The good news? Jaedon LeDee got sick during a week off for San Diego State. The bad news? Obviously that the Aztec star got sick at all.
Yet LeDee was struck with food poisoning last week, ahead of two crucial contests – SDSU (16-4, 5-2 Mountain West), after a bye week, resumes play at 6 p.m. Tuesday with a road game at No. 24 Colorado State (15-5, 3-4 MW). No. 18 Utah State (18-2, 6-1 MW) follows on Saturday at Viejas Arena.
“The most concerning thing is three of the next four games are on the road in the Mountain West and the home game is against arguably the best team in the league right now, Utah State,” head coach Brian Dutcher said. “We know what’s in front of us and we have to be at our best to win these games.”
The team started prepping for that stretch on Thursday, but LeDee didn’t practice due to his illness and neither did Reese Waters and Miles Heide, who also were ill. Dutcher said Waters and Heide returned Friday.
This is what they will confront – two teams coming off tough overtime efforts Saturday. Colorado State – which led by 11 with a minute to play in regulation – suffered a crushing loss to Wyoming, 79-76, while Utah State prevailed over Boise State 90-84 to take over sole possession of the top spot in the MW.
The Rams have the conference’s third-ranked offense, just behind Utah State. Guard Isaiah Stevens paces Colorado State with almost 17 points and seven assists a game. The team moves the ball well, and at almost 20 assists a game, is among the top squads in the nation.
Great Osobor leads the Aggies, averaging nearly 19 points and 10 rebounds a game. Utah State is also nearly a match for SDSU defensively; the Aztecs limit teams to 66 points a game, Utah State is just behind them.
As for San Diego State, Dutcher wants want his team to be more efficient offensively. As Elijah Saunders said, “we’re cleaning up our offense.”
The forward added that personally he is “focusing more on the defensive end and the rebounding,” and as a team, SDSU is “working on stuff we haven’t had a chance to work on.”
“We’ve had two days off, prepping for another game like this and finally, working
together as a team and building our chemistry,” the forward explained.
