Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Basketball Beat Reporter
Moral victory is a phrase most teams try to avoid. It implies that losing is acceptable so long as it’s not a bloodbath. But in the rarest of cases, like the one SJSU men’s basketball is in, there’s no shame in coming away with one.
SJSU (6-2, 0-0) is set to clash against No. 11 Arkansas (6-1, 0-0) down in Fayetteville this Saturday afternoon.
Head coach Tim Miles has the Spartans two victories away from matching their win total from last year as they are off to their first 6-2 start since 1996-97. They are also four wins away from their first double-digit win season since the 2016-17 campaign.
The upcoming matchup brings with it some much needed perspective.
SJSU men’s basketball has historically been a bottom-of-the-barrel program but has finally made steps towards improving. However, going up against a top tier program like Arkansas shows how far there is to go for the Spartans.
Arkansas is head and shoulders above any team SJSU has played, and besides San Diego State will play, this season. A loss, obviously within reason, shouldn’t dismiss the progress that has been made.
The two teams’ showing in recent Feast Week tournaments illustrate just how vast the gap is between SJSU and Arkansas.
The Spartans were thrilled to place fifth after a 2-1 showing in the Baha Mar Hoops tournament – as they should be.
However, Arkansas was happy, but slightly disappointed to finish third in the Maui Invitational – the premier tournament of the Feast Week.
They lost by a bucket to No. 7 Creighton in the semifinal, but rallied to defeat San Diego State in overtime who were then-ranked No. 24.
Led by third-year guard Ricky Council IV, who leads the SEC in scoring with 20.1 points per game, the Hogs are primed to compete for both an SEC and national title.
He’s averaged of 23 points in his last three games and possesses a V-8 engine that belongs to an Abu Dhabi street racer that allows him to jet past defenders for monstrous slams.
Council’s teammate Trevon Brazile, who’s third on the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game, has a similar electricity in the restricted area.
The force of nature the Spartans will see in Council IV and Brazile is likely one they won’t see again this season.
ESPN’s matchup indicator gives SJSU a win probability of 4.6%.
Should they come out on top, a bright-red breaking news indicator would be plastered on every bottom ticker of the nation. Not to mention how it would be one of the if not the biggest win in program history.
The Spartans’ goal from a game like this is to not fold completely against a Final Four contender. Any positives from the matchup would help SJSU men’s basketball head into its final four games of conference play with conviction and momentum.