By Austin Turner — Staff Writer
Still searching for its first win over a Division I opponent, San Jose State’s men’s basketball will have a shot to turn its fortunes when it takes on Santa Clara at the Event Center on Saturday.
The Spartans will be playing its first game since returning back to the States. The team is coming off an 0-3 performance at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas.
Despite the winless campaign, it has proved to be competitive in the tournament with the last two losses being by a combined three points.
This game’s opponent, the Santa Clara Broncos, also had a less-than-ideal start to the season. They’ve begun 0-4, with all games ending in double digit losses. They’re also back from a trip abroad, as they traveled to Vancouver for games against Washington and Minnesota.
The Broncos have struggled offensively. They’re shooting just 38 percent from the field, averaging 61 points per game.
While they’re decent at drawing fouls, they’ve failed to capitalize. The Broncos make only 56 percent of their foul shots.
This is good news for the Spartans, who has run into trouble against good shooting teams. They struggled defensively in the Bahamas as opponents did the most damage from 3.
Since the Broncos make only 31 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, the Spartans will be able to focus on protecting the paint and grabbing rebounds.
Offensively, the Spartans are starting to put the pieces together.
After some crucial bonding time in the Bahamas, they should be able to limit turnovers and put together some effective ball movement and get some better looks at shots. If the Spartans can improve their assist-turnover ratio (14-18.8), they’ll be in great possession as they still are averaging 74 points per game.
Michael Steadman is establishing himself as one of the leaders of the SJSU squad by coming off of an impressive performance in The Bahamas.
He was named to the all-Junkanoo Jam team with 11.7 points and 7 rebounds per game. He’s been the Spartans best rim-protector, and his offensive output has been impressive, even while struggling to shoot the ball.
SJSU will be looking to turn its season around and grab its first Division I win. The Spartans will host the Broncos on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Event Center.
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