Aztecs Handle Gonzaga on Road

Two things stood out to me in San Diego State's 79-76 victory at Gonzaga in mens' basketball Tuesday night.

First, the Bulldogs held a lead in the game for mere seconds early in the second half, after which the Aztecs fairly quickly recovered and built the lead back up to seven points. Which neatly segues to...

Second, this was a play or two from being a comfortable win at the home of the number 11 team in the nation, not the nail-biter it became. In a stretch around the five-minute mark, SDSU had possession something like four straight times with a chance to push a 7-point margin to a 9-point bulge, and couldn't do it. It was a couple parts failure, a couple parts Gonzaga being really good. Normal teams do not go into Spokane and win easily -- or come close to doing so the way the Aztecs did.

Huge win, though I disagree with those who call it the biggest in school history. I'm a believer in those kinds of labels meaning something, and post-season is what means something. I still rate the NIT quarterfinal win over Saint Mary's as SDSU's biggest win. New Mexico was ranked eighth when the Aztecs beat them in last season's Mountain West Tournament. But it is a very nice win, and I do believe that it punches their ticket into the NCAA Tournament.

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Meanwhile, SDSU football just can't win. With a chance to draw their biggest non-Sky Show crowd in years when they host Utah this Saturday, the weatherman starts predicting rain. The chance is 40 percent, so let's hope both us fans and the football team get lucky.