By Jonathan Cañas (@jonathancanas_) – Spear Editor | Graduate student guard Donavan Yap during San Jose State’s 67-58 win against Wyoming on Jan. 25. (Photo by Alexis Corona – Spear Photographer)
One week ago it seemed as if San Jose State men’s basketball (14-18, 7-13 MW) had been cursed with the injury plague.
SJSU had eight active players in its 83-56 loss at Colorado State without household names such as junior guard Will McCLendon, graduate student guard Donavan Yap and junior center Robert Vaihola.
The latter two were available and started in SJSU’s dominant 92-68 win over rival Fresno State and they couldn’t have picked a better time to return.
The Spartans are set to take on the Wyoming Cowboys (12-19, 5-15 MW) in the first round of Mountain West play and won both matchups against them in the regular season. With the reacquisition of Yap and Vaihola, this could spell trouble for Wyoming and the conference.
“It’s amazing having these guys back on the floor,” senior guard Josh Uduje said following the win over Fresno State. “The way they came back and responded after being hurt, Vaihola getting 19 rebounds and Yap having a career high, that’s the momentum we need going towards the tournament.”
Vaihola is fourth in rebounding in the conference while Uduje is sixth in points per game. To top it all off, Yap is back as the facilitator coming off a career-high 30 points on senior day.
SJSU head coach Tim Miles said he believes McCLendon will not be available for the tournament but freshman Jermaine Washington has filled in smoothly. He’s coming off a career-high 19 points against the Bulldogs.
All the pieces are back in play for the Spartans to make a potential run and they aren’t shying away from the pressure.
“Our end results haven’t been where we wanted it to be but we know moving forward it’s 0-0,” Yap said. “Anybody can win, and we’re trying to win the tournament.”
Yap has arguably had the biggest turnaround of any player in the Mountain West offensively, but his defense hasn’t been recognized enough.
Yap will primarily be guarding Cowboys senior guard Obi Agbim, who is fourth in the conference in points per game.
Yap held Agbim to a season-low seven points on 3-12 shooting in SJSU’s 67-58 win on Jan. 25.
Then SJSU got its first ever win at Wyoming with a score of 82-73 behind Uduje’s 29 points on Feb. 22. A game that Vaihola was not available for.
Two different styles will clash once again as the Cowboys are one of the slowest teams in the country and SJSU generally likes to play with speed.
Beating a team three times in one season is hard in any sport but assistant coach Jeff Strohm had a different take on SJSU’s third matchup with Wyoming.
“You’re not going to win a postseason a lot of times if you don’t beat a team a third time,” Strohm said. “I think the more you discuss things like that the more it becomes a factor so let’s just do what we did all year and take it one game at a time.”
Even though the Spartans are used to it, the crowd won’t be on their side for however long they are in the tournament.
“Wyoming has always traveled well and there will definitely be a Wyoming flavor to that crowd,” Miles said. “I don’t think that’s anything we’re not accustomed to so that’s the good news.”
The way the bracket is set up, if SJSU gets the job done against Wyoming it will play number one seed New Mexico, a team the Spartans beat off a Washington buzzer beater back on Jan. 14.
The Spartans are in search of their second ever Mountain West tournament win in Las Vegas at the Thomas and Mack Center against Wyoming tomorrow at 11 a.m.
