LAS VEGAS — Maybe San Diego State could ask UNLV if it can hang its Mountain West championship banner in Thomas & Mack Center.
The custom is to display banners in your home arena, after all, and the Aztecs feel increasingly at home here.
Over the last 13 seasons, no program among the 350-plus in Division I has won more games in a building that technically isn’t its own. The Aztecs’ 71-62 victory here Wednesday night against UNLV is their 35th over that span, counting games against the Rebels as well the conference tournament.
This one clinched an eighth overall and second straight Mountain West regular-season title, improving the 19th-ranked Aztecs to 14-3 in conference games but 16-3 when you include two forfeits against New Mexico. The best anyone else can do is 15-3, by Colorado State if it wins its finale Friday at Nevada.
“What this team accomplished this season was really special,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said. “I couldn’t be more proud of a team or a coaching staff. … We’ve got players who have sacrificed parts of their games so we can win. Hopefully, our best basketball is still ahead of us.”
Making it even sweeter: It came against the Rebels, the closest thing to a conference rival who extinguished the Aztecs’ distinction as the nation’s final undefeated team last season after a 26-0 start. Energizing the Rebels that night was SDSU’s decision to unveil the 2019-20 championship banner in the Viejas Arena rafters shortly before tipoff.
The Aztecs didn’t cut down any nets Wednesday night in Thomas & Mack or climb up to the catwalk and unfurl a banner. Instead, they showered, ate and split the roster onto two buses for the five-hour ride home in hopes of avoiding a COVID-19 outbreak from a road trip that was mandated by the conference office despite the objections of Dutcher (and UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger).
They didn’t even say their fond farewells to Thomas & Mack for another year. COVID-19 tests willing, they’ll be back here next week for the conference tournament (although playing on a different floor with the silhouette of a mountain range instead of The Strip).
The New Mexico forfeits also are applied to tournament seeding, meaning the Aztecs will be No. 1. That puts them in the noon quarterfinal Thursday against the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between Wyoming and San Jose State. Win that, and they’d get Boise State or Nevada in the semis.
The Aztecs won’t know until subsequent testing if they avoided the virus in Las Vegas, but they did escape the other two disastrous outcomes Dutcher referenced in his argument for not playing: a resume-staining loss, and major injury.
Both those things happened the night before at Boise State, where the Broncos were outscored 13-1 to close the game and were upset by Fresno State — essentially crushing their hopes of an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. And Abu Kigab, their emotional leader and most versatile defender, left in the second half with what looked like a season-ending shoulder injury.
The only Aztecs injury was before the game, a bad back that had senior Jordan Schakel uncertain if he would play until about 10 minutes before the tip and a vertigo attack that had Aguek Arop in street clothes after playing in the last three games.
Schakel’s back seemed to loosen as the game went on, and he nearly had his first career double-double: 16 points (4 of 6 behind the arc) and nine rebounds in 30 minutes. Fellow senior Matt Mitchell had 19 points despite regularly drawing double teams in the low post. Nathan Mensah, who has big games when he scores an early basket, scored 22 seconds into the game and finished with 14 points — his most in 13 games.
Trey Pulliam had a career-high 18 points at UNLV last season and finished with only four Wednesday, but he had a career-high eight assists and two steals.
UNLV (11-13, 8-9) actually outshot the Aztecs, 39.0 to 36.4%, and both teams made nine 3s. The turnovers weren’t the difference, either: 12 by the Rebels, 10 by the Aztecs.
The difference came at the line, where the Aztecs were 22 of 26. The Rebels attempted only nine.
Another key: Holding UNLV leading scorer Bryce Hamilton to nine points on 3-of-14 shooting.
The Aztecs got the lead to 17 in the second half, but not after some nervous moments in the first.
UNLV guard David Jenkins Jr., the one guy you can’t let get hot, made three 3s in the opening four minutes — none hit the rim — en route to 32 points. And the Rebels did something Boise State couldn’t, leading 9-6 after the Broncos’ biggest margin across 85 minutes was 2-0.
Then Pulliam got two fouls and went to the bench.
Then Mensah got two fouls and went to the bench.
Then Joshua Tomaic, Mensah’s backup, got two fouls and went to the bench.
The usual next option at post is Arop. That meant 6-foot-7 Keshad Johnson was essentially playing center in a small lineup. Somehow, the Aztecs still managed to lead 35-28 at the half and quickly pushed it into double digits with a 7-0 run to open the second half.
