Three thoughts on San Diego State’s 89-86 win against UNLV on Friday night:
1. The seeds
The biggest game of the Mountain West season, Utah State’s 94-90 victory against New Mexico that gave the Aggies the outright title and SDSU the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, was seen by a sellout crowd in Dee Glen Smith Spectrum … and hardly anyone else.
The Mountain West’s linear TV partners did not select any of Saturday’s games because the media rights contract apparently didn’t require them to, and CBS Sports had conference tournament obligations and Fox Sports has the World Baseball Classic.
That meant the Mountain West Network, a streaming service. Only it couldn’t handle the surge of viewers and crashed on many devices, leaving people to stare at a screen with the two teams’ logos.
If there’s any consolation, most games in the conference tournament next week in Las Vegas will be aired on real TV. And it should be a wild four days.
The top four seeds — Utah State, SDSU, New Mexico and Grand Canyon — all get first-round byes, but the quarterfinals won’t be any picnic. You’re playing a team feeling good about itself coming off a victory and, if the seeds hold, one that beat you in your last meeting.
The 1-8 quarterfinal would be Utah State and UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center. They played there Tuesday. The Rebels won 92-65.
The 2-7 quarterfinal would be SDSU and Colorado State. They played Feb. 21 in Fort Collins. The Rams won 83-74.
The 3-6 quarterfinal would be New Mexico and Boise State. They last played Feb. 1 at The Pit. The Broncos won 91-90.
The 4-5 quarterfinal would be Grand Canyon and Nevada. They last played Jan. 27 in Reno, Nev. The Wolf Pack came from behind to force overtime and win 66-60.
“The Mountain West right now is suffering from what everybody craves in athletics, which is parity,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said, noting that it could cost the conference multiple at-large NCAA bids. “Parity has not been a good thing for the Mountain West this year.
“But it’s going to make for a really good conference tournament. There are eight or nine teams capable of winning the title this year in Vegas. … This league is really balanced right now.”
2. SLOB
This was not a night for defense.
San Diego State and UNLV combined to shoot 51.7% and make 20 3s on Friday. And rarely were they separated by more than five points.
The difference? Little things. Details. A couple more Xs, a few more Os.
Consider that in the closing 13 minutes, the Aztecs scored eight points from three sideline out-of-bounds plays, or SLOB in coaching vernacular. Two were installed specifically for this game.
With 12:29 left, BJ Davis cut to the block, drew a switch, then flared to the corner while the Aztecs set a ball screen headed the opposite direction. The ball swung quickly back to him for a 3 that caught the Rebels sleeping and tied it at 53-53.
With 9:34 left, the ball was inbounded from the right sideline and swung to Taj DeGourville on the left wing, where Tae Simmons set a ball screen. DeGourville refused the screen, drove baseline and missed the layup, but Simmons was there to tip in the rebound and get fouled. The free throw completed the three-point play and gave the Aztecs a 63-59 lead.
With 4:35 left, Dutcher called a timeout to set up another new play. Pharaoh Compton and Simmons cut from the blocks to the free-throw elbows. Compton got the ball while Simmons cleared out to the opposite corner, allowing Compton to drive into the emptied space for a layup and a 74-72 lead.
Usually, teams are more concerned about defending baseline inbounds plays, which are more frequent and more dangerous with the ball starting so close the basket. Sideline inbounds are sort of their red-headed stepchild and command less attention in pre-game scouting reports.
But, as we learned Friday, they can be equally productive — if not moreso.
Dutcher had not planned to practice on Wednesday following Tuesday’s loss at Boise State, preferring to rest legs. But his players asked to practice, and extra time means extra attention to details.
BJ Davis #10 of San Diego State goes up for a shot against Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn #0 of UNLV at Viejas Arena on Friday, March 6, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
3. Awards season
The Mountain West postseason award ballots are due Sunday morning. In the interest of transparency, here are some of the Union-Tribune’s selections:
Player of the year: UNLV junior guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. It’s rare that a team with the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament produces the player of the year, but Gibbs-Lawhorn made it an easy choice with the way he played down the stretch. He leads the nation in scoring since Jan. 1 and averaged 28.1 points over his last 11 games. He had 27 and 32 against an Aztecs team ranked 24th nationally in defensive efficiency.
Newcomer of the year: Gibbs-Lawhorn. He started only two of 62 games at Illinois before finding more minutes and shots at UNLV. He’s due for a big paycheck next season, either as a pro or via the transfer portal.
Coach of the year: Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun. This decision is pretty simple: You win the league, you’re coach of the year. And the Aggies won it outright despite losing three of the last five games.
Freshman of the year: New Mexico guard Jake Hall. Teammate Tomislav Buljan is also listed as a “freshman” on the Mountain West ballot, but he’s actually a 23-year-old Croatian pro granted one year of collegiate eligibility. So, not really a freshman. Hall went from playing for Carlsbad High School last season to averaging 16.3 points per game while leading the conference at 44.4% beyond the arc.
Defensive player of the year: SDSU guard Miles Byrd. It’s weird giving this to a guy nicknamed “Casino” by his coaches for his propensity to gamble on D instead of playing more positionally. But the numbers don’t lie. He ranks in the top five in both steals (1.9 per game) and blocks (1.2) at 6-foot-6. Everyone else in the blocks top 10 is a post.
Sixth man of the year: This would be a no-brainer if BJ Davis hadn’t started seven games in the middle of the season; the limit for Mountain West award consideration is five conference starts. Instead, we’ll go with Utah State forward Karson Templin, who started no conference games yet was the Aggies’ third-leading scorer (9.0) and second-leading rebounder (4.6) as well as their heart and soul.
First team all-conference: Gibbs-Lawhorn, Utah State guard Mason Falslev, Utah State guard MJ Collins, Grand Canyon guard Jaden Henley and New Mexico’s Buljan. Henley and Collins are third and fourth in scoring. Falslev is eighth in scoring, eighth in rebounding and second in steals. Buljan led in rebounding (10.3), getting 14 and 18 in two games against SDSU.