TUCSON, Ariz. – Brian Dutcher hoped to get answers about his San Diego State basketball roster with only two returning rotation pieces, three European pros, seven players born overseas and no one, crazy as that is for a program of this stature, who has played in the NCAA Tournament.
He got some answers Friday night in a preseason exhibition at Tucson’s McKale Center against an Arizona team coming off the Final Four that is expected to be ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll.
He got more questions, too.
The Aztecs were good … until they weren’t.
They made shots … until they didn’t.
They hung around on the road against the preseason Big 12 favorites … until they didn’t.
The final score – Arizona 82, SDSU 67 – doesn’t tell you that the Aztecs led 30-26 late in the first half, or that they held the hosts to 34.7% shooting, or that they might have uncovered a gem in late signing Isaiah Sy (17 points) from Oregon State. Nor does it tell you that they got crushed on the boards by last season’s national leader in average rebounding margin (+10.9) and struggled to get to the free throw line.
(And yes, this was Arizona vs. SDSU despite an ESPN+ graphic promoting the game that had USD’s blue and white logo).
“For a first scrimmage, I was encouraged,” Dutcher said. “Now we have to grow from here, and we will.”
San Diego State forward Tae Simmons (8) blocks Arizona forward Ivan Kharchenkov’s layup attempt during the first half of Friday’s exhibition gmae in Tucson, Ariz. (Grace Trejo, Arizona Daily Star)
The silver lining of trailing by 19 and never really being in the game in the second half: It could have been much, much worse given the circumstances.
In that regard, it might have been more positive for the visitors than the hosts.
This was Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd’s sixth game with this group in front of fans, including three over the summer against the Lithuanian and Ukrainian national teams, an intrasquad scrimmage at McKale and Tuesday’s 24-point exhibition win against a veteran USF team.
This was Dutcher’s first game with a roster of newbies.
“The fact that we were able to be there with them shows what we’re capable of,” sophomore forward Tae Simmons said. “Playing such a good team first shows where we’re at. Now we can only get better from here.
“I’m not discouraged at all. Like, I hate losing. That’s just innately in me. But I’m really excited.”
Each team was missing a key piece: 6-foot-9 Croatian forward Luka Skoric for the Aztecs, out with a groin injury for probably another week; and 6-8 forward RJ Godfrey, a 6-8, 240-pound Clemson transfer whose injunction from a Georgia court allowing him a fifth year of eligibility was overturned.
SDSU guard Latrell Davis, another potential starter who redshirted last season, only returned to full practice earlier this week after a shoulder injury and went scoreless in 16 minutes (0 of 8 shooting). That left the Aztecs with a starting group of Sy, Simmons, Elzie Harrington, Chance Gladden and Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry.
And that’s Harrington, coming off offseason leg surgery and missing most of the summer. And Cherry, playing his first game in 11 months after a knee injury last November ended his season.
“This is the first time we’ve played together,” Dutcher said. “We fought through some tough stretches, which I liked. We got tired, which is obvious in your first game on the road. But I thought we did a good job gathering ourselves.”
It had the feel of a February league game more than an exhibition, with both coaches playing regular rotations and neither emptying the bench. And with an announced crowd of 13,661 in McKale Center.
The Aztecs dusted off the game plan they used last December in Phoenix against the then-No. 1 and undefeated Wildcats, going under every ball screen, dropping into gaps to deter penetration and essentially daring them to jack up 3s.
And the Wildcats obliged again. A year ago, they missed their first nine attempts from deep and the Aztecs led by seven with five minutes left in the first half. This time, they were 3 of 17 in the first half, and the Aztecs led by six with five minutes to go.
Then history repeated. This time, it was a 14-0 Arizona run that turned a 30-26 deficit into a 38-30 lead.
After making 13 of their first 23 shots (56.5%) over the first 15 minutes, the Aztecs proceeded to miss 10 straight.
San Diego State guard Elzie Harrington (3) shoots over Arizona guard Derek Dixon (7) during the first half of Friday’s exhibition game in Tucson, Ariz. (Grace Trejo, Arizona Daily Star)
That was only half the problem, though. The other was what Dutcher feared most with a somewhat undersized team: the glass.
Here’s how the Wildcats’ opening possession went: Aztecs went under a ball screen, Ivan Kharchenkov missed a 3, 7-foot-2 Moteijus “Mount” Krivas went over the 6-10 Cherry for the offensive rebound, and Cherry was whistled for his first foul just 42 seconds into the game.
It was a recurring theme, just as it was last year when the Wildcats punked the Aztecs for 20 offensive boards in what became a 68-45 rout. The Aztecs went without an offensive board until 5:41 left in the first half Friday, and Arizona finished with … 20 again.
“Krivas is a big man, he’s a handful,” Dutcher said. “Kharchenkov is a big, strong kid. They’ve got big kids. Their guards rebound well. It’s a good rebounding team. We know that’s always going to be a problem when you play bigger teams.
“You know they’re going to get them, but we can’t give them 20. You have to hold them to 12. Those extra eight might be the difference in the game.”
Cherry got the first basket of the second half, but then the Wildcats started making 3s – four straight in one stretch – and steadily pulled away. The margin never got below double digits for the final 13 minutes.
SDSU managed to put four players in double figures: Sy with 17, Gladden and Simmons with 15 and Cherry with 12 (to go with nine rebounds and three blocks). Harrington, the top returning scorer, didn’t score until midway through the second half and finished with four.
Krivas indeed was a handful, leading Arizona with 17 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. The Aztecs outshot the Wildcats 41.2% to 34.7% but were outrebounded 49-38 and outscored 25-4 in bench points.
SDSU plays its next two exhibitions at Viejas Arena, next Friday against USC and Oct. 28 against Long Beach State. The regular-season opener is Nov. 3 against Cal State Fullerton.
“We came here, we had a couple injuries, first exhibition,” Sy said. “We just tried to compete as hard as we can. I feel like we have a lot of adjustments to do, and for a first exhibition I’m pretty happy with what the guys were showing. We have high expectations for what’s coming.”