By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Basketball Beat Reporter
Photo via Titus Wilkinson of The Spear
Milk spilled on San Jose State’s hardwood, but a spill isn’t an accurate measurement – a full-fledged flooding is more apt.
Last Friday, in a 96-68 loss to New Mexico, the Spartans suffered their second-largest defeat of the season and largest in Mountain West play.
The 28-point defeat revealed potentially insurmountable limitations on offense. Be it, lack of three-point shooting or shot creators not named Omari Moore, who’s the fourth-leading scorer in the Mountain West, averaging 17 points per game.
“We have some limitations, so there are going to be nights where things can get tough and when we found that out against New Mexico,” said Miles.
Last Friday night served as an example of what could hold SJSU back from finishing a sweet season with a face-furrowing sour end.
“I think it was [UNM loss] the limitations of the roster. We don’t have a lot of guys who can create their own shot so defense is tough and they’re playing it tight. We’re kind of dependent on a few things to go for us,” said Miles. That’s on me as a coach to fix that.”
All night long, there was a worrying sense that if Moore couldn’t do it and SJSU couldn’t put back a miss, they were going to sputter until the final buzzer sounded. And sputter they did.
Moore excluded, the Spartans shot 3-for-19 from three (15.8%) as wing Tibet Gorener went 0-for-6 from from three and 0-9 from the field.
SJSU’s 33.4% mark from three on the season, which is second-lowest in the conference, brings one anxiety-packed question to the surface:
Can they survive a shootout?
Moreover, if Moore can’t create shots will his co-captain and front-court mate Alvaro Cardenas be able to?
Cardenas had two points on just two shot attempts in SJSU’s first and only competitive half against the Lobos and ended the game 0-for-3 from three.
Shots needed to be created. Cardenas couldn’t create them.
In SJSU’s first practice after the loss, Miles said with Cardenas, “There was frustration, disappointment. All of those things you’d expect from somebody that truly cares about trying to raise the level of this program that didn’t have a very good night whether it be collectively as a team or any individual.”
Worrisome? Yes. Forever doomed? Give them a break.
Besides, which team isn’t limited?
Taking a step back, the fact these limitations are even being discussed and dictated with a sense of urgency is a sign of the vast improvement that’s been made.
And while milk has spilled – SJSU’s been blown out four times this season – the Spartans mopped up the mess the previous three times. They’ve never lost three games in a row and have lost two in a row twice.
Not to be forgotten, they’re all from teams in the top 48 of the NET with two of them in the top 19 (Arkansas and SDSU).
“Well usually when the milk is spilled, it’s a really good team that pours it on us,” said Miles.
On Tuesday night, SJSU comes to face-to-face with Nevada, who dumped a 67-40 loss at home back on Jan. 7.
The day was dark, but the limitations were as transparent as Fiji ocean water and have flowed throughout the entire season.
Defensively, they were superb, but Moore was the only Spartan who scored more than eight points (finished with 10) and they combined to shoot 6-for-24 (25%) from three.
While Miles said that he doesn’t think, “anybody in the Mountain West was going to beat New Mexico” last Friday, he does have some misgivings moving forward.
“It always concerns you. For instance New Mexico got us twice and you ask yourself, ‘Is this a bad matchup? Why can’t we be more productive or be successful against these guys?'”
And now it’s time to grab the mop.
“You want to go in and correct your errors and usually when the guys watch tape their mental preparation is a little bit different,” said Miles. “There’s a little more urgency and I think that’s what we will see tomorrow night against Nevada.”