SDSU at Colorado State
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Moby Arena, Fort Collins, Colo.
On the air: CBS Sports Network; 760-AM
Records: SDSU is 15-5 (8-3); Colorado State is 14-8 (8-3)
Series history: SDSU leads 32-14 and has won six of the last seven, including 75-60 at Viejas Arena on Jan. 14. The lone loss in that stretch is 79-71 at Moby Arena last year.
Aztecs update: The winner will claim outright possession of third place in the league. The Aztecs remain two games behind first-place New Mexico (11-1) in the loss column, but the good news is they’re in solid position for finishing in the top five and getting a first-round bye in the Mountain West tournament. The conference race has split into upper and lower divisions, with fifth-place Boise State (8-4) entering Friday’s games with a three-game lead over sixth place. In the Jan. 14 game against the Rams, Miles Byrd had a breakout game (25 points, six rebounds, seven steals) against Colorado State wing Nique Clifford (11 points, 1 of 8 on 3s), considered the league’s top NBA prospect at the time. That vaulted Byrd into the NBA Draft conversation, with 13 scouts in attendance. Afterwards, Byrd said: “I’m more worried about going to Colorado State, because I know he’ll be coming stronger. That’s all I’ll say about that.” The Jan. 14 game was also the beginning of Magoon Gwath’s emergence, with nine points and seven rebounds. In the last three games, the 7-foot forward is averaging 17.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks (and has been named Mountain West Freshman of the Week twice). The Aztecs will stay on the road and fly from Denver to San Jose ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Spartans.
Rams update: They won four straight after losing at Viejas Arena before Wednesday’s 87-65 setback at New Mexico. It’s hard to get a fair gauge on their conference record, having played arguably the easiest schedule through the first half. Still left are a pair of games against second-place Utah State and one at Boise State. After his rough night at Viejas Arena, Clifford responded with games of 23, 20, 24 and 22 points. He also has had five or more assists in each of the last five games, flirting with a triple-double. He is third in the Mountain West in scoring (17.3), second in rebounding (9.6) and fifth in assists (4.2). He’s also the only Division I player with at least 380 points, 200 rebounds and 90 assists this season. A key for the undersized Rams is getting a solid night from 6-7, 250-pound Austrian forward Rashaan Mbemba. He had 17 points, second most this season, in the loss at New Mexico. Sophomore guard Kyan Evans is averaging 10.8 points and shooting 46.2% behind the arc in his last 12 games. Guard Jalen Lake (12.3 points) had a team-high 15 points at Viejas Arena, as he and Evans combined to make seven 3s. Colorado State is 75th in Kenpom, which predicts a 67-66 Aztecs win. The Rams have dropped to 82nd in the NET, which makes this a Quad 2 game for SDSU (they’d need to be in the top 75 to qualify as a Quad 1).
Next up: Tuesday at San Jose State (8 p.m., CBSSN)
