The undefeated San Diego State Aztecs (23-0, 12-0 MWC) look to stretch their already impressive record to yet another game. The Aztecs remain the No. 4 team in the AP Poll and No. 1 in the NET Rankings.
They’ll face the struggling Air Force Falcons who stand at 9-14 on the season. San Diego State leads the all-time series 57-24.
The Aztecs have a legitimate chance of going undefeated throughout the regular season and Mountain West tournament with a perfect record and a No. 1 seed heading into March Madness.
No team in Mountain West history has ever been a top seed in the tournament. In fact, the highest seed a Mountain West team has ever gotten to in the tournament was the 2010-11 San Diego State team that entered with a No. 2 seed.
According to an ESPN report, the Aztecs have about a 64% chance of going undefeated into the NCAA tournament. However, the majority of college basketball experts expect the Aztecs to enter the tournament as the only unscathed team in the nation.
The last team that went undefeated through the regular season was the 2017 Gonzaga team who reached the national championship game.
The Aztecs are 91% favorites heading into this one, although they only lead the series, 20-17, when the two teams face off in Colorado Springs.
Air Force forward Lavelle Scottie leads the Falcons with 15.3 points per game and 5.4 rebounds.
On the other side, an extremely balanced Aztec team is led by superstar Malachi Flynn, veteran Yanni Wetzell and solid forward Matt Mitchell among others.
Flynn has been getting a lot of national attention lately, including mentions for the Wooden Player of the Year Award. Flynn leads the team with 16.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and two steals per game. Flynn is also top three in the nation in assists-to-turnover ratio.
Wetzell averages 12 points and 6.5 rebounds while junior Matt Mitchell averages 12 points and 4.6 rebounds. Most recently, Mitchell led the team by scoring 28 points in the Aztecs’ comeback win vs. Utah State Feb. 1.
The match-up to watch in this one will be forwards Matt Mitchell and Lavelle Scottie.
Coach Brian Dutcher of the San Diego State Aztecs told XTRA 1360 this week that Aztecs forward Nathan Mensah, who was expected to be out for the remainder of the season, could be healthy as soon as the Mountain West Tournament in early March.
Mensah would be a huge addition for the Aztecs seeing as their points allowed improve dramatically with Mensah in the lineup, and he is a shot-blocking machine.
It would also allow Aztecs forward Yanni Wetzell to return to his role where he is most comfortable at the four-spot rather than the big man in the lineup.
The game will tip-off at 5 p.m. PT at Clune Arena Saturday night in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It will be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network.