Feb. 3, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
By Mick McGrane, @GoAztecs Senior Writer
Steve Fisher isn't about to demand quiet in the midst of the din, isn't about to hush the hubbub that accompanies accomplishment.
Rather, while he will never let fun fully take precedent over focus, neither will he deny his team the right to thump its chest and revel in its roll.
"We want people to say, 'Can they keep it going? Can they continue to be lucky?' said Fisher, whose team won its 10th straight Tuesday night in a 69-67 victory over Colorado State that was not absent of extended stretches of anxiety. "We want to win and we want to talk about it."
Rave on.
As their lead in the Mountain West lengthens and the bullseye on their backs broadens, the Aztecs merely eye the next milestone. Their 10-0 start in league play (17-6 overall) equals the mark established by Fisher's 2013-14 squad, which finished 31-5 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
And while much work remains before any comparison of the teams is even considered, there is no less confidence emanating from a group that has put together the sixth-longest win streak in school history.
A streak that leaned perilously close to snapping Tuesday night before SDSU erased a three-point deficit with 2:51 to play by outscoring CSU 7-2 over the final 2:16. During that span, the Aztecs, again one of the elite defensive teams in the country, forced three of the Rams' 12 total turnovers.
"Sometimes, on the road to the championship, it's tough," said senior forward Winston Shepard, who scored 10 of his 14 points following intermission and finished in double figures for the third straight game. "If we lose this game, nobody says, 'Oh, I feel sorry for them.' So, we just have to go out there and keep doing what we do. Every game presents different challenges. ...Good teams find a way to win. I think we're a good team right now."
Few are better. Entering last night's contest, only five teams in the nation had won more consecutive games than the Aztecs, who dating back to last season have now won 12 straight regular-season contests against MW opponents, extending a school record.
And the signs hardly point to a slowdown. There is the continuing emergence of sophomore guard Trey Kell, who led the Aztecs in scoring (19) for the fourth time in five games and posted his career-high 10th straight double-figure scoring game. There is the exuberance and moxie of freshman point guard Jeremy Hemsley, who had 16 points and has scored in double figures in 19 of the team's 23 games. There is the steady senior leadership of Shepard and center Skylar Spencer.
And during a season that has sometimes tested the patience of his coaches and undoubtedly his own, sophomore forward Malik Pope, who has routinely been a thorn in the side of CSU, contributed 10 points and five rebounds and tied a career high with three blocks, the biggest coming on a block of Rams guard Joe De Ciman (team-high 17 points) with 1:22 left.
There is also a defense that limited an opponent to less than 43.0 percent shooting for the 16th straight time and a remaining schedule that features only three teams (New Mexico, Fresno State and Boise State) currently boasting of winning records in league play.
The Aztecs may not run the table, but their seat, at least at the moment, is a prized one.
"We want to win the league going away," Fisher said. "Nobody probably thinks it will happen. But we like where we are right now. Human nature is to pull for the underdog, and, right now, because of our record, we're the favorite. And I like that. And I want our kids to like that."
Rave on.