Feb. 23, 2017
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Men's Basketball Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card
NEWS AND NOTES (through Feb. 22)
* San Diego State, the three-time defending Mountain West regular-season champions, opens the final eight days of the regular season on Saturday afternoon with a road game at MW co-leading Colorado State.
* The Aztecs, currently in sixth place in the league standings but just a 1/2-game out of fourth place, look to move into the top five of the conference to receive a first-round bye at the Mountain West Championship.
* San Diego State's three-game winning streak was snapped on Wednesday in a 63-55 loss against Fresno State. The Aztecs shot just 34.6 percent from the field and made only eight second-half field goals. Nonetheless, a 10-0 SDSU run closed the deficit to one point with 7:32 to play, but the Aztecs were not able to regain the lead.
* San Diego State is now 2-8 this season in games decided by eight points or less. Prior to this season, the Aztecs were 50-22 in games decided by six points or less or in overtime. One of those losses was a 78-77 decision to Colorado State on Jan. 28.
* Junior forward Malik Pope, who has accounted for nine of SDSU's 28 missed games this season due to injury, is averaging 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals during his last eight games. During that span, he is shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range.
* Pope has posted outstanding numbers against the Rams. In six career games against Colorado State, the junior has averaged 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, while connecting on 27-of-43 attempts from the field (62.8 percent) and 8-of-11 from three-point range (72.7 percent). He scored a career-high 22 points at Moby Arena on Jan. 24, 2015, and tallied 19 points against the Rams earlier this season.
* Sophomore guard Jeremy Hemsley posted his season-high-tying fifth consecutive double-digit scoring game with 13 points against Fresno State. In his last five games, Hemsley is averaging 14.0 points, 1.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds on 50.9-percent shooting.
* Long known as one of the best defensive players in the country (see page 47 of the media guide), senior guard Dakarai Allen continued his recent offensive outburst Wednesday with a team-high-tying 13 points against the Bulldogs. In his last eight games, he is averaging 10.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists. During that stretch, he has made 31-of-54 attempts from the floor (57.4 percent).
* Allen leads all MW players in effective field-goal percentage in league games at 62.8 percent (minimum 3 FGM per game).
* Once again, San Diego State is the top-ranked defensive unit in the conference. In MW games only, the Aztecs rank first in points allowed (65.3), field-goal percentage defense (39.9 percent) and blocked shots (4.9 bpg, tied), and second in steals (6.9 spg). 
* In each of the last three seasons, SDSU has led the Mountain West (all games) in points allowed per game and field-goal percentage defense. The Aztecs this season own the top defense in terms of points allowed (63.5) and field-goal percentage defense (39.3).
* Despite an 8-7 league record, SDSU still owns a +52 scoring margin in MW games. In four of its seven defeats, it has owned a lead of at least 11 points and in the other three games it had a seven-point advantage in two games and had a shot at the buzzer to force overtime.
* San Diego State is third in the league in conference scoring margin at +3.5.
* KenPom lists the Aztecs as the 15th "unluckiest" team in the country (a measure of a team's actual winning percentage and what one would expect from its game-by-game efficiencies). Among the 15 unluckiest teams in the nation, SDSU is one of only three with a winning record (also: Indiana and Utah).