So the season isn't going great. Let's face it, we suck in the MWC this year. Tough Shit. The season isn't over until you're eliminated in the Conference Tourney, and there's still 7 games left to improve your seed. Seven games to get into the top five and avoid playing four straight days. Today presents an excellent opportunity to start moving in the right direction.
The Tekkies are on the road against #23 Nevada (5pm on ESPN 2) who will be without their best player- Caleb Martin- who is out indefinitely with an injury. The Wolf Pack are coming off a tough loss to UNLV, and dropped to a 0-4 record while being ranked this season. Time to adjust that to 0-5.
Sure, the Aztecs last time out wasn't that great either. Fresno St. out played and out coached SDSU, and playing a second game on the road in a row is tough in any conference. But Nevada is down to seven healthy scholarship players, with their tallest guys being 6'7." All the pressure is on the Wolf Pack.
I am going to cover some keys to the game that can lead the Aztecs to victory.
Attack the Paint
I mentioned that Nevada has seven players right? And that the biggest of the bunch is only six-seven? So its simple: get the ball inside. Guards need to be aggressive in penetrating the defense and creating contact. Get the ball to Pope and McDaniels in the hi/low post and let them go to work. It doesn't matter how the ball gets to the paint, just get it there early and often and get the Wolf Pack in foul trouble.
Use Depth
Trey Kell has missed the last two games with an ankle injury and is doubtful to play today. Still, the Aztecs need to use their depth to tire out Nevada. Rooks, Schakel, and Montana all need to have effective games.
Rooks needs to be physical and wear down the few bigs that Nevada carries. Schakel is one of my favorite players on the roster. He looks to take charges, knows his role, and can knock down the three. Montana will help stretch the floor and open up driving lanes that might not otherwise be there, and of course look to knock down shots from outside.
Nolan Narain can even help with 6-8 effective minutes playing an enforcer type role.
Change Tempo
Since Nevada is guard heavy, I wouldn't suggest playing a consistent full court game. That doesn't mean you can't pick spots to pick up the pace to wear down their lack of depth. A shadow press can be effective (contain rather than trap) because it forces the other guards to think while bringing the ball up.
Long shots lead to long rebounds. Nevada shot 28% from 3pt vs UNLV jacking it up 28 times. If the Aztecs can grab those boards and push the ball up the court when the opportunity presents itself, it could lead to some easy transition points.
After today, the Aztecs have four winnable games in a row: two games at home vs Wyoming and UNLV, followed by road trips to Air Force and San Jose St. A win today can be a turning point in the season.
Plenty of time to gain momentum for the MWC Tourney, a place where the Aztecs history speaks for itself. Anything can happen in March.
#GoAztecs
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