San Diego State-Baylor: Keys to Victory for the Aztecs Tonight in NIT Semifinal

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Aztecs face the Baylor Bears tonight in the first semifinal of the NIT (7 PM ET, 4 PT on ESPN). In order for them to advance to the championship game, they're going to need to execute very well, because the game features two teams who are playing extremely good basketball right now.

Here are some of the keys to the game.

Slow the Game Down

Baylor likes to play quick, and have the personnel to do so with their three quick guards. Curtis Jerrells, Henry Dugat, and Tweety Carter make up probably the best three-some of guards in college basketball.

They like to get up and down the court and can all shoot the ball very efficiently. They can also bring LaceDarius Dunn off the bench to provide some scoring.

The Aztecs cannot match the Bears in a high-scoring game. Because of this, slowing the game down and playing a defensive style of basketball may be best.

Guard the Basket

Even with the four-guard rotation, the Bears also have some really good size, most notably in Kevin Rogers who stands 6'9" and 250 pounds. They can also bring in 7'1" Mamadou Niene. The Aztecs don't have the size to compare to Baylor, but they do have the weight to push around and play physically with them.

In the Aztecs' second round game versus Kansas State, they gave up 24 offensive rebounds. If that happens in this game, Baylor will make the Aztecs pay with their awesome guards who can score.

Score Around the Basket

Baylor likes to play a zone, and the Aztecs do not have the outside shooting to make them pay. Instead, they need to get the ball inside to Lorrenzo Wade, Kyle Spain, Tim Shelton, and Billy White, all of who are very able to score down low in the post.

It would also help for PG Richie Williams and Wade or DJ Gay to penetrate the zone and get a few baskets off driving to the hoop. Once that happens, Baylor will either have to switch to a man defense or pinch the integrity of the defense inside, leaving those outside shots wide open, which even the poor-shooting Aztecs can make.

Execute At Least One Alley-Oop

This may sound silly, but in all three NIT games, the Aztecs have executed an alley-oop, which brought the home crowd into a tizzy. Two of those were thrown down by Billy White and the other by Lorrenzo Wade. I would love to see tonight's thrown down by Kyle Spain.

With that, whatever piece of The Show that makes its way to Madison Square Garden will erupt with the routine "Ole, Ole, Ole" and make Madison Square Garden a home away from home. 

If all these things happen, the Aztecs have a wonderful chance to advance to Thursday's Championship Game. 1,2,3, Let's Go State!            

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