By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Basketball Beat Reporter
Photo via Titus Wilkinson of The Spear
Everything San Jose State men’s basketball aims to be – but currently isn’t – stared right back at them.
From eye level on the court – San Diego State’s maniacal defense which held SJSU’s Mountain West Player of the Year Omari Moore to seven points – to the Aztecs’ crowd looking down at them.
Before SJSU lost to No. 1 seeded SDSU, 64-49 in the Mountain West Championship semi-final, Spartans’ head coach Tim Miles and his son Gabe saw the difference in physicality a day before.
“We share locker rooms right next to each other and Gabe is sitting there,” Miles, the 2022-23 Mountain West Coach of the Year said. “Three or four big strapping guys, you know six-foot-six, six-foot-seven, I mean just big, strong shoulders, big butt, right?”
“He goes, ‘Dad, they recruit grown men.’”
Those “grown men” led by back-to-back Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Nathan Mensah and 2022-23 Mountain West Defense team member Lamont Butler are heading to their 13th Mountain West Tournament Championship in the last 15 years.
“They’re connected, they’re communicating all the time. You never feel like you can get to your spots,” said Miles. “Their physicality you can see not only in their scheme, but not only in their togetherness, but certainly their natural athleticism.”
When Moore sat the press conference podium, his gleeful face after propelling SJSU (20-13, 10-8 MW) to its first Mountain West Tournament win and first 20-win regular season since 1981 behind his 26-point and 10-assist double-double turned to glum. Excitement from his unforgettable performance in SJSU’s overtime thriller over Nevada nowhere to be found.
On Friday, he went nearly 36 minutes without a point and was stopped by a defense Kenpom marked as the 11th most efficient in the nation.
“They’re one of the best defenses in the country to be completely honest with you,” said Moore, after SDSU (26-6, 15-3 MW) forced SJSU to shoot 34.5% and 26.3% from three. “What they have going over there with Lamont Butler, Adam Seiko, those are both really good defending guards.”
The true and final shift of momentum came at the 1:29 mark of the first half after Moore turned the ball over and SDSU’s Micah Parrish took off with it.
Screams rising and correlating with Parrish’s take-off for an easy two-handed slam which put SDSU up 27-15. The Aztecs went into the half up 33-20 after a last-second three from Darrion Trammel and SJSU never cut the deficit to single figures.
Upon Parrish’s landing, it reminded SJSU that Thomas & Mack Center was only neutral in nomenclature.
In any and all directions there was a screaming, stammering, forehead worm vein sporting Aztec fan. Their red and black garb blending in with the UNLV’s home arena’s red backdrop.
Meanwhile, there was a single clump of blue and yellow in a corner section. Many of whom are well into adulthood. Likely to be alumni who’s memories of SJSU are packed into a scrapbook and not an Iphone.
They’ve been around long enough to be alive for SJSU’s only NIT appearance in 1981 and perhaps even all three of SJSU’s NCAA Tournament appearances in 1951, 1980 and 1996.
But none have seen SJSU’s first postseason tournament win.
No one has.
Just like Miles, Moore and SJSU, the blue and yellow sprinkle of Spartan fans saw what they don’t have to root for.
SDSU’s nine NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 13 seasons are derived from the stringent defense that forced SJSU to shoot 7-for-27 (25.9%) in the first half and make only one three in the second half.
They easily frazzled, and got key players like SJSU’s second-leading scorer Alvaro Cardenas out of rhythm and subsequently non-productive. Cardenas was happily waved away by Aztec fans after fouling out with four minutes left after posting just four points.
Three of his five fouls; two on a three-point attempt and a technical after apparently elbowing Seiko in the face on a drive cost SJSU seven points.
It also highlighted, SJSU’s lack of depth.
Cardenas struggled and Sage Tolbert, who scored 20 points a day before, didn’t get on the board until there was 6:43 left with SJSU down 53-40 on a dunk and finished with a -21.
Tibet Gorener was the only Spartan in double-figures, finishing with 15 points shooting 5-for-10 and 3-for-8 from three.
“They were keyed on Omari, so I had a couple of looks, and just had to knock them down,” said Gorener.
Once again, on the other side, SDSU’s depth guided them to their 13th Mountain West Tournament Championship in the last 15 years.
Trammell and Keshad Johnson led SDSU with 15 points a piece and scoring was evenly spread out, but once again its defense evened everything out.
Not all is lost for SJSU.
Miles confirmed that SJSU will pay the entry fee for the CBI if they don’t make the NIT.
Then there was the historic regular season that saw the first double-digit conference win total since 1993. Since joining the Mountain West in 2013, they haven’t won at least five conference games in back-to-back seasons.
“I’m excited to see what’s in store,” said Moore, who presumably played his last Mountain West game after garnering legitimate interest in the upcoming NBA Draft.
For fans who came, they were given unexpected glory and a luxury of packing their suitcases two days heavier than most years when SJSU was a No. 11 seed and bounced out on day one.
Besides, SDSU has beaten SJSU 11 straight times and by at least 20 in seven of those matchups.
Now, will those suitcases be packed two or three days heavier not just for next year, but years to come?
A dilemma Aztec fans don’t think twice about.