2016 Mountain West Tournament: Colorado State - San Jose State preview

Colorado State Rams men’s basketball tips off against the San Jose State Spartans in the first round of the Mountain West tournament Wednesday evening.

The match-up will be the third contest between the two schools this year, the first two were both won by CSU.

The Rams won an overtime thriller on the road Jan. 9, a game in which they held a one-point lead for a total of 22 seconds. Down by two, and with just a few seconds remaining in the second half, J.D. Paige was able to drain a 10-footer, sending the game to overtime. Colorado State had trailed the entire way, but Paige’s clutch shot gave the Rams some life, and they took advantage.

With 10.9 seconds remaining in the extra period, John Gillon drove to the hoop and made a layup, giving CSU an 85-84 advantage over SJSU, one they would never let go of, securing the one-point overtime victory.

After trailing by as much as nine points in the first half , and eight in the second, the Rams fought their way back into that game from the free throw line. CSU made 24-27 free throw attempts, including 12 straight in the second half.

The Rams struggled to put the ball in the basket during that game, but they kicked, scratched and battled until the bitter end of the game before ultimately pulling off the victory. Gillon led the way with 18 points and Tiel Daniels was not far behind with 16 of his own. Emmanuel Omogbo put up 13 points and brought in 8 rebounds in the game, in what was a well-rounded team effort.

Senior guard Princeton Onwas led San Jose State in scoring with 24 points in the Rams – Spartans first match-up. Ryan Welage, a true freshman, added 16 points to boot, but the Spartans simply just could not handle the stage and blew the lead. At the time, the loss marked San Jose State’s 27th consecutive conference loss. SJSU has since picked up conference victories against Air Force, Fresno State and Boise State.

The Spartans and Rams met again on Jan. 27, this time at Moby Arena. In the 74-66 Colorado State victory, Omogbo was the center of attention. Eight days after losing four family members in a tragic Maryland house fire, Omogbo came off the bench to score 11 points and pull down 7 rebounds.

“This team really needs him, he’s a big part of this team,” Antwan Scott said  of Emmanuel Omogbo’s return to the Rams after the game. “He impacted winning so much tonight. We missed him when he went home for a little while. We’re glad he went home, was able to grieve a little with his family. But, man, it’s a blessing to have him back.”

The game was tied at 57-57 with 6:30 remaining in the second half, but the Rams went on an 11-3 run and never looked back.

Antwan Scott scored a game-high 23 points and shot 7-for-15 from the field, despite missing seven three-point attempts. That game was one of the few examples of the season where CSU really dominated down low.

The Rams out-rebounded the Spartans 34-27, 12 of which were offensive rebounds, creating multiple second chances for the green and gold. CSU also outscored SJSU in the paint 32-24, a feat the Rams would love to accomplish again Wednesday.

Without a doubt, Colorado State (16-15, 8-10 MW), is the much better team on paper, but the Rams absolutely cannot sleep on the Spartans. San Jose State (9-21, 4-14), has lost six games this season by five points or fewer, and they are coming off of an upset victory over Boise State to close the regular season.

SJSU played the Rams tough in both regular season match-ups this season, and after blowing chances in both games, they are going to be hungry for revenge. A win over the Broncos gave the Spartans confidence heading into the tournament, and those are the type of teams that can create chaos.

The Spartans have more momentum right now than they have all season, plus, they have nothing to lose. It was a rough season in San Jose, but they want a chance at the NCAA tournament just as bad as CSU does. That is the beauty of the conference tournament; everyone gets a clean slate.

We know the 3-ball is going to be a big part of the Colorado State offense. The way CSU can score at any given moment, and from so many different players, makes the Rams a really dangerous team in this tournament. But it all starts with SJSU, as Larry Eustachy said on Saturday.

The Rams need to focus on moving the ball inside and out. If they can get Daniels and Omogbo the ball in the paint, the Rams are going to eat the Spartans alive. CSU has the size and strength to dominate SJSU down low; they need to make this a point of attack.

Combined with the sharp shooting abilities of Scott, Gillon, Prentiss Nixon, and Joe De Ciman, the Rams should not have a problem with offensive production. As long as they play smart basketball and do not turn the ball over, the green and gold will be in good shape.

In most of the Rams conference losses this season, CSU has struggled with turning the ball over on offense. If Colorado State comes out with a sloppy performance like they had March 2 at Fresno State, a game in which they turned the ball over 14 times, the Rams could be in trouble.

Ultimately, CSU should be able to handle the lowly SJSU, and quite frankly they have no business being in the tournament if they cannot. If the Rams play smart basketball, they will win this game and move onto the next round against Boise State.

Game Info:

Tipoff: Wed. March 9, 5:00 p.m. MT

Watch/listen on Mountain West Network