Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Basketball Beat Reporter
It would’ve taken a wide-open agenda, lack of viewing options or unbridled passion for San Jose State fans to watch the Spartans’ Mountain West slate a year ago when they finished 1-17 to cap off an 8-23 season.
Same could be said for all eight seasons before that as they’ve averaged two wins per season and have never finished never finished above .500 since joining the Mountain West.
But following SJSU’s 2-1 start to Mountain West play, with wins over UNLV (11-3, MW 0-2) and Colorado State (8-8, MW 0-3), watching is no longer a bi-weekly exercise in self-torture. Moreover, it’s a heart-thumping, adrenaline-inducing and a joyful viewing experience.
Second-year head coach Tim Miles has SJSU (11-5, MW 2-1) off to its best start since the 1980-81 season and it’s the second time in the last decade they’ve finished with at least 10 overall wins.
It’s also the first time they’ve had a winning record in Mountain West play.
With two months left this season, SJSU has an opportunity to match its conference win total from the last five seasons — a whopping eight games — while also competing for a playoff birth to win its first postseason game in program history.
Miles revived a perpetually lifeless program that was hardly worth watching from the comfort of home and definitely not worth schlepping through Bay Area traffic to watch in person. Evidenced by being a shoe-in for the bottom of stadium attendance in the Mountain West.
Praise and nationwide acknowledgement has been thrown Miles and SJSU’s way since their Quadrant 2 win over Santa Clara and its historic 9-4 finish to non-conference play. But the real indicator of tangible progress, program improvement and a reason to watch is how they’d fare in the Mountain West, where they’ve suffered a .127 winning percentage since joining in 2013.
Not only are they competitive, but they’re a threat.
Last year, the Spartans never held a lead going into the final five minutes of those 17 conference losses and were down by at least double-digits 76% of the time. A fan could shut the game off, catch some shut eye, and not be awakened with a surprise when they saw the final score the next morning.
If a fan did that this season, they’d smack themselves in the forehead because they would’ve missed this terrorizing poster from Omari Moore and his 18 second half points.
Crowned that night as No. 3 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, it was the perfect storm of fearlessness, gusto and athleticism. To which Moore then followed up with a three-pointer less than a minute later to complete SJSU’s 14-point second half comeback.
In three conference games, Moore is averaging 22 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Boise State got the last laugh as Marcus Shaver Jr. hit a game-winning step back three over Moore. It was Shaver Jr.’s fifth time sinking a clutch shot to either win a game or force overtime in his career.
“He may be one of the most clutch players I’ve ever coached,” said Broncos head coach Leon Rice.
SJSU entered the matchup 3-37 all-time against Boise State, having lost 10 straight (by at least 48, twice 52) and have never won on the road.
On Tuesday night it took all 40 minutes and one of the Mountain West’s most brilliant finishers of all time to top the Spartans.
“This is the defending Mountain West champion and we took them right down to the buzzer. Last year we were down 20 at halftime, right?” said Miles. “So when you look at this. We are moving forward.”
Regarding SJSU’s recent success, Rice said, “Credit to San Jose State. That’s a really good basketball team we just beat … that’s going to be the Mountain West, every night is a crusade to get the job done.”
With all but two teams (Fresno State and Wyoming) below .500, the Mountain West is a top-tier conference. As was the case last year and multiple years before that. Only difference being, SJSU is among the collective of teams that actually requires a crusade.
In years past, an urgency-exempt, care-free cakewalk would’ve been plenty for opponents. A day where starters can boost there individual statistics, and coaches would let fresh-faces and “walk-ons turned locker room morale guys” get playing time without worrying about a blown lead.
However, with Moore’s scoring surges, Sage Tolbert, Robert Vaihola and Ibrahima Diallo’s rebounding presence and the team’s non-stop defensive effort, opponents can’t use these same blasé tactics.
“I felt like we fell asleep on some things that should be easily executable,” said Colorado State head coach Niko Medved following the Rams 78-70 loss last Saturday.
After jetting out to a 17-5 lead, the Rams let the Spartans back into it by going under screens on three-point attempts and not effectively closing out leading to a career-best 29 points and five three’s from Moore.
Overall, the Spartans shot 48% from three, out rebounded the Rams 42-27, snagged seven more offensive rebounds en route to SJSU’s first win over Colorado State all time.
“Disappointing is the kindest thing I would say publicly about us here today,” said Medved.
The Spartans’ identity has become clear:
Harass teams defensively, let Moore score at will, and rake in rebounds (SJSU is second in the nation in rebound margin at 10).
It’s how SJSU stunned UNLV in overtime for their first conference win, toppled the Rams in Miles’ return to Moby Arena and nearly mounted a 14-point second half comeback against Boise State.
There’s still 15 games left and matchups don’t get any easier with Nevada (13-3, 3-0 MW) coming to the South Bay this Saturday at 1 p.m. The Wolf Pack are at the peak of the Mountain West, but Spartan Nation can come into the game and have the luxury of not knowing the end result before the final media timeout.
Since joining the Mountain West nine years ago, SJSU only won one of its first three games once and has been outscored by an average of 11.11 points per game in those contests.
With Miles in charge, Spartan fans can expect to experience a different end to the season, just like they experienced a different beginning.