San Diego State has already looked impressive this season after losing much of its starting lineup last year, but UCSB has designs of its own in putting together a Big West title run. Join us for the conversation this evening, after the jump.
Game #41. We take a break from Thanksgiving tournaments for a night to check out a good Southern California matchup as Steve Fisher’s San Diego State Aztecs (6-1) head north a stretch to face UC Santa Barbara (4-0) and their prolific senior duo of Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally. Both Gaucho wings are averaging over 20 points a night in this young season, and they are also their team’s top two rebounders, so job number one for the Aztecs will be to find a way to slow those two. SDSU’s strength lies in their backcourt as well, with junior Chase Tapley (16.6 PPG) and sophomore Jamaal Franklin (16.3 PPG) leading the way. The Aztecs will provide by far the biggest challenge UCSB has faced this year, while SDSU is used to big games, having already knocked off a couple of Pac-12 teams (USC and Arizona), as well as UCSB’s biggest conference rival, Long Beach State. It should be quite a Saturday night in the Thunderdome, so stop in to chat up some college hoops.