By Richy Zajic — Staff Writer
San Jose State men’s hoops will begin the Mountain West Championship tournament by facing familiar foe in Air Force Academy on Wednesday.
Back on Jan. 26, the Falcons (13-17, 8-10 MW) defeated the Spartans (4-26, 1-17 MW) 73-71 in a game that went to double overtime.
In that contest, junior forward Michael Steadman had a monster performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Steadman will need to have another big game for the Spartans if they are going to take down the Falcons.
Junior guard Brae Ivey was another key contributor in that double OT thriller. Ivey had 18 points in the game, including the game-tying 3-pointer to send it to overtime.
SJSU will need to limit the turnovers in this matchup as well. It’s averaging 15.7 per contest.
In the most recent matchup between the Spartans and the Falcons on Feb. 23, it was the Falcons taking another victory, this time by a score of 82-68.
Junior forward Lavelle Scottie will be a name to watch in this tournament matchup. Scottie had 25 points and 9 rebounds in his last game against the Spartans.
Another player to watch for is junior forward Ryan Swan, as he had a double-double against SJSU in the last game with 11 points and 11 boards.
The Falcons have seven more Mountain West victories than the Spartans on the season, but on a neutral court in Las Vegas, it’s anyone’s game.
This matchup will take place at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Follow Richy on Twitter @RichyZajic