SAN DIEGO – San Diego State senior guard Matt Bradley, in leading the Aztecs to a 3-0 record in the final week of the regular season, was named the Mountain West Player of the Week yesterday and on Monday was recognized as the ESPN National Player of the Week and Andy Katz's NCAA Digital March Madness Player of the Week.
The San Bernardino, Calif., native averaged 26.7 points, 7.0 rebound and 2.3 assists last week. He was 24-of-48 from the field (50.0 percent), 8-of-19 from distance (42.1 percent) and knocked down 24-of-29 attempts from the charity stripe (82.8 percent).
In the three games: at Wyoming on Monday, vs. Fresno State on Thursday and at Nevada on Saturday he totaled 80 points, marking the second time this season, in a three-game stretch he scored 80 or more points. Bradley scored 81 points in three games from Feb. 4-9, the most since Jamaal Franklin scored 84 in three games from Feb. 25-March 3, 2012.
The Aztecs started the week in Laramie Wyo., where Bradley led all scorers with 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field, hit 5-of-9 triples and sank 5-of-7 free throws. He snatched five rebounds and led the team with four assists on the way to a 73-66 win. It is the only loss the Cowboys suffered at home this season and snapped a 14-game win streak for Wyoming on its home floor.
On Thursday night, in an epic double overtime win over Fresno State, Bradley recorded his first double-double as an Aztec with a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. He was successful on 8-of-18 shots, including a 2-of-7 mark from beyond the arc and sank 8-of-10 free throws. His 10 boards matched a career-best and he added a pair of assists, a steal and a block as the Aztecs defeated the Bulldogs 65-64.
Less than 48 hours later, San Diego State was in Reno for its final regular season game, a matchup against the Wolf Pack. The transfer from Cal, who earlier in the week announced that he would be returning to San Diego State next year, was 6-of-10 from the floor, including a 3-pointer and knocked down 11-of-12 free throws, including a pair with just 26 seconds remaining to give SDSU a 79-75 lead. Bradley shared the team lead with six rebounds and had an assist, as San Diego State held off a furious rally from Nevada to win 79-78.
This is the first time Bradley has been recognized as player of the week by either outlet and is the first time an Aztec has been recognized by either this year.
San Diego State next plays at 8:30 p.m. PT on Thursday, March 10, in the quarterfinal game of the 2022 Mountain West Men's Basketball Championship at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Aztecs, the No. 3-seed, will face the winner of the first-round game between No. 6-seed Fresno State and No. 11-seed San Jose State, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT p.m. on Wednesday, March 10. San Diego State's quarterfinal game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
-SDSU-