Senior Night Whiteout! Wyoming vs. #18 SDSU: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction
The Aztecs play to clinch the Mountain West regular season title on senior night, during a whiteout. Viejas Arena is going to be electric.
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On Senior night the Aztecs honor Matt Bradley, Aguek Arop, Adam Seiko, Nathan Mensah and . . . Keshad Johnson???
WHEN: Saturday, March 4th – 7:00 p.m. PST / 10:00 p.m. EST
WHERE: Viejas Arena- San Diego, CA (Capacity 12,414)
WATCH: CBSSN
RADIO: San Diego Sports 760 / SiriusXM App ch. 968
SERIES RECORD: San Diego State and Wyoming meet for the 91st time Wednesday evening. The Aztecs hold a 49-41 series advantage. The Aztecs have won nine straight.
LAST MEETING: The Aztecs defeated the Cowboys 80-75 in Laramie, Wyoming, on Saturday, January 7th, 2023.
WEBSITES: GoAztecs.com, the official San Diego State athletics website; GoWyo.com, the official Wyoming athletics website.
ODDS: SDSU -14.5
OVER/UNDER: 135.5
San Diego, CA – It’s Senior Night at Viejas Arena, and there’s a blizzard in the forecast. The No. 18 SDSU Aztecs (23-6, 14-3 MW) host the Wyoming Cowboys (9-20, 4-13 MW) for the second of a two-game series and for both teams’ regular season finale.
The Aztecs sustained a stunning and heartbreaking 66-60 loss against Leon Rice’s Broncos at ExtraMile Arena in Boise on Tuesday, February 28th, after Max Rice caught fire and spearheaded a late 12-0 run. The Broncos needed the Tuesday victory to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
History dictates that the Aztecs have a tradition of hammering the opponent they face following a loss, and if this remains true tonight, on senior night, in front of a sold out blizzard on the Mesa, things could get dicey for the Cowboys fast as the Aztecs pay it forward.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, defeated Nevada by a score of 80-71 in their last game, turning heads and reminding everybody that, in the Mountain West Conference, even last-place teams demand respect.
Tip-off on Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. PST, and the Aztecs open as 14.5-point favorites, as they look for the conference play sweep of the Cowboys.
Who will win? Let’s take a closer look.
Why The Cowboys Will Win
The Wyoming Cowboys moved to 9-20 (4-13 MW) this season after they defeated Nevada by a score of 80-71 in their last game.
Wyoming shot 48.9% from the field and made 10 three’s in the win.
The Wyoming Cowboys are averaging 69.6 points per game, 71.7 points against per game, 32.1 rebounds per game, and 11.2 assists per game.
Hunter Maldonado has led the Cowboys this season with 15.3 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 4.1 assists per game. Wyoming is shooting 44.5% from the field, 71.3% on free throws, and 34.8% on three pointers this year.
The Cowboys will ignite the arc if the Aztecs fail to defend the three, and that could be a momentum builder if not managed carefully.
Why The Aztecs Will Win
The San Diego State Aztecs lost to Boise State by a score of 66-60 in their last game, just as the Aztecs were looking forward to the prospect of being a four-seed in the NCAA Tourney, where they are squarely placed. Now, it may look more like a six or seven seed, unless they take the Mountain West Tournament title, which is more than possible.
San Diego State shot 43.1% from the field and was -11 in rebounding margin in their Boise loss. The Aztecs are averaging 73.1 points per game, 64.9 points against per game, 35.1 rebounds per game, and 13.7 assists per game.
Matt Bradley has led the Aztecs this season with 13.1 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, and 2.2 assists per game. SDSU is shooting 45.3% from the field, 72.8% on free throws, and 36% on three pointers this year.
The Aztecs have the the offensive capability, their elite brand of defense and the deepest bench in the conference. They also have home court, and their sold-out arena will be a maniacal whiteout.
On Senior Night, so the Aztecs will play with a lot of emotion and intention, as so many marquee players suit up for their last home game in an Aztecs uniform in front of their beloved home crowd.
What Will Happen
The Cowboys will give a full-bore effort, intent on capturing one more win and shocking the Aztec home fan base, while spoiling the SDSU’s outright Mountain West Conference regular season title.
It simply isn’t enough, however, and the Aztecs will channel their power, energy and emotion into one last solid conference victory.
The Aztecs will win decisively, sweeping the Cowboys, and clinching the outright Mountain West regular season title in front of a sold out crowd.
Final Score: SDSU 78, Wyoming 64
