Conference Games Have Aztecs Prepared

New Mexico defeated UTEP by 12 points Tuesday night in the first round of the NIT, and that is important. That the Lobos did so without injured G Dairese Gary makes the victory even more impressive.

If you have any doubt about where San Diego State and the Mountain West Conference stand up nationally in college basketball, that score tells you a lot. The Aztecs swept the Lobos this year, easily. UNM finished fifth in the MWC while the Miners were just a game out of first in Conference USA -- and went to the final game of the C-USA Tournament. They're pretty good, and the Lobos smoked them.

Here's what the result tells me. San Diego State is ready to compete with anyone, whether it be Northern Colorado on Thursday, or some combination in the future of Temple, Penn State, Cincinnati, UConn or Duke. The Aztecs stack up. That doesn't mean they will win, that's why they call it "March Madness."

While not overlooking the Bears on Thursday, I think the Aztecs are more likely to curly fry them than lose -- probably a typical SDSU close game at halftime with a second-half blowout led by defense. The game that scares me is Saturday, against the Temple/Penn State winner. That contest will be the difference between whether this team has a season considered to be successful or not. Right or wrong, San Diegans have the Sweet 16 as the destination for this club and anything less will be a disappointment. We could, and probably will, get a bit more, but anything beyond the Sweet 16 will be gravy.

So how does SDSU get to the Final Four? The key is for the Aztecs to not have an off-game from the perimeter, something you probably already know. They can shoot, but are prone to the occasional bad game. That can't happen or they will make an early exit. Otherwise, things could break their way. Both Temple and Penn State are guard oriented, and SDSU guards the three-point line well and can dominate in the paint. I'm less sold on UConn having nothing left after their Big East tourney run, but it could happen, if not this week, then by next. They could find themselves against Cincinnati next week just as easily as against the Huskies. In the regional final, they could face talented but inconsistent Texas instead of Duke, but the Aztecs might be one of the few teams that can match up physically with the Blue Devils. From there, you take your chances. That's pretty much what March Madness is all about.