While COVID-19 is still affecting college basketball, it has yet to stop the chaos in the sport we love. Saturday saw seven ranked teams lose, five coming to unranked teams. That capped off a wild week of conference play as teams continue to come out of their pauses.
Every Monday Student Union Sports is going to take a look at the highlights of the college basketball week outside of the power structure. Let’s see who stood out during feast week.
Team of the week: San Diego State
The Aztecs have long been the bully of the Mountain West. Stars like Kawhi Leonard and Malachi Flynn have torched the league before going on to NBA careers.
This year though it seemed like a time for change. Colorado State returned their core from a team that barely missed the NCAA Tournament including star forward David Roddy. It set up a showdown Saturday at Viejas Arena where the Rams had a chance for a statement conference win.
San Diego State wouldn’t let that happen.
Cal transfer Matt Bradley led the Aztecs to a dominant 79-49 win over the previously undefeated Rams. Nico Medved’s team had no answer for Bradley as he scored a season high 26 points.
The 49 points Colorado State scored were 17 less than any other game this season. SDSU totally shut down the Rams outside of David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens with the rest of the team only scoring 13 points.
The result gives the Aztecs a second quality win aside from their non-conference victory over St. Mary’s. Getting those in the limited opportunities a down MWC will provide is going to be the key to SDSU getting back to the dance.
Player of the week: Isiaih Mosley, Missouri State
For the last season and a half, Mosley has been tearing through the Missouri Valley Conference. He averaged 19 points a game last season and has followed that up with pouring in 18 a game this year.
The efficiency has been ridiculous as well. Through 17 games, the junior has a real chance at a 50/40/90 season. That would be a phenomenal feat for someone who is 42nd in the country in usage.
In his first game this week against Bradley, he had an unusually poor first 39 minutes and 55 seconds. The star only had eight points and was struggling from the field.
That all changed when he grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a three as time expired to give the Bears a 71-69 win. The shot must have given him some confidence for the show he would put on on Saturday.
Against Northern Iowa, his duel with sharpshooter AJ Green was must see TV. Mosley scored 43 points on just 24 shots chipping in nine rebounds and four assists. He showed off his entire repertoire getting to the basket along with knocking down five 3’s.
Unfortunately for Mo State, the 43 points was not enough to pull out a win dropping an 85-84 thriller. Still, Mosley was able to show why the Bears will be dangerous in St. Louis come March.
Five games I’m excited to see:
St. Louis @ Dayton, Tuesday 7 p.m. EST:
One team is going to benefit from a down A10. The conference is WIDE open and it’s hard to see a team besides the tournament champion getting to March Madness. This game provides an opportunity for two of the teams that should content for the title. Dayton, following a horrendous start has righted the ship with the help of a win over Kansas while the Billekens have improved as the season has gone on as well. The point guard match up should be a fun one. Dayton’s Malachi Smith has been great and St. Louis’ Yuri Collins leads the nation in assists.
Utah State @ Colorado State, Wednesday 8 p.m. EST:
The match up between forwards David Roddy and Justin Bean makes this game a must watch. The undersized frontcourt players have been among the best mid-majors have to offer this season and watching them go toe-to-toe should be a treat. That’s not the only story here though, both squads need this game bad. Utah State has been reeling since their hot start while Colorado State needs a bounce back after the drubbing they took from SDSU.
Oakland @ Cleveland State, Thursday 7 p.m. EST:
This is a huge Horizon league tilt between the two best teams in the league. Oakland has ridden Marquette transfer Jamal Cain who’s been a force at the mid-major level. He’s averaging a double-double after never averaging a double digits with the Golden Eagles. Torrey Patton highlights a Vikings squad that has started conference play 6-0 but has no wins against the Kenpom top 150
Davidson @ Richmond, Friday 9 p.m. EST:
Davidson has proved itself to be among the A10’s best teams. Their advanced numbers are solid and own a signature win over Alabama. The Wildcats have started league play 2-0 but face their toughest challenge yet. Richmond are an experienced group that have the talent to win the conference. The matchup between Hyunjung Lee and Tyler Burton should be fun to watch.
BYU @ San Francisco, Saturday 11 p.m EST:
Fans will want to stay up for this West Coast Conference after dark action. The Dons have been one of the nation’s darlings sprinting to a 14-2 record. The resume is bare though with only one top 50 Kenpom win, enter BYU. The Cougars strong start has been curtailed a bit but a convincing win over St. Mary’s was a nice win. Jamaree Bouyea and Alex Barcello is an mouth watering battle of two guards that can really score.
Mid-major top 10:
1. Gonzaga: Mark Few’s squad got back on the court with a dominant performance against Pepperdine.
2. Loyola-Chicago: The Ramblers have won nine straight since dropping two games in the Bahamas.
3. BYU: Nice start to WCC play for the Cougars. A tilt with Gonzaga looms Thursday.
4. San Diego State: Huge home win over Colorado State on Saturday. Schedule gets friendly for the Aztecs.
5. Colorado State: The Rams will need to rebound quickly against a feisty Utah State squad.
6. San Francisco: Kudos to Todd Golden and Drew Valentine for scheduling a terrific game Thursday afternoon. Big game against BYU comes Saturday.
7. Davidson: Bob McKillop and crew escaped with a home win against Rhode Island Saturday. Richmond and VCU follow a home game against UMASS.
8. St. Mary’s: Randy Bennett’s squad had an inept offensive performance against BYU and it cost them.
9. Murray State: The Racers 12-2 with a loss to East Tennessee the only poor blemish on a solid resume.
10. Ohio: The Bobcats only two losses are to ranked SEC teams. Their season opening win over Belmont is the tiebreaker here.
Just missed: Belmont, Chattanooga, UAB, Louisiana Tech, St. Louis