San Diego State hoops needs big-time wins

San Diego State needs to beat someone of significance if it hopes to receive an NCAA Tournament bid in men’s basketball this season.

The Aztecs may be off to a 13-5 start, but they have yet to post a win to get them over the hump when tournament selection time comes.

SDSU has faced three certain NCAA participants thus far – Arizona State, Arizona and Saint Mary’s. The Aztecs lost to all three.

Of the 13 wins, Utah has been the biggest-named opponent. And the Utes are no certain bet for the NCAAs.

Coach Steve Fisher has done a good job in his near-decade on Montezuma Mesa in turning the Aztecs from a horrible to middle-of-the-pack team. The program is good enough to make the NIT just about every year; yet you can only count on an NCAA berth (and loss) about once every five years.

Unless the Aztecs win the Mountain West Conference’s automatic NCAA bid this year, it’s going to be the same old thing:

Play in the NIT and hope for the best.

San Diego State desperately needs a win

It’s going to be something to see how the Chargers and San Diego State react on the football field this weekend.

The Chargers will just be playing/hoping not to get anybody hurt when they close their exhibition season Friday night at San Francisco.

But it will be much different Saturday night for SDSU.

The Aztecs will be fighting for their season when they open by hosting Cal Poly, a team from the next division down in college football.

This is the same Cal Poly bunch that came to San Diego two years ago and upset the Aztecs, 16-14, when Coach Chuck Long became too conservative.

If SDSU loses to the Mustangs again, it may be the beginning of the end for Long on Montezuma Mesa.

While experienced on defense, the Aztecs are very young offensively.

Much of their season rides on redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley out of El Capitan High School.

His father, Tim Lindley, was a water polo All-American at Monte Vista High School. Ryan will try to take the family genes to another lofty status when he begins his Aztec career.

The SDSU defense is solid; the offense may not be. We’ll see.

Prediction: SDSU 20, Cal Poly 13

Local college basketball worth watching

College basketball isn’t going to be so bad in San Diego this season.

San Diego State has its most balanced team in years. The University of San Diego is only going to get better under the great coaching of first-year mentor Bill Grier, a former assistant at West Coast Conference powerhouse Gonzaga.

Both San Diego teams are young, which is another remedy for future improvement. The Aztecs have only one senior; USD has none.

Lorrenzo Wade leads an SDSU team that is 5-0 and is 8-9 players deep in able contributors.

The Toreros (2-2) do not have any seniors. Junior center Gyno Pomare has two straight double-double games against Nevada Las Vegas and SDSU.

USD hosts the WCC postseason tournament each of the next two seasons. Don’t be surprised if the Toreros win that tournament by next year.

Coach Steve Fisher has brought the Aztecs from horrible to mediocre during his tenure on Montezuma Mesa. His team is likely looking at another NIT-type season, which is about as high as Fisher appears capable of taking this team.

But in the long run, at least local college basketball fans shouldn’t be too disappointed this season.

Aztecs trying to make friends

San Diego State is to be lauded for donating 4,000 tickets to firefighters, police, American Red Cross, military and others who protected San Diego County during last week’s fires.

The Aztecs are also selling field level tickets for $5 to this Saturday night’s home game against Wyoming.

All told, hopefully this means the Aztecs will have more than 20,000 people actually in the stands for the game.

As much as SDSU is reaching out to the community in some ways, it still isn’t winning football games. And that’s why people are not coming, no matter what the discount.

Chuck Long is just 5-14 in his first 1 ½ seasons on Montezuma Mesa. Since he’s in the second year of a five-year contract, SDSU isn’t going to buy him out anytime soon.

This team just isn’t making an impact in the community. The Aztecs haven’t had a winning season since 1998 … and it doesn’t appear one is on the horizon.

They will make some friends this weekend with the free and discounted tickets.

But to make friends in the long run, they will need to win more than once a month.

Prediction:

Wyoming 27, SDSU 17

Aztecs in for long season?

What can be made of the San Diego State football team?

Going into Saturday’s season opener against Washington State in Seattle, the Aztecs:

Have lost 16 straight games to Pac-10 opponents
Are coming off a horrible 3-9 season
Face the possibility (probability) of becoming the first team in school history with 10 losses

Yes, season No. 2 of the Chuck Long era on Montezuma Mesa looks like a longshot at best.

SDSU is meeting its match … at least in terms of preseason forecasts … against Washington State. Both teams were picked to finish eighth in their respective conference … which tells you why this game is not even being televised.

Of course, it does not bode well for the Aztecs that they are in the Mountain West Conference; a much weaker conference than where the Cougars reside.

“We are well aware of the fact that we haven’t been too successful against Pac-10 teams in the past and that we haven’t been to a bowl game in a while, but we are trying not to focus on that,” SDSU wide receiver Chaz Schilens said. “Going into the game this weekend, we are focusing on matching up well with a good team.”

The Aztecs have been anything but a good team this millennium and more, failing to have a winning season or reach a bowl game since 1998.

Unless this team with a very suspect offensive line comes around quickly, it could be staring a 10-loss season in the face.

“A win is a win and that is something we strive for every week, but obviously beating a Pac-10 team to start the season would get things off on a good note for us,” Aztecs linebacker Russell Allen said.

Don’t count on it.

Prediction: Washington State 38, SDSU 13