March 12, 2011
LAS VEGAS -
No. 7/6 SDSU-No. 8 BYU Game Notes in PDF Format | SDSU Broadcast Flip in PDF Format
Aztecs Go For League-Record Fourth MWC Tournament Championship; Face Brigham Young in a Matchup of Top 10 Teams and Regular-Season Co-Champs
San Diego State, which is tied with Kansas for the most victories in America (31), looks for a record fourth Mountain West Conference tournament championship on Saturday when the No. 7/6 San Diego State (31-2 overall; 14-2 MWC) faces No. 8/8 Brigham Young (31-3 overall; 14-2 MWC) for the 2011 Conoco MWC Championship.
Game time is set for 4 p.m. PT and the contest will be televised nationally in high definition by VERSUS. The game can also be heard on radio in Southern California on AM 600 KOGO.
The Aztecs advanced to their fifth tournament final in the last 10 seasons by eliminating the host-school UNLV Runnin' Rebels for the third straight year, this time by a 74-72 score. Senior guard D.J. Gay sank a short jumper with 4.9 seconds left to break a 72-all tie and lift the Aztecs to the victory. Gay ended the game with 15 points and played all 40 minutes in the contest. Joining Gay in double-figures were sophomore forward Kawhi Leonard (18 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots, two steals), senior forward Malcolm Thomas (13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals) and senior forward Billy White (12 points, three rebounds, two assists).
The victory extended several impressive streaks, including a 40-game winning streak over unranked teams at game time, eight-game winning streak playing in Las Vegas, six straight wins at the Thomas & Mack Center (three of which have been over UNLV) and a school-record fifth consecutive win over the Rebels.
The Aztecs are looking for their sixth Mountain West basketball title. San Diego State claimed the regular season title in 2002, shared the crown this season (2011) and has won three MWC tournament titles (in 2002, 2006, 2010). SDSU is making its third consecutive appearance in the championship game, matching the league record set by the Rebels in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The Aztecs are looking to repeat and join UNLV (2007 and 2008) as the only schools to win consecutive MWC titles.
San Diego State and Brigham Young are meeting for the 71st time with the Cougars owning a 48-22 series advantage. The Cougars swept the season series, claiming a pair of 13-point victories. BYU won 71-58 in Provo on Jan. 26 and 80-67 in San Diego on Feb. 26. The Cougars and Aztecs are both ranked among the top-10 teams in both major polls for the third consecutive meeting.
Although SDSU has struggled against Brigham Young this season, not all of the stats are bad. Leonard is averaging 19.5 points and 14.0 rebounds against BYU this season and in his career is averaging 14.5 points and 11.0 rebounds. Gay has committed just one turnover in 72 minutes of action against the Cougars this season. SDSU has outrebounded Brigham Young, 81-68, in the two encounters this season.
This is the fourth time the teams have met on a neutral court with all three previous neutral site encounters coming in the MWC tournament. In 2002, the Aztecs claimed a 62-51 victory in the quarterfinals en route to winning the title. In 2008, the Cougars were 63-54 victors. In 2009, SDSU got revenge, knocking off BYU, 64-62, in the semifinal round.