A lot of things happened Friday night. The frenzied anticipation for Aztec basketball building up in the student body for eight months was finally let out in a deafening, hormone-fueled “I Believe” chant.
Also, San Diego State men’s basketball’s 2013-14 Mountain West championship and Sweet 16 banners were hung in a pregame ceremony.
Then SDSU saw off a feisty California State University, Northridge team 79-58.
But it wasn’t the blowout people predicted due to a well-coached and undermanned CSUN squad that forced the Aztecs to throw out their usual game-day script of great defense and mediocre offense.
SDSU played a great game, but the team exposed another weakness — a weakness that could be critical on Tuesday when No. 25 University of Utah comes to town.
Don’t get me wrong, the Aztecs’ stifling defense showed up against the Matadors. It forced 17 turnovers, 11 of which counted as steals for the Aztecs.
And because of SDSU’s discipline on defense, something head coach Steve Fisher emphasized in last week’s press conference, the Matadors made just 8-15 free throws — a far cry from the amount they made last year as the Division I’s second-ranked team in successful free throws.
But in transition defense, CSUN exposed the Aztecs’ inexperience.
Time and time again the Matadors blew by SDSU on the fast break, grabbing a 12-8 edge on fast break points. They could’ve had more if not for bad turnovers on their part and timely blocks by Aztecs’ junior forward Skylar Spencer.
Plainly stated, CSUN’s fast break buckets were easy, partly due to the deadly duo of senior forwards Stephen Maxwell and Stephan Hicks.
Along with SDSU’s first-game rustiness on transition defense, the transition offense left much to be desired, too. Players frequently found themselves wondering where to go on fast breaks, which led to missed opportunities for the Aztecs.
Never fear — SDSU responded to the fast break snafu with an aggressive all-out attack of the basket. Forty of the Aztecs’ 79 points were scored in the paint and SDSU made 26 trips to the charity stripe.
But the most telling statistic was the 17-5 advantage in second chance points. That’s where senior forward J.J. O’Brien and sophomore guard Dakarai Allen came in. Allen might’ve only had six points and four rebounds, but most of his production was timely. First it was an offensive rebound and put-back bucket with one second left on the shot clock.
As soon as CSUN switched to a zone defense, O’Brien suddenly looked like a man among boys, driving and scoring inside along with the rebounding. His presence, along with senior guard Aqeel Quinn’s — who led the Aztecs with 15 points — will be crucial on Tuesday against a tough Utah squad that’s likely salivating to go up against the emerging SDSU defense.
Read the postgame recap to the game between the Aztecs and Matadors here.
