Recap
The Broncos lost to San Diego State, 68-76, at Extra Mile Arena today.
The Aztecs were led by Miles Byrd, who led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 8/15 from the floor. The Broncos were led by transfer, Chris Locket, with 16 points while shooting 5/10 from the floor. This is the Bronco’s first conference loss, and they fall to 11-4. They welcome UNLV to Extra Mile Arena on Tuesday at 8:30.
What went wrong?
For this Bronco team to be successful, they have to win the rebounding battle; they lost that 39-29. They need Tyson to be in double figures; he scored 9 points with only 1 made FG.
Most importantly, when playing SDSU, you can’t turn the ball over. They had 13 turnovers.
Most of the FG attempts missed by so much they could be counted as turnovers. My biggest worry is that it looks like, from the outside, it looks like it isn’t clear who the best five players are. In every game, there is a change to the starting lineup. RJ Keane comes in, then RJ Keane gets subbed 5 minutes into the game. Dylan Anderson is in a similar position. He started the game but finished with 9 minutes played, while three other starters played 25+ minutes. We are almost halfway through the season and four games into conference play. Who the best five players are, or at least 4, with a couple of rotational guys, should be known at this stage.
All in all, the Aztecs were just better today.
Is it time to hit the panic button? No.
Despite the loss, there are many great things to take away. Chris Locket had his first breakout game of the season. At times, the offense looked lost, and he showed the way. He kept the team in the game, whether attacking the hoop or being fearless in shooting the ball. Javan had his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball and led the team in rebounding. This team has a lot of individual talent, but it hasn’t come together yet. I would say my panic meter is a 6 out of 10. This is not a bad loss. Good wins are hard to find though and this one was right there for the taking. This loss adds more pressure to win the conference tournament. The way the Broncos are trending, it appears to be the only path to the NCAA tournament.
But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
I agree that it is premature to “panic.” They’ll probably figure things out, get a few Quad 1 wins in-conference, flame-out in the MWC tourney, sneak into the dance, and lose. Really nothing to panic about – just another year with Leon at the helm.
Wow, Broncos hand UNLV their proverbial derrieres and nothing.