Three thoughts on No. 25 San Diego State’s 63-62 win against UC Irvine at Viejas Arena on Saturday night:
1. A great Pal
The Aztecs probably don’t want to make a habit of playing games without Jaedon LeDee, but coach Brian Dutcher’s decision against risking further injury to his star forward’s sprained right elbow paid dividends in other ways.
LeDee now has 12 days before their next Division I game, Dec. 21 against Stanford.
And Campbell transfer Jay Pal, forced into extended minutes by necessity, woke up.
“Almost like a breakout game for me,” he said.
Through nine games, the 6-foot-9 senior at his fourth college program was averaging 2.7 points in 10.3 minutes off the bench. His season high of six points came in a 20-point win against Division II Point Loma Nazarene. In his last three Division I games, he scored two, zero and two.
His line Saturday: 15 points (4 of 6 shooting), four rebounds, two assists and four fouls drawn in 24 minutes.
Pal hadn’t made a 3-pointer all season; he made two against UC Irvine. He had shot six free throws all season; he attempted seven Saturday.
He also was the architect of the dramatic sequence in the closing seconds, rising above two Irvine players to grab an offensive rebound off Darrion Trammell’s missed 3, then whipping a pass to a slashing Micah Parrish in the lane for the winning basket.
“We had Jae out today,” Pal said. “We knew where we were lacking, and I knew I could come in and bring energy.”
He had a similarly modest start last season at Campbell, averaging 8.9 points through his first nine games and, like Saturday, had 15 in his 10th. Over his final eight games, including Campbell’s run to the final of the Big South tournament, he averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds.
In his first year at Jacksonville State, a Division I school in Alabama, Pal came off the bench for the first five games before adjusting from a year at junior college and starting the remainder of the season. In his 10th game, he was up to 34 minutes.
“He knows how to play the game,” said Dutcher, who had Pal on the floor with the starters in crunch time. “He’s super instinctual and smart. He’s been to a junior college. He’s been to two other Division I schools. He’s a true journeyman, but he’s learned lessons all along the way. And now he’s learning to play in this program, and he’s getting better every day.
“He’s one where you think, ‘Wow, can you imagine five or six games from now what his contributions are going to be?’ You combine instincts with getting comfortable with our offense and how we play, and I think the sky is the limit. I think he’s going to be a real difference maker as we move forward.”
2. Even-keeled
Here’s an incredible stat:
In the Aztecs’ last 10 games decided by one possession, they are 10-0. Add in the games that went to overtime where they won by more than three points, it’s 12-0.
Said Dutcher: “I tell the kids the same thing every year when we’re in a tight game like this: ‘We’re going to have 15 more games just like this. It’s going to be anybody’s game to win with five minutes to go. We have to find a way to make enough plays to win.’”
Four have already come in the first 10 games this season. There also was the buzzer-beater against UCSD (also with the final score of 63-62) and a pair of OT wins against Washington and Cal.
There were two in the NCAA Tournament, Lamont Butler’s famed buzzer-beater against Florida Atlantic in the Final Four and Trammell’s free throw with 1.2 seconds left against Creighton in the Elite Eight.
One came in the Mountain West tournament, 64-61 in the quarterfinals. Four more came on the road during the conference season – at New Mexico, at Fresno State, at Utah State, in overtime at Colorado State. Then there was last year’s game against UC Irvine at Viejas Arena, where Micah Parrish drained a 3 with 2.4 seconds left for a 72-69 win.
The last loss in a one-possession or overtime game? Against Arkansas in the Maui Invitational last year.
If they have a secret, it’s remaining calm under pressure. They didn’t panic after blowing 12-point leads late in regulation and going to OT against Washington and Cal. They were eerily composed down 14 inside seven minutes to go at UCSD.
They were again Saturday night, blowing a 16-point lead and trailing by five inside 45 seconds to go.
“At this point in my college career, I’m pretty even-keeled,” said Parrish, who’s made game-winners against UC Irvine in back-to-back years. “We know the game’s not over until the buzzer sounds. Anything can happen. The guys who were here last year know that, too. As a team, we can feel even-keeled even if we’re down. It doesn’t really faze us.”
Added UC Irvine coach Russell Turner: “Credit to San Diego State on that for staying in the game and showing the belief in the championship-level team. That’s something that I genuinely respect about their players, coaches and program. They’ve earned that.”
3. Butler’s struggles
There’s no hiding it: Butler is struggling on offense.
Or he is only in relation to expectations?
In some ways, he’s the same player he’s always been at SDSU. He averaged 7.1 points while shooting 40.8 percent in his first three seasons; he’s at 7.5 and 34.9 percent as a senior.
His defense remains elite, holding opponents’ top perimeter threats to season lows on several occasions. His assist-to-turnover ratio has increased dramatically, from 1.3-to-1 to nearly 3-to-1.
“He’s invaluable on the floor,” Dutcher said.
But the shooting woes are puzzling. The guy who won a game at New Mexico with a deep 3 and put the Aztecs into the national championship game with a crossover pull-up jumper, then moved to Las Vegas for daily 3-point shooting workouts behind the longer NBA line, suddenly can’t make a bunny in the first half.
Butler seemed to have shaken his funk at UCSD as the Aztecs closed the game on a 20-5 run. He was directly responsible for 16 straight points – scoring eight himself and assisting on eight others. He has made only eight 3s all season, and two came in that stretch.
So he was untracked?
Apparently not. He went 0 of 4 from the line in a six-point loss against Grand Canyon. He made SDSU’s first basket Saturday, then missed his final six shots, including a pair of layups in traffic late. In 25 minutes, he had one assist.
He’s shooting 28.6 percent on 3s, and — here’s the real shocker — 37.5 percent (9 of 24) from the line.
Is it a case of expectations unrealistically elevated by making a historic shot on the national stage and spending the spring entertaining NIL offers and testing the NBA Draft waters? Is the public expecting the ultimate team player to be a volume scorer? Is celebrity too much for a humble kid? Is he pressing?
Or is it just the simple case of a shooting slump that every player eventually encounters?
“It’s like anything else, in any sport you play,” Dutcher said. “If you’re a golfer and all of a sudden you can’t make a 1-foot putt, now a 2-foot putt looks like it’s 6 feet. Eventually, you make a couple and your confidence comes back.
“Lamont is a confident player. He’s made big, timely plays for us in his career here and will continue to do so. It’s just getting back in a rhythm, both at the foul line and from the field, to get his confidence back up and be the player we know he is.”
