Mountain West Basketball

Before Kawhi Leonard was an NBA champion and on the short list of the league's best players, he was the leader of the San Diego State Aztecs.

Now his No. 15 jersey will never be worn again at the school.

Forever cemented his legacy.#GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/DgHM613E1z

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2020

Forever an Aztec.

Back in the house that he got rockin'.#GoAztecs https://t.co/LQtbSmX7Mj

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2020

San Diego State retired his jersey as part of Saturday's game against Utah State at Viejas Arena. He is the first player in Aztecs history to have his jersey retired, and he earned the distinction with just two collegiate seasons.

Leonard arrived at San Diego State as a 4-star prospect in the class of 2009, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and won the Mountain West Freshman of the Year behind 12.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He also led the Aztecs to the NCAA men's tournament for just the sixth time in program history that season.

Whiteout. pic.twitter.com/hHvjEt0FW7

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2020

Welcome home, Kawhi.#GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/LVfW8nxsyW

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2020

Stay in your seats at halftime or turn on @CBSSportsNet.

Kawhi's jersey retirement. LIVE. pic.twitter.com/4rI56C5gba

— Aztec M. Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 2, 2020

While his freshman campaign was impressive, he took a significant leap in 2010-11.

Leonard averaged 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game and was named second-team All-American and first-team All-Mountain West Conference. He also led the Aztecs to 20 straight victories to start the season and a spot in the Sweet 16.

They lost to the eventual national-champion Connecticut Huskies, but they also won a March Madness game for the first time in program history.

San Diego State made the NCAA tournament the four seasons after Leonard left as well, advancing as far as the Sweet 16 in 2014. It is now a national title contender with an undefeated record and the No. 4 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25.

It is not hyperbole to suggest Leonard helped set the program on its course, considering the success it enjoyed while he was there and in the subsequent years compared to before his arrival.

He was honored accordingly Saturday.

Brian Dutcher has been patiently waiting for decades to lead San Diego State men's basketball to this point.

There are longtime assistants, and then there's Dutcher, who spent 27 seasons as Steve Fisher's right-hand man—nine years at Michigan followed by 18 with San Diego State.

Now in his third season as a head coach, the 60-year-old who was at least partially credited with bringing together the Fab Five in the early 1990s has a fabulous squad of his own, legitimately threatening to carry an undefeated record into the 2020 NCAA tournament.

And perhaps even through it.

There are two undefeated teams remaining in men's college basketball, and we certainly mean no disrespect to 14-0 Auburn by homing in on 16-0 San Diego State here. But Auburn has to play at Florida next weekend, and it has two games against Kentucky in February. Throw in two games each against Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, plus the SEC tournament, and we're going to have plenty of opportunities in the next two months to try to figure out just how legitimate the Tigers are.

They're good, but it's extremely unlikely they'll run the table.

San Diego State, though?

It could (maybe even should?) be 32-0 on Selection Sunday, and there would still be people questioning whether the Aztecs are for real. Those people will cite the lack of competition in the Mountain West Conference and the fact that SDSU has never been to the Final Four as reasons to cast aspersions on this year's team.

You'll probably recognize it as the way folks used to talk about Gonzaga before it finally almost won a national championship.

Fittingly similar to that Gonzaga team from a few years ago, San Diego State has built this juggernaut on the backs of transfers. Where the Zags had Nigel Williams-Goss (Washington), Jordan Mathews (California) and Johnathan Williams III (Missouri) in the starting lineup all season long, the Aztecs have Malachi Flynn (Washington State), Yanni Wetzell (Vanderbilt) and KJ Feagin (Santa Clara) leading the team in minutes played.

Feagin has been nowhere near the player Dutcher and Co. thought they were getting. He shot 49 percent from three-point range as a sophomore and averaged 17.5 points per game as a junior, but he is sitting at 33.9 percent from the field through 16 games and has been held to seven points or fewer in each of his last seven games against Division I opponents.

But while offensive rating, PER and basically any advanced stat you can find paints the picture of a guy who is doing more harm than good, Feagin has been—as the San Diego Union-Tribune's Mark Zeigler put it—SDSU's Mr. Intangible.

"We'll get done with a game and not think he played particularly well, like most fans, because the ball didn't go in," Dutcher told Zeigler. "Then I'll go back and watch the tape and say, 'Wow, what a great play defensively. Wow, what a great drive and kick.'"

If he ever flips the switch and starts making shots at a respectable clip again, San Diego State's championship potential grows even stronger.

Despite Feagin's shooting and turnover woes, the Aztecs are having an atypically efficient season on offense. They entered play Thursday ranked 33rd in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, which is their best ranking since finishing the 2010-11 season in 28th place. (That was the year Kawhi Leonard led them to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and a trip to the Sweet 16 before running into Kemba Walker and UConn, the eventual national champs.)

That's because four Aztecs are averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Flynn, who has been the best player in the country that not enough people are talking about.

The former Cougar is averaging 16.1 points and 4.9 assists per game with a 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio and more steals per game (1.7) than turnovers (1.5). He was outstanding on back-to-back nights against Creighton and Iowa while propelling San Diego State to a surprise championship in the Las Vegas Invitational, and he has continued to thrive in Mountain West Conference play.

Oddly enough, his worst performance of the season also featured one of his top highlights.

Another angle of Malachi Flynn’s game-winner!

Definitely #SCTop10 worthy, right Aztec Nation? #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/geqDWMODUW

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 8, 2019

Flynn shot 3-of-13 from the field against San Jose State in what is still his only game this season with more turnovers than assists, but his three-pointer with less than one second remaining was the difference in a 59-57 rock fight.

If he misses that shot and San Diego State loses a home game to annual Mountain West bottom-feeder San Jose State, the Aztecs never become "a thing." They weren't even ranked at the time of that Dec. 8 game, and they certainly wouldn't have climbed all the way to their current position of No. 7 in the latest AP poll.

Despite Flynn's stats and heroics, there's some sort of unofficial/unconscious rule in college hoops that we're only allowed to fall in love as a nation with one non-major conference player per season. And sadly for Flynn's National Player of the Year marketability, Dayton's Obi Toppin locked down this year's honor during the Maui Invitational. Just let it be known that Flynn has been especially impressive, too.

As always, though, the biggest key to San Diego State's success has been its defense.

Over the final 11 years of Fisher's tenure, the Aztecs often couldn't hit water in the ocean on offense. But they still averaged nearly 26 wins per year and had a streak of six straight NCAA tournament appearances during that time because they consistently made life miserable for the opposing team's offense. San Diego State ranked in the top 60 in adjusted defensive efficiency (AdjDE) in each of those years, including four seasons in the top seven.

That discipline on defense has persisted under Dutcher, as the Aztecs currently rank 14th in AdjDE with a rating of 88.2—their best in KenPom history. They've held half of their opponents to 52 points or fewer and have yet to allow more than 73 points in a game.

That's quite the turnaround from last season when six of their first 14 opponents put up at least 81 points.

Even in their worst defensive effort of this season in terms of points allowed and points allowed per possession, they still beat Iowa with defense, holding star big man Luka Garza to nine points and eight rebounds—which are still season-worst marks in both categories for Garza.

If the Aztecs can slow that guy down, what can't they do?

Framed another way, if Iowa—ranked fifth in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency—couldn't figure out this defense, what hope is there for the rest of the Mountain West Conference?

Maybe Air Force has a prayer. The Falcons host the Aztecs on Feb. 8 and currently boast the nation's seventh-best effective field-goal percentage. They have made at least 13 threes in four of their past eight games. But they are a train wreck on defense, so it's likely San Diego State will just win in a higher-scoring blowout than usual.

Road games against New Mexico (Jan. 29) and Nevada (Feb. 29) theoretically could cause problems for the Aztecs, but both of those teams have already lost to San Jose State in 2020. If those are the biggest hurdles standing between Dutcher's guys and an undefeated regular season, it's hard to envision them tripping at any point.

KenPom gives SDSU a 7.5 percent chance of going undefeated, but it also puts its win probability at 68 percent or greater for each remaining game. At any rate, San Diego State has already won its four toughest games of the season—at BYU, at Utah State and the games against Iowa and Creighton in Las Vegas.

You might be thinking, You seriously expect us to trust anyone this season? Need I mention Stephen F. Austin and Evansville beating Duke and Kentucky, respectively?

Fair point, but here's a counterpoint: Without anything resembling a major-conference juggernaut this season, isn't this the ideal setup for an undefeated mid-major national champion?

If the Aztecs do run the table, they are a shoo-in for a No. 1 seed, as they're currently No. 2 in the NET rankings. Perhaps they'll get hosed like Wichita State did in 2014, drawing a way-better-than-its-resume Kentucky as a No. 8 seed in the second round, but they wouldn't need to face a No. 1-3 seed until at least the Elite Eight.

And, who knows, in this marginally-more-unpredictable-than-usual season, the rest of the bracket could come crumbling down like it did for that Leonard-led Aztecs team in 2011, when the regions aside from San Diego State's sent their No. 4, No. 8 and No. 11 seeds to the Final Four.

Even if things hold to form and they run into a Duke, Gonzaga or Kansas in the Final Four, the Aztecs could win.

If you don't believe me, make it a point to watch this team as soon and as often as you can. Saturday's game against Boise State is on ESPN3. They'll play on ESPN2 against Fresno State on Tuesday. And if you get CBS Sports Network, just about every other SDSU game will be on that channel.

If nothing else, you'll be able to impress your friends with your random Aztecs knowledge when they make their way to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

         

Advanced statistics courtesy of KenPom and Sports Reference.

Kerry Miller covers men's college basketball and college football for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @kerrancejames.

The Nevada Wolf Pack officially hired former UCLA Bruins head coach Steve Alford Thursday on a 10-year contract.

247Sports' Evan Daniels first reported the news earlier on Thursday.

Alford replaces Eric Musselman, who left to take over the Arkansas Razorbacks. He spent the past five-and-a-half seasons at UCLA, compiling a 124-63 record.

The Bruins made four NCAA tournament appearances under Alford, reaching the Sweet 16 on three occasions.

Between his stops at UCLA, New Mexico, Iowa and Missouri State, Alford has a 509-269 overall record and helped guide his teams to the NCAA tournament on 11 occasions. The 54-year-old has the profile and the track record to fit with a Nevada program that became a tournament mainstay under Musselman.

Alford's time with the Lobos is particularly encouraging. New Mexico reached the Big Dance once in the previous eight years before he arrived. In his third year, the Lobos reached the second round of the tournament and won 30 games.

Despite Alford's arrival, a step backward is likely inevitable for the Wolf Pack. Of the 15 players on their 2018-19 roster, eight were seniors, including Caleb Martin, Cody Martin and Jordan Caroline.

Stadium's Jeff Goodman also reported freshman forward Jordan Brown plans to transfer. Brown was the No. 19 player and No. 5 power forward in the 2018 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The Wolf Pack's 2019 class ranks just 120th nationally, with 3-star junior college small forward Eric Parrish and Pittsburgh transfer Shamiel Stevenson the only additions so far. Alford still has some time to strengthen his squad, but most top players have already signed their letter of intent.

Musselman certainly picked the right time to move on, leaving Alford to inherit a tough situation.

The Nevada Wolf Pack are reportedly turning to former UCLA head coach Steve Alford as their next men's basketball coach.

On Wednesday, Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported the Mountain West Conference school will hire him unless there is a "last-second breakdown in negotiations." 

Evan Daniels of 247Sports reported Alford was the "frontrunner" after the school discussed the position with a number of other candidates. UCLA fired Alford on Dec. 31 in the middle of his sixth season with the program.

The Nevada position was only open because the Arkansas Razorbacks hired Eric Musselman after he led the Wolf Pack to the NCAA tournament each of the last three years.

Tracy Pierson of 247Sports reported UCLA fired Alford in part because "influential donors" pressured the administration to do so following a four-game losing streak that dropped the team to 7-6 this season. NBC Sports' Rob Dauster cited a source who said Bruins players hated Alford and quit on him. 

Alford coached at Missouri State, Iowa and New Mexico prior to his time with UCLA and sports a 509-269 career record. He was 124-63 with the Bruins and reached the NCAA tournament in four of his first five years, but he never made it past the Sweet 16 and lost in 2018's First Four.

That ultimately didn't cut it at the school with the most national titles in men's college basketball history, but he will attempt to continue Musselman's success with Nevada.

The Wolf Pack hadn't been to the NCAA tournament since 2007 when Musselman took over prior to the 2015-16 campaign. However, he led them to Mountain West regular-season championships in each of the last three seasons and reached the Sweet 16 in 2018.

Cooleemee, North Carolina, is a town of approximately 900 people that has long dealt with deep-seated prejudice.

For their entire childhood, Jenny Bennett, a white mother of biracial children, protected her three kids, including Nevada Wolf Pack stars Cody and Caleb Martin.

In a B/R exclusive with Master Tesfatsion, the Martin twins and Jenny describe the struggles of living under a cloud of aggressive discrimination. 

Special thank you to Ballislife for the high school footage of Caleb and Cody Martin.

Nevada forward Jordan Caroline appeared to break glass protecting a fire extinguisher near the locker room after Saturday's 81-76 loss to Utah State.

In video footage provided by Jake Edmonds of KUTV 2 News (warning: contains strong language), Caroline appeared to be yelling at someone after breaking the glass. Wolf Pack players and coaches reportedly took offense to Utah State fans allegedly touching and verbally abusing them after storming the court.

Edmonds added Nevada players shouldn't have been in the tunnel they went down, but his assumption is they went that way because "there were too many fans on the court to allow them easy access to their own tunnel."

Players and coaches for Nevada were not made available to the media after the game.

Saturday's game was a crucial showdown in the Mountain West. Utah State moved to the top of the conference standings thanks to the win with a 14-3 record, followed by the Wolf Pack at 13-3.

The New Mexico Lobos pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2018-19 college basketball season to date by upsetting the Nevada Wolf Pack 85-58 at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday.

Court storming in Albuquerque! @UNMLoboMBB pic.twitter.com/kpPa5cFuiJ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 6, 2019

Senior guard Anthony Mathis led the way for New Mexico with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists.

MATHIS FOR THREE! Mathis is up to 25 points on the night, matching his career high. The Lobos lead 83-54 with 2:25 remaining!#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/WpOvy1ZEXl

— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 6, 2019

It marks Nevada's first loss of the season after starting the year 14-0. That extended winning streak included a 72-66 victory over then-No. 20 Arizona State back on Dec. 7.

This was a game that New Mexico controlled nearly from start to finish. Once the Lobos took a 4-3 lead four minutes into the game, they never looked back.

They were able to quickly create some separation, extending the lead to double digits before the midway point of the first half. Ultimately, they were able to push it up to a 15-point advantage late in the opening half before having to settle for a 12-point lead going into halftime.

And while the Wolf Pack cut the deficit down to single digits in the opening minutes of the second half, the Lobos were able to respond by silencing the rally and putting the game away.

Vance Jackson with the two-hand SLAM!#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/oIJdvZSULH

— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 6, 2019

In the end, New Mexico's combination of perimeter shooting and strong defense was too much for Nevada to handle. The Lobos held an 11-4 edge from beyond the arc, while the Wolf Pack shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and committed 14 turnovers.

Senior forward Jordan Caroline (17 points and eight rebounds) turned in a solid effort for Nevada, but it was a tough night for the team's leading scorer, Caleb Martin, who had just eight points on 2-of-14 shooting.

New Mexico snapped a four-game losing streak against Nevada that dated back to March 10, 2016. After having lost five of six games during a recent stretch, the Lobos (8-6) extended their current winning streak to three games.

Nevada was just the latest top team to be handed a loss on Saturday. Four of the top 13 teams in the country lost on Saturday, with both No. 5 Kansas (at Iowa State) and No. 13 Kentucky (at Alabama) being upset by unranked teams. No. 9 Florida State lost to No. 4 Virginia on the road.

San Diego State Aztecs forward Jalen McDaniels is being sued for allegedly filming a sexual act with a female student and distributing it on social media, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Mark Zeigler. 

The alleged recording was made in 2016 when McDaniels and the female student were seniors at Federal Way High School in Washington. McDaniels is currently a sophomore at San Diego State.

Per Zeigler, attorney Joan Mell is expected to file another invasion of privacy lawsuit against McDaniels next week for a similar incident with a different person.

The suit filed on Wednesday does not specify a specific monetary amount, but Mell told USA Today's Steve Gardner that her client is seeking "whatever the value Jalen McDaniels can figure out violating these women's privacy was worth."

"When you take an intimate moment without women's consent, you're taking something that they can't get back," Mell said, per Gardner. "We're going to try to take it back and pick up the pieces as best we can."

The woman in the first lawsuit, Gwen Gabert, initially informed police of the incident in April 2016. Law enforcement also investigated the matter again this fall. However, no charges were filed either time.

"When I came forward, the reason he didn't get in trouble was because he was an athlete. People didn't want to hurt his career," Gabert said, per Gardner. "I wasn't valued at all."

Gabert told Gardner that she spent a year getting treatment following the incident and that she intends to use the settlement money to cover medical expenses.

San Diego State said in a statement, via ABC 10 News, that there will be "no change" in McDaniels' status at the university at this time:

"San Diego State University and SDSU Athletics takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. First and foremost, we recognize that this is a difficult time for the individuals and loved ones of all of those involved. The University is committed to helping students make the best possible decisions. Cultivating a campus culture that promotes human dignity, civility, and mutual respect is foundational to the University's values, and all student are held to that high standard. An investigation completed by local municipal authorities in Washington state concerning the events that preceded the current student-athlete’s enrollment at the University resulted in no charges. At this time, there will be no change in the individual's status at the University. The University will continue to monitor the situation."

McDaniels is currently the Aztecs' second-leading scorer (14.7 points per game) and the team's leading rebounder (7.6 per game).

Nevada received a massive boost to its 2018 recruiting class Friday with a verbal commitment from elite power forward prospect Jordan Brown.

"It honestly felt like it would be a good fit for me," Brown told 247Sports' Evan Daniels. "They were the first school to offer me so I'm just really comfortable with the coaching staff and the whole program. It's a good veteran team and they have a good chance at making to the NCAA Tournament again. I want to be a part of that."

Brown is a 5-star prospect who rates as the No. 17 overall recruit in the 2018 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He's also graded as the fifth-ranked power forward in the group and the No. 1 player in the state of California. 

The Prolific Prep and former Woodcreck High School sensation, who measures 6'10" and 195 pounds, has done most of his damage so far attacking the rim. He's started to work on bringing more variety to his offensive skill set, however, including an ongoing extension of his shooting range.

Mitch Stephens of MaxPreps passed along comments Woodcreek head coach Paul Hayes made last March about his prized forward.

"There's not much he can't do," he said. "He was very skilled when he got here and he's just got better. A nice new thing for him is his ability to avoid contact and now he can step outside and shoot. He can consistently knock down 15-footers. He has tremendous footwork and moves. He's the complete package."

One other thing that stands out watching Brown are his soft hands. He rarely juggles or mishandles the ball when it's tossed to him in the post. He makes a confident catch and uses a growing variety of moves to create an open look around the rim.

While he'll need to add more weight to his frame as well as increase his overall strength, the other raw tools are already in place for him to shine during what could be a short stay in college.

Ultimately, it's hard to overstate Brown's potential impact for head coach Eric Musselman and the Wolfpack. He's one of the best players in the class, and his hard work to further expand his all-around game continues to increase his upside.

Although it may take some time for him to find his footing at the collegiate level, especially as he hits the weight room to power up, he should take off during the second half of his freshman year at Nevada. He should be a reliable force down low by the time the NCAA tournament arrives.

Colorado State hired Niko Medved as the next head coach of its men's basketball team, the team announced Thursday. 

Evan Daniels of 247Sports first reported the news.

He will replace Larry Eustachy, who resigned in February partway through his sixth season with the Rams following an investigation into his treatment of players.

Medved was the head coach of Drake last season after spending the previous four years with Furman.

While Drake went just 17-17 this season, it had only 14 wins in the previous two seasons combined. The Bulldogs finished in third place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-8 record.

With Furman, Medved took over a team that won seven games the previous year and improved the record in each of his four seasons. In 2016-17, the Paladins went 23-12 and tied for the Southern Conference's regular-season title.

The 44-year-old coach will now try to create a similar turnaround with Colorado State, where he worked as an assistant for six years—the first five of those under Tim Miles.

The Rams went just 11-21 this season, including 4-14 in the Mountain West Conference.

There are also zero recruits signed for the 2018 class, per 247Sports, although there was only one senior on the roster this past year. There is talent to work with, but Medved could have his work cut out for him.