1. Does UW show up?: After what happened in Wednesday’s loss to Colorado State, one has to wonder about this. It’s hard to believe a team could be that unmotivated and uninspired to play. Maybe not all the players performed that way, but many did. For UW to simply be competitive in conference play it has to have great effort from start to finish.
2. Generating some offense: The Cowboys average 75.9 points per game, but they are going up against the best defensive team in the MWC in San Diego State (55.7 ppg). The Aztecs are big and athletic, and points could be hard to come by. Efficiency on the offensive end will be critical for the Cowboys.
3. Crash the boards: UW was outrebounded 40-33 against CSU and it faces the best rebounding team in the MWC in San Diego State. The Cowboys must hold their own on the boards, and they can’t allow the Aztecs to get a lot of second-chance opportunities.
4. Big three need big games: Sophomore forward Afam Muojeke, sophomore guard A.J. Davis and junior forward Djibril Thiam are UW’s three leading scorers, but combined for just 18 points and seven rebounds against CSU. They’ve got to be more productive than that. Especially Muojeke, both offensively and defensively.
5. Post presence: UW matches up poorly with San Diego State’s size and skill inside. Sophomore center Adam Waddell was great against CSU (18 points, five rebounds) but the guy he guarded, Andy Ogide, had 22 points and six boards. Waddell needs to continue to play well and play better defensively (so does the entire team). 7-2 center Boubacar Sylla needs to play MUCH better and Thiam and freshman Amath M’Baye must hold their own so the Aztecs don’t run rough shod over the Cowboys down low.
The weather looks to be much better Saturday so live blogging is back on for the game. Join me at about 3:30 p.m.
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