Knudson: There's Gonna Be A Showdown…
FacebookBy Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
January 21, 2011
And we thought this could only happen in football.
Think again. It’s basketball season, and it’s a pair of Top 10 Mountain West teams taking the court against each other (for the first of at least two epic battles this season) with the visitors boasting the nation’s longest winning streak and the home team featuring arguably the nation’s best player.
A good old fashion Wild West showdown - this one at the Marriott Center Corral - when No. 6 San Diego State visits No. 9 BYU next Wednesday.
Pending the outcome of the weekend’s games, it could be the first time ever that two MWC teams meet with both ranked in the Top 10. The only two other conferences to have a pair of teams in the Top 10 are the Big East and the Big 12. The play of these two teams, plus quality play from UNLV, Colorado State and New Mexico, has the MWC ranked as the nation’s fourth best basketball conference.
Who knew?
These are indeed heady times in MWC hoops.
The Aztecs are certain to land in Provo with a spotless 20-0 record, one of only three unbeaten teams left in the nation. They are led by powerful sophomore forward Kawhi Leonard, who has already posted 13 double-doubles on the season and 30 for his career. This is far from a one-man show, however. D. J. Gay has played at an All Conference level all season, and Coach Steve Fisher seems to have the right pieces to make everything click. SDSU’s bread and butter is the inside game, but recently, they’ve begun to hurt teams from long range as well. How do you defend a team that’s lethal from three-point range and can dominate the paint as well?
Maybe you just try to outscore them.
If that’s the plan, the Cougars have the right man for the job. National Player of the Year candidate, Jimmer Fredette, has taken his game to a new level this season. The senior point guard, whom ESPN’s Tim Legler compares to NBA All Star Steve Nash, is averaging 26 points per game and has become the first player in BYU history (take that Danny Ainge) to post three 40-point games in his career. The latest of those was a 47 point explosion against rival Utah earlier this month.
At this point, Fredette is pretty much unstoppable. And he’s made himself into more than just a scorer, improving his floor play and helping to elevate the play of his teammates as well. It all adds up to a Cougar squad that is where they belong - planted in the Top Ten.
San Diego State is off until next Wednesday, so they have plenty of time to watch film and try to figure out some way - any way - to slow down Fredette. The Cougars, meanwhile, don’t have that same luxury. They have to travel and face a stern road test at rejuvenated Colorado State on Saturday. A BYU win means these two teams will come into Wednesday night’s match up with an astonishing combined record of 39-1.
The Rams could spoil the party, but…
ALL TIMES MOUNTAIN
