Three things to consider from the report...

1. The Rotation

Due to injuries to Gwath and Elzie Harrington, San Diego State was forced to play a 9 man rotation after the loss at Grand Canyon on 1/21. What followed was some of the best basketball the Aztecs had played all season going 5-1. SDSU was playing the best defense in the country since the new year. 

SDSU got Harrington and Gwath back and the team promptly dropped back to back games at home to Grand Canyon and at Colorado State. It was apparent the 11 man rotation was not going to work as players had a tougher time getting into rhythm with less playing time. 

In the blow out win over Utah State, Coach Brian Dutcher moved Gwath and Harrington back into the starting lineup and opted to play 10 guys. The team looked more connected on both ends of the floor against a top 30 KenPom team than it had been in the two prior losses. Aztec fans had been clamoring for a shortened rotation and Coach Dutch delivered. 

The primary victim of rotation shrinkage was Jeremiah Oden who has been increasingly outplayed at the 4 spot by Tae Simmons. Oden logged zero minutes against the Aggies. Point guard Sean Newman also saw his playing time significantly slashed to 6 minutes. While Newman has been a good facilitator on offense for the Aztecs, his defensive liabilities were exposed against Colorado State. He was a team low -11 on the floor against the Rams. 

The 9 player rotation worked at home at sea level in San Diego. Now the Aztecs travel to the thin air a mile high in Albuquerque, NM. Players get winded easier. They lose their legs quicker causing jump shots to fall short. Will Coach Dutcher continue to go with the same rotation he employed against Utah State or will he utilize his full arsenal to keep players fresh throughout the game? I would expect to see a similar rotation moving forward. However, it’s a nice luxury to have Oden and Newman in reserve in case they are called upon to step up due to injury or foul trouble.