points (15 games).

Last Year's Meetings

• San Diego State 75, Colorado State 63
  Feb. 16, 2002 (Moby Arena - Fort Collins, Colo.)
  FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- San Diego State claimed its first victory in Fort Collins in more than 20 years with a 75-63 victory over Colorado State on February 16 at Moby Arena.

The Aztecs did not trail in the final 28:57 of the contest and led by at least seven points the entire second half. This was the third straight victory for the Aztecs in the series against the Rams.

San Diego State's big three - Al Faux, Tony Bland and Randy Holcomb - combined for 59 points, 23 rebounds and five assists. Faux connected on 7-of-8 attempts from the field and scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half.

The Aztecs shot 59.6 percent from the floor, the highest against a Division I opponent for the season. San Diego State's defense held the Rams to 32.0 percent field-goal shooting in the first half and 41.3 percent for the contest.

Brian Greene scored all 14 of his points in the second half for Colorado State. Matt Williams and Matt Nelson had 12 and 10 points respectively as the Rams lost at home to San Diego State for the first time since Jan. 23, 1982.

The Rams got to within 37-30 four minutes into the second half, but Bland's three-pointer and layup pushed the Aztecs' lead back to double figures.

Baskets by Nelson and Joe Macklin cut the deficit to 62-55 with 1:48 left, but Faux dropped 8-of-10 free throws and Bland converted a three-point play in the final 1:41 for San Diego State.

• San Diego State 81, Colorado State 69
  Jan. 19, 2002 (Cox Arena - San Diego, Calif.)
  SAN DIEGO -- Senior guard Al Faux led four Aztec players in double figures with 21 points as San Diego State defeated Colorado State 81-69 on January 19 at Cox Arena.

The Aztecs shot 53.1 percent from the field in winning their first conference game of the season. San Diego State led the final 13 minutes of the game by double figures.

San Diego State opened the game up early in the second half. After the Rams tied the game at 41 with 17:29 left to play, the Aztecs responded with 10 straight points. Junior center Mike Mackell contributed five of his 17 points during that stretch.

Mackell had just two points at halftime when the Aztecs led 37-34. Colorado State went ahead 38-37 in the opening 1:50 of the second half, but San Diego State went on a 24-7 run to put the game away. A Mackell basket opened the run, and he closed it with a jumper for a 61-45 lead with 10:32 to play.

Al Faux tied a season-high with five three-point baskets in the contest. Senior forward Randy Holcomb added 18 points and tied for game-high honors with seven rebounds, while junior guard Tony Bland contributed 13 points and five assists.

Andy Birley scored 19 and Brian Greene 16 for Colorado State, which lost to San Diego State for the second consecutive time.

About Colorado State
Saturday's game is the Rams' first MWC road test after opening MWC play with three straight at home. CSU has spent much of the season feasting on lesser opponents at home in compiling a 13-1 record at Moby Arena, but it's been a different story on the road where the Rams are 0-4. CSU dropped games early in the year at Southern Illinois and Arkansas-Little Rock and more lopsided decisions recently at Purdue Dec. 30 (56-84) and at Colorado Jan. 7 (72-93). The Rams' average scoring margin at home is +15.4; on the road, -18.

The Rams came out of their MWC-opening three-game homestand 2-1, suffering their first home loss Saturday to Wyoming, 79-77, to snap an arena-record 14-game home win streak. Conversely, the Rams have dropped 13 of their last 15 MWC road games and 13 of their last 15 road contests overall.

CSU, the league's top scoring team at 78.4 points per game, boasts a balanced offensive attack with four players averaging in double-figures, including perhaps the conference's best inside scoring duo of 7-0 sophomore center Matt Nelson (14.9 ppg, 64.3 fg%) and 6-8 senior forward Brian Greene (13.6 ppg, 54.0 fg%). The MWC's top shooting team at 51.7 percent, the Rams, who average only 3.7 three-point field goals a game, do most of their damage inside the arc by hitting 55.5 percent of shots from two-point range. Their only significant perimeter threat is senior Andy Birley (11.6 ppg, 3.1 apg), who has taken 114 of the Rams' 188 threes and connected on 50 of the team's 67 three-pointers for 43.9 percent three-point shooting.

Defensively, the Rams hold opponents to 41.4 percent shooting while maintaining a +8.7 rebound margin. However, CSU hasn't been particularly effective at forcing turnovers, as the Rams are averaging only 13.8 takeaways per game while giving the ball away 17.8 times for the league's worst turnover margin of -4.1.

You Take the Good, You Take the Bad
There have been four interesting statistics with the Aztecs getting off to a 2-2 league start, the school's best since an identical 2-2 record to open the 1987-88 Western Athletic Conference season.

Two have been positive and would lead you to believe SDSU is better than 2-2, while two are negative and lead you to wonder how SDSU has won a league game.

On the positive side, the Aztecs lead the conference in field goal percentage (50.0) and are second in field goal percentage defense (41.8) in conference play. The second positive stat is in rebounding, where the Aztecs own a league-best +8.0 rebound margin.

In the negative ledger, San Diego State's turnover margin of -5.0 is last in the league as is the Aztecs' 14.5 free-throw attempts per game.

For the season, these statistical categories have obviously played a role in the outcome, with the Aztecs' record listed below when registering an advantage or deficit in the below categories.

SDSU OpponentStatistic Advantage AdvantageRebounding 10-3 1-2Field Goal% 8-1 2-5Free Throws Att.9-0 2-6Turnovers 6-0 5-6

School-Record Success Against Non-Ranked Foes
The Jan. 20th loss to BYU snapped San Diego State's Div. I school-record 11-game winning streak against unranked opponents. Since moving to Division I prior to the 1970-71 season, the previous long streak was nine straight from March 3-Dec. 22, 1984 (final game of the 1983-84 season and the first eight of the 1984-85 campaign).

Below is a look at the longest in-season win streaks vs. unranked foes in Aztec history.

Longest Winning Streaks vs. Non-Ranked Opponents/Div. I SeasonRk. Season (W-L) Wins Ended By1. 2002-03 (11-6) 11 Brigham Young 1984-85 (23-8) 8 Texas Christian3. 1982-83 (18-10) 7 Arizona 1981-82 (20-9) 7 UTEP 1977-78 (19-9) 7 CS Fullerton 1971-72 (18-10) 7 Oregon State7. 2000-01 (14-14) 6 New Mexico 1981-82 (20-9) 6 UNLV

Baby Aztecs Makin' An Impact
San Diego State's freshman class of Evan Burns, Steve Sir, John Sharper, Trimaine Davis and Markee White have made have made quite an impact in their inaugural season wearing the scarlet and black.

The class has combined to average 16.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.4 apg and 46.9 minutes through 17 games this season. That is even more impressive when considering McDonald's All-American Evan Burns missed the first four games of the season.

Of the nine players that saw action in each of the four games this season, four were freshmen - Trimaine Davis, John Sharper, Steve Sir and Markee White (one other was a sophomore - Tommy Johnson). Additionally, freshman Evan Burns and sophomore Chris Manker debuted against Arizona and against Hawai'i sophomore Travis Hanour joined the mix. The three have received significant minutes even as they adjust to game action.

The five have given the Aztecs the most productive freshman class of the Steve Fisher era.

More on this season's freshman crop:

• Evan Burns: One of two true freshmen on the SDSU roster, Burns produced his breakout game of the season against Florida Atlantic Dec. 28... In only his fifth collegiate appearance, Burns produced 21 points, four offensive rebounds and four steals in only 18 minutes of action... He shot 7-of-11 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in becoming the only Aztec to surpass the 20-point mark in a game in his freshman season... He registered his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Loyola Marymount in scoring in double-figures for three straight games, a career first... Despite reaching 20 minutes only four times in 13 games and being held scoreless against Hawai'i, Burns is the squad's fourth-leading scorer at 7.8 points per game... He is supplying instant offense off the bench, as he entered the Air Force game with the Aztecs trailing by five six-and-a-half minutes in and promptly reeled off eight straight points to give SDSU the lead... He scored a game-high 14 points vs. the Falcons... Then against Utah, Burns scored all five of his points in the Aztecs' game-breaking 18-4 run in the second half... Has five double-digit scoring games... Burns' stats averaged over 40 minutes per game translate to 17.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.7 blocks.
• Trimaine Davis: A redshirt freshman, Davis appeared in the first 12 games this season and has accumulated 27 points and 17 rebounds in 122 minutes of action... He is averaging 8.6 minutes per contest. Davis, who made all 15 of his shots during the preseason, went 3-for-3 from the floor in scoring a career-high six points against UCSD.
• Steve Sir: A redshirt freshman, Sir started the first six games of the season and the Aztecs' last game against New Mexico... He registered a career-best six threes on Dec. 2 against UCSD... He has a team-high total of 31 three-point field goals and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line before missing his only attempt against USD... The sharp-shooter from Minnesota, who made at least two treys in each of his first five games and has multiple threes in four of the last six contests, boasts the MWC's 13th-best three-point percentage at .378 and is SDSU's fifth-leading scorer at 6.5 points per game.
• John Sharper: A walk-on freshman, Sharper has played 135 minutes including several at the point guard position.. Sharper has looked solid handling the ball and has committed just six turnovers in 135 minutes of action, including a career-high turnover-free 16 minutes against LMU largely spent spelling a foul-troubled Moore... He also played 14 minutes without a turnover against New Mexico... Sharper grabbed a career-high five rebounds in 12 minutes and contributed a three-pointer to SDSU's record-setting barrage of 16 treys against UCSD, and his three-pointer capped the Aztecs' game-breaking 20-6 run in the win at Long Beach... He set his career high with eight points and hit two three-point field goals in a game for the first time against Florida Atlantic... Of his 21 field-goal attempts, 18 have come from three-point range, and his .500 three-point field goal percentage tops the team.
• Markee White: A redshirt freshman, has seen action in six games this season and scored the first points of his collegiate career on a pair of free throws against UCSD.

Record Attendance Pace

• Through 11 home games, SDSU is on a record pace for average season attendance. The Aztecs are playing before an average home crowd of 7,378. Should this trend continue, Aztec teams under Steve Fisher would own three of the top five season attendance marks in SDSU history.

Largest Average Home AttendanceRk. Year HG W-L Total Average1. 2002-03 11 7-4 81,156 7,3782. 2001-02 15 12-3 92,475 6,1653. 1981-82 18 16-2 86,825 4,8244. 1980-81 14 9-5 67,011 4,7875. 2000-01 17 12-5 77,104 4,528

Jan. 20th's crowd of 8,497, the fifth-largest ever in Cox Arena and the second-largest non-Saturday crowd, marked the fifth game to break into SDSU's top 18 single-game Cox Arena attendance chart this season. The Aztecs have played before the first two sellout crowds of 12,414 in the six-year history of Cox Arena - against then-No. 1/1 Arizona (Dec. 7) and No. 23/21 Texas Tech (Jan. 6) - as well as the 15th- and 18th-largest Cox Arena crowds against Eastern Washington (6,183) and Hawai'i (6,138), respectively.

Largest Cox Arena AttendanceRk. Att. Day Opponent Date Result1. 12,414^ Sat. (1/1) Arizona 12-7-02 L, 81-89 12,414^ Mon. (23/21) Tx Tech 1-6-03 L, 63-753. 11,764 Sat. UNLV* 1-26-02 L, 79-80 (ot)4. 11,334 Sat. Fresno State* 1-31-98 L, 94-975. 8,497 Mon. BYU 1-20-03 L, 69-806. 8,438 Sat. (21/16) Fres.St.12-8-01 W, 93-787. 8,186 Sat. San Diego 12-9-00 L, 52-558. 8,078 Wed. San Diego 1-8-02 W, 78-729. 7,232 Sat. Utah* (D) 2-9-02 L, 53-7010. 7,164 Sat. Utah* 2-10-01 L, 63-7611. 7,102 Sat. Utah* (D) 1-18-03 W, 58-5612. 6,967 Sat. Air Force* 3-2-02 W, 49-4713. 6,739 Mon. New Mexico* 1-8-01 L, 67-7514. 6,553 Sat. Colorado State* 1-19-02 W, 81-6915. 6,183 Sat. Eastern Wash. 11-23-02L, 70-7516. 6,171 Mon. Wyoming* 1-21-02 L, 85-88 (ot)17. 6,164 Sat. Utah* 1-16-99 L, 53-7918. 6,138 Sat. Hawai'i 12-14-02W, 60-49Opponent Associated Press/USA Today coaches pollnational ranking at game time left of team name.D - Indicates day game.* - Indicates conference game.^ - Indicates Cox Arena capacity

Senior Dominant
San Diego State's senior class of Tony Bland, Mike Mackell and Deandre Moore held the shorthanded Aztecs together early in the season when SDSU was thin on reserves. Through the first four games of the season, the trio averaged 46.3 points, accounted for nearly 60.1 percent of San Diego State's scoring, and also combined for 17.0 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.

But now that the Aztecs have 11 players averaging at least 8.1 minutes per game, the seniors are no less important, especially in conference play. Against Air Force, the trio combined for 32 of the Aztecs' 63 points, 15-of-29 rebounds and 8-of-12 assists. Then as the Aztecs snapped a 14-game losing streak to Utah, the seniors tallied 34-of-58 points, 19-of-38 rebounds and 6-of-9 assists. Those performances recalled the Nov. 30 contest at Cal Poly, perhaps the seniors' most important game of the season, when the Aztecs rallied from behind to gain their first victory of the season as the triumvirate accounted for 26 of the Aztecs' 31 second-half points.

Below is a look at what the three seniors have accomplished in each game this season.

Aztec SeniorsOpponent MP FG 3FG FT R F A TO B S TPEWU 103 15-36 2-11 11-13 15 11 6 8 0 1 43at UP 98 13-33 4-9 16-25 21 13 14 14 0 3 46at CP 109 18-41 3-6 13-20 20 5 8 5 2 5 52UCSD 81 16-31 7-12 5-8 12 3 15 4 0 2 44Arizona 95 19-37 4-9 5-7 15 10 9 9 0 5 47at LBSU 99 13-25 2-3 5-7 10 9 7 9 0 2 33Hawai'i 98 14-28 2-2 11-15 11 5 7 8 1 5 41at UH 87 13-26 2-8 11-15 9 5 7 8 0 6 39FAU 80 11-23 0-5 12-21 11 4 16 5 0 5 34IPFW 73 11-23 0-4 4-6 8 2 11 5 1 2 26LMU 89 15-30 0-4 14-18 3 7 8 6 1 2 44Tx Tech 73 14-32 2-7 2-5 9 7 6 13 0 2 32USD 81 12-24 1-3 11-21 9 7 12 10 1 0 36at AFA 103 11-20 2-4 8-8 15 5 8 5 0 3 32Utah 102 13-26 2-2 6-13 19 7 6 10 0 1 34BYU 102 16-30 5-9 15-20 12 11 6 8 2 0 52at UNM 87 14-22 1-3 2-2 4 8 7 8 2 6 31

The numbers are even more impressive when isolated to road games, in which the Aztec rotation has been tightened and the veterans have been depended upon for greater stretches. Bland, Mackell and Moore have combined for 233 points (56.7 percent of the Aztecs' 411 points on the road), 79-of-214 rebounds (36.9 percent) and 51-of-91 assists (56.0 percent). That works out to an average of 38.8 points, 13.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists in 97.2 minutes per game on the road.

Conversely in home games, the trio accounts for 53.5 percent of SDSU's points (433-of-810), 31.3 percent of rebounds (124-of-396 rebounds) and 59.0 percent of assists (102-of-173), translating to averages of 39.4 points, 11.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists in 89.6 minutes.

Aztec Seniors On The RoadOpponent MP FG 3FG FT R F A TO B S TPat UP 98 13-33 4-9 16-25 21 13 14 14 0 3 46at CP 109 18-41 3-6 13-20 20 5 8 5 2 5 52at LBSU 99 13-25 2-3 5-7 10 9 7 9 0 2 33at UH 87 13-26 2-8 11-15 9 5 7 8 0 6 39at AFA 103 11-20 2-4 8-8 15 5 8 5 0 3 32at UNM 87 14-22 1-3 2-2 4 8 7 8 2 6 31

Bench Points
When the Aztec roster received reinforcements beginning with the Dec. 7 Arizona game, the SDSU bench has stepped up its productivity and relieved some the scoring slack from the seniors and starting five. Through the first four games of the season, the Aztec bench had accounted for only 48 of the Aztecs' 308 points (15.6 percent), an average of 12 points per game. Since freshman Evan Burns (NCAA Initial Eligibility Waiver Committee ruling) and sophomore Chris Manker (NCAA 4-2-4 transfer rule) became eligible for the Arizona game and sophomore Travis Hanour (NCAA 4-2-4 transfer rule) joined the fold against Hawai'i, the Aztec reserves more than doubled their production by averaging 22.7 points per game (32.3 percent of SDSU's scoring) over the past 13 contests.

The following is a look at SDSU's bench production in each game this season as well as its averages over the first four games of the season and the last 13 contests.

First Four GamesOpponent MP FG 3FG FT R F A TO B S TPEWU 36 4-6 0-1 2-5 1 6 4 1 0 2 10at UP 52+ 6-12 2-6 3-5 11 15 5 6 0 1 17at CP 45 1-12 0-3 2-2 7 4 6 3 0 2 4UCSD 64 6-17 3-11 2-3 11 5 5 5 0 1 17
Last 13 GamesOpponent MP FG 3FG FT R F A TO B S TPArizona 58 9-22 2-9 1-2 10 9 9 5 2 2 21at LBSU 65 7-19 4-10 7-9 14 7 2 5 1 3 25Hawai'i 50 4-14 1-4 2-4 8 6 3 3 2 3 11at UH 57 5-17 3-10 0-2 10 5 4 3 1 0 13FAU 72 14-31 4-13 11-15 12 8 1 10 2 5 43IPFW 91 10-23 7-15 6-11 17 10 7 8 1 3 33LMU 58+ 8-13 2-5 2-2 14 5 3 2 4 5 20Tx Tech 76 9-19 4-11 0-1 11 9 5 6 1 2 22USD 78 12-25 3-7 7-12 12 15 3 4 1 1 34at AFA 62 10-16 3-6 2-2 7 5 2 6 0 2 25Utah 37+ 5-15 3-9 1-2 6 6 0 1 1 1 14BYU 59 7-16 2-7 0-0 10 10 1 5 0 1 16at UNM 63 7-14 2-5 2-3 13 10 7 5 1 1 18

Aerick the Great
Forward Aerick Sanders got his junior campaign off to a fast start by registering 11 or more rebounds in a span of 5-of-6 games. For the season, Sanders has tallied nine or more rebounds in 10 games.

Sanders was an impressive presence in the post against Houston Dec. 21, as he recorded his first career double-double with career-bests in points (12) and rebounds (14) as well as a career-high four assists.

Sanders is second in the Mountain West with 8.2 rebounds per game, including a league-leading 3.5 offensive rebounds, as well as the conference's sixth-most blocks at 1.1 per contest.

The 40 minutes of action for Sanders against Eastern Washington was not only a career-high, but was more court time than the junior saw in any two games last season (last season's high was 20 minutes, with his previous career mark of 24 minutes set during his freshman campaign).

Last season, Sanders blocked 29 shots to rank seventh in the Mountain West Conference, and just missed cracking the school's all-time top-10 list.

He recorded one block against New Mexico Saturday and he stands eighth on SDSU's career blocked shots list with 63.

Most Blocked Shots/CareerPl. Name, Years Blocked Shots To Tie1. Leonard Allen, 1982-85 2142. Michael Cage, 1981-84 1183. Joe McNaull, 1991-93 1144. Marcelo Correa, 1997-01 100 375. Rodney Hawkins, 1987-88 77 146. Eddy Gordon, 1980-83 71 87. Marty Dow, 1990-91 68 58. Aerick Sanders, 2001-02 639. Leon Carter, 1995-96 5810. Marc Carter, 1994-95 55

Moore is Better
Healthy for the first time since becoming an Aztec, Deandre Moore has overcome previous season injuries such as a separated shoulder and shin splints to participate in every practice this season.

That, coupled with a rigorous off-season workout schedule, has the Aztec point guard 16 pounds lighter than a season ago and playing some of the best basketball of his career.

Moore is averaging a career-high 8.3 points through 17 games this season while dispensing an average of 4.5 assists, second in the MWC. He has also been perhaps the Aztecs' most indispensible player thus far, playing a total of 530 minutes for an average of 31.2 per contest.

The Compton, Calif., native produced his best game of the season to date against the best competition. Against top-ranked Arizona Dec. 7, Moore scored 16 points and dished out eight assists while limiting preseason Wooden Award candidate Jason Gardner to nine points on 1-of-10 shooting.

Moore has played 35 or more minutes in six games in 2002. Last season, due to nagging injuries, Moore logged 35 minutes in only three of 33 games.

The senior guard broke the 300-assist barrier for his career against Portland and the Vanderbilt transfer entered the Aztecs' career top-10 list against Arizona. He has since moved into seventh place with 293 assists as an Aztec.

Most Assists/CareerPl. Name, Years Assists To Tie1. Tony Gwynn, 1978-81 5902. Chad Nelson, 1994-97 4123. Mark Delsman, 1974-77 3764. Anthony Watson, 1983-86 356 635. Keith Smith, 1982-83 349 566. Dean Decker, 1977-78 307 147. Deandre Moore, 2001-02 2938. Ray Leary, 1974-76 2799. Mike Dodd, 1976-79 27710. Creon Dorsey, 1985-86 263Top Two Scorers Gone, No Problem for Fisher
Some might see the departure of the Aztecs' top two scoring averages from the 2001-02 season - Al Faux (17.0 ppg) and Randy Holcomb (16.9 ppg) - as a problem, but Steve Fisher has overcome scoring departures in the past to produce big seasons.

Three times in his coaching career Fisher has had his top two scorers depart, but all three times he has led his team back to the postseason the following year.

In the 1990-91 season, Fisher lost his entire starting five, including Rumeal Robinson and Terry Mills, off a squad that went 23-8 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That season, Fisher guided his squad to the NIT.

In 1994-95, Fisher overcame the losses of Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard to put the Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament.

Most recently, in 1995-96, Fisher lost Ray Jackson and Jimmy King but still put together a 20-win season and guided Michigan to the NCAA Tournament.

The Great Turnaround
Steve Fisher and the Aztecs' journey from perennial basement dweller to NCAA Tournament team is made all the more remarkable by the speed at which the turnaround was achieved.

Just three years ago in 1999-2000, the Aztecs won only five games, and two years ago in 2000-01, San Diego State finished seventh in the conference.

As if going from 5-23 in 1999-00 to 14-14 in 2000-01 wasn't enough, in the 2001-02 season the Aztecs went 21-12 for the second-highest win total in the school's Division I history.

Other accomplishments of the 2002 NCAA Tournament team:

• San Diego State made it to the postseason for just the fifth time in the school's 33 Division I seasons. The Aztecs advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1975, 1976 and 1985 and to the postseason NIT in 1982, prior to participating in the Big Dance in March of 2002.
• The RPI is one barometer that shows the program's dramatic rise. For the seven seasons from 1993-94 to 1999-00, San Diego State had an average final RPI of 190. In the 2000-01 season, the Aztecs jumped to 154 in the final RPI. In 2001-02 ,the Aztecs jumped more than 100 positions in the ratings and ended the regular season at number 39 in the RPI, ahead of perennial powers such as Notre Dame (41), Villanova (43), Arkansas (46), Virginia (50), UNLV (51), Missouri (54), Louisville (61), Fresno State (64), Purdue (100), North Carolina (119), Seton Hall (125) and Michigan (142).
• With 21 victories last season, San Diego State posted its highest single-season victory total since the 1984-85 team went to the NCAA tournament and finished 23-8. This marked the third consecutive year, all under Steve Fisher, that the Aztecs bettered their win total from the previous season (4 to 5 to 14 to 21). The 21 victories are the second-highest victory total of the Division I era (beginning with the 1970-71 season) and surpasses the school's total in the previous two seasons combined.
• The Aztecs posted consecutive .500 or better seasons for the first time since the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons. The Aztecs, who went 14-14 in 2000-01, were 21-12 in 2001-02. Prior to the last two seasons, SDSU went 147-280 in the 15 seasons between the two winning stretches. The Aztecs averaged 9.8 wins between the 1985-86 and the 1999-00 seasons.
• The Aztecs finished league play with a 7-7 record, marking the first time SDSU finished .500 in conference action since the 1984-85 team claimed second in the WAC with an 11-5 mark. In the previous 15 seasons, the Aztecs averaged 3.9 league wins. After finishing no better than sixth place in a conference (Western Athletic or Mountain West) since the 1984-85 campaign and having an average finish of 7.7 in the previous 16 seasons, the Aztecs claimed a share of fourth place in the MWC in 2001-02.
• San Diego State set a school record in the 2001-02 season in both total home attendance (92,475) and average home attendance (6,165). In 15 home games, San Diego State shattered the previous school record for highest average, set back in 1981-82 when SDSU averaged 4,824. The 2001-02 average was a 36.1 percent increase over the previous season and a remarkable 135.4 percent increase over Steve Fisher's first season (1999-2000).
• The success on the court has generated media coverage unparalleled in the program's history. The Aztecs made a school-record 25 appearances on live television during the 2001-02 season, a marked increase over the year before Fisher's arrival, the 1998-99 campaign, when SDSU was on television nine times. In addition, San Diego State made the first two network television appearances in the program's history. In 2002-03, the SDSU regular-season schedule includes 20 live television appearances.
• Below is a look at the Aztecs' records since the start of the 2000-01 campaign. The record on the right shows how many games it took San Diego State to win the same number of games prior to the 2000-01 season.

The Difference: Since/Before the '00-01 Season
Record Since BeforeRecord 46-32 46-87Conference 13-19 13-52Home Record 31-12 31-36Away/Neutral 15-20 15-64