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Aztecs look to rebound against woeful Wyoming

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Previewing Tuesday night’s Mountain West basketball game between San Diego State and Wyoming, both looking for their first conference victory of the season:

Wyoming at Aztecs

Tuesday: 7 p.m. at Viejas Arena

On the air: CBSSN; 1360-AM, 101.5-FM

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Records: Wyoming is 4-11, 0-2; SDSU is 8-6, 0-1

Series history: The series is tied 41-41, but SDSU has won the last 10 at Viejas Arena — all by nine or more points. The teams do not play in Laramie this season.

Cowboys update: If you think the Aztecs are a mess, wait till you see the Cowboys. They are 305 in the NET metric, the worst in the Mountain West (below even San Jose State), and have lost five straight against Div. I opponents. They look better on paper, with one of the best players in the league in Justin James, a first team all-conference wing who averages 20.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists. They’re also huge, with a starting lineup of 6-2, 6-7, 6-9, 6-10 and 6-10, and only one other player on the entire roster under 6-4. But despite all that size they rank 350th out of 353 Div. I teams in the percentage of missed shots they grab on the offensive boards and 321st in 2-point shooting. Their conference losses are 69-55 at home against Boise State and 68-56 at UNLV on Saturday. Four rotation players have been lost due to injury, including 6-7 sophomore Hunter Maldonado (13.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg). That left them with only two players who played Div. I basketball last season. Freshman Trace Young (14.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg) was originally slated to redshirt before being called into duty three games ago.

Aztecs update: If they could pick a Mountain West opponent for a bounce-back game after a 24-point loss, Wyoming would be it. The Cowboys have lost their last 10 games in Viejas Arena by an average of 20.2 points, and now they’re down to seven scholarship players. Their last Div. I win was more than a month ago. The Aztecs are 2-4 in their last six games against Div. I opposition, including losses by 12 (USD), 21 (Brown) and 24 (Boise State) plus a win in which they had to come back from 19 down (CSUN). They have struggled defensively all season, and now rank 220th in Kenpom’s defensive efficiency metric, their worst since being 223 in 2004-05 (an 11-18 season). More recently, their perimeter shooting has abandoned them — going from seventh nationally in 3-point accuracy to 41st after a 3-of-21 performance at Boise State on Saturday. They have made 16 total 3s in their last three games, compared to 38 in the three games before that. After making 51.1 percent of his 3s through the first 12 games, Jordan Schakel is 2 of 11 in his last two outings.

Next up: at Air Force on Saturday (1 p.m. PST, ESPN3)

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mark.zeigler@sduniontribune.com

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