While the majority of the students at San Diego State are gearing up for the holidays and winter break, the SDSU men’s basketball team is gearing up for Western Athletic Conference play.
There’s no better preparation than a non-conference tilt against No. 11 Stanford and its All-American center Tim Young.
“They’re a top-20 team, probably even a top-10 team,” SDSU head coach Fred Trenkle said. “We’re just going to try and somehow control their size and make it a possession game.
“We’re just going to try and give it all we got and play as long (and) as hard as we can.”
While the game against Stanford is certainly a big one, the Jan. 3 game against Tulsa is when the Aztecs’ schedule begins to take on a whole different meaning. That’s when SDSU plays the first of its 16 WAC games this season.
After coming up one game short of qualifying for the WAC Tournament last season, Trenkle and the Aztecs know that every conference game counts.
“We have several big games during the break, and certainly every one of them is important to us,” Trenkle said. “The games definitely get more important, though, once WAC starts.”
Here’s a quick look at the Aztecs’ opponents during Winter break:
Dec. 16 ? Stanford at Cox Arena
This will be SDSU’s stiffest challenge over the break. Led by Young, the Cardinals possess perhaps the tallest front court in the nation.
Flanking Young at the forward positions are freshman twins Jarron and Jason Collins. The 6-foot-10 Jason Collins’ status is uncertain at this time for the game against SDSU. The freshman out of North Hollywood sprained his ankle two weeks ago and was listed as being out for three weeks.
Dec. 19 ? Southern California College at Cox Arena
This is just the third meeting ever between the two West Coast schools, with the Aztecs holding a 2-0 edge. Not to be confused with the Pac-10’s USC, the Vanguards play in the Golden State Athletic Conference. With SCC’s enrollment of just 1,200, this should be a game SDSU takes control of and puts away early.
Dec. 23 ? Long Beach State
at the Pyramid (Long Beach)
The 49ers lost all five starters from a year ago, including leading scorer James Cotton. In fact, Wayne Morgan and Long Beach State have just two players returning from last year’s squad. Nonetheless, this is a road game, and the Pyramid isn’t exactly the easiest place to play.
Jan. 3 ? Tulsa at the Tulsa Convention Center Arena
Although All-American guard Shea Seals has moved on to the NBA, and head coach Steve Robinson has moved on to Florida State, the Golden Hurricane will still be a force to be reckoned with.
New head coach Bill Self inherits a team that lost just two players from last season’s squad. Junior forward Michael Ruffin and senior guard Rod Thompson headline a list of 10 returners.
Jan. 5 ? Air Force at the Clune Arena (Colorado Springs)
If there’s one word that could describe Air Force this season it would be experience. Falcons head coach Reggie Minton returns all five starters and seven of the top eight scorers from last year’s squad that finished 7-19.
Senior guard Jarmica Reese averaged 17.2 points per game last season and is currently putting up 26.2 points per game. Minton always has his Falcons at the top of their game when they play at home.
Jan. 10 ? Hawaii at Cox Arena
The Rainbow Warriors and head coach Riley Wallace make their annual visit to San Diego and bring with them one of the best point guards in the country, Anthony Carter.
Carter, the reigning WAC Pacific Division Player of the Year, combines with senior guard Alika Smith to form one of the best backcourts in the WAC.
The match-up of SDSU guards Jason Richey and Matt Watts against Carter and Smith is worth the price of admission.
Jan. 15 ? Southern Methodist at Cox Arena
The Mustangs transfer into the Pacific Division this season after a year in the Mountain as part of the rotating quadrant installed when the WAC expanded last year.
SMU is led by 6-foot-10 forward Jay Poerner. The senior is averaging 15.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season, and is the main reason the Mustangs are off to a 5-1 start. Poerner’s size is likely to cause the undersized and undermanned Aztecs numerous problems down low.
Jan. 17 ? Texas Christian at Cox Arena
Without a doubt this is the game you don’t want to miss. The reason: TCU head coach Billy Tubbs brings his high-scoring Horned Frogs into town in what should be a basketball fan’s delight.
Led by the backcourt of Mike Jones (29.2 points per game) and Malcolm Johnson (22.3 ppg), TCU is one of the highest scoring and most exciting teams in the country.
With a roster of just 10 players, the big question for the Aztecs will be whether or not they can keep up with the pressing Horned Frogs for 40 minutes.
