While NFL football will rule the day without question, there is a game on the hardwood of college basketball that should also draw some interest. San Diego State takes its act on the road for a very interesting matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks today. We’ll see if the Aztecs can bang with a team as talented and deep as Kansas.
These teams are built in very similar fashions and each possess tremendous depth. Their front courts, however, are clearly what stands out the most.
Kansas features Andrew Wiggins to go along with mammoth center Joel Embiid. They also have a nice collection of power forwards to throw at the opposition. For the Aztecs, they have several 6’8 bodies who can attack you in a multitude of ways. Skylar Spencer is 6’10 and a viable candidate to match up with Embiid down low.
Winston Shepard will be an interesting matchup for Wiggins in particular. While Wiggins has the length to contain him, Shepard also has the ability to attack him down low and in the mid range area in ways which could lead to foul trouble. J.J. O’Brien and Josh Davis can also mix it up on the low block in this game, and that will be critical if the Aztecs want to grab a win at Allen Fieldhouse.
San Diego State is very versatile defensively and they communicate while staying disciplined. They won’t allow Kansas to run up big scoring numbers regardless of location.
But in order to win this game, they have to play better offensively. Their issue here will be Kansas’ own length and ability to play a similar style which ultimately fits the way they are built anyway.
SDSU is only 273 nationally in two point field goal percentage. A big portion of their offense comes down to being able to attack the glass and get junk baskets on second chance opportunities. Kansas defense is built to stop that as they have been solid on the defensive glass in most of their match-ups.
Kansas has to get better productivity from their guards and in particular their guards off the bench. San Diego State can force turnovers because they are excellent at understanding passing angles defensively. If San Diego State can do that here and get transition buckets, it will help their offense.
This number opened at nine and moved to 9.5. If it were north of ten the Aztecs would have more value, but this game will be tough for either side. San Diego State is no joke and will play them tough, but this number is pretty fair given the likelihood that this spread would be about six on a neutral floor.
