On a Saturday evening, the undefeated San Diego State Aztecs, who were no. 4 in the country at the time, hosted the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels and after a horrible performance, they suffered their first loss of the season, ending a 26-game winning-streak.
On that same day, the no. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs and no. 1 Baylor Bears also lost, so a win would’ve likely put the Aztecs at no. 2 in the country.
Unfortunately, the 66-63 home loss dropped the Aztecs to no. 5 and an even smaller chance of getting the top seed in the West Region over Gonzaga.
However, this loss isn’t the end of the Aztecs chances at a 1 seed or even playing as the top team in the West Region. Since the loss, the Aztecs have added on two more wins including a huge road win over Nevada. This Thursday, the Aztecs start postseason play in the Mountain West Tournament against the winner of Fresno State vs Air Force.
If the Aztecs win the Mountain West Tournament, it will most likely give them a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of the region they end up playing in. Three of the four teams above San Diego State each have a game that they could definitely lose before their division tournaments.
No. 3 Dayton plays a road game Wednesday night against Rhode Island that is expected to be a very good competition for the Flyers. No. 4, Baylor has a very difficult road game Saturday against the West Virginia Mountaineers that they are predicted by ESPN to lose. No. 1 Kansas also has a very tough road game this Saturday against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who narrowly lost Monday night against Baylor. Each of the top four teams also have very tough conference tournaments to get through as well before the NCAA Tournament.
A loss for any of these four teams would help out the Aztecs greatly in their quest for a 1-seed. A Gonzaga loss would likely put the Aztecs as the top seed in the West if they win the Mountain West tournament. It seems as of right now that Gonzaga has the edge slightly over the Aztecs but a loss in their conference tournament doesn’t seem far fetched and could definitely change the situation between the two teams.
The Aztecs next game is against the winner of Fresno State vs. Air Force and will tip-off at 11:30 a.m. PT. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.