Featured Image Courtesy of Southern Utah Athletics
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Winning at the Pan-American Center last month may not be as big as it once was. The Aggies are 0-6 in WAC play, but the chance for a season sweep of the team that has run the WAC for the majority of the past decade is still there. It would also put the Thunderbirds on a four-game winning streak with a huge game looming Saturday. SUU heads up to Seattle to take on Seattle U. First, they must take care of business against a slumping New Mexico State team.
Last Time Out
Big win Thunderbirds struck twice last week. SUU knocked off two of the top teams in the WAC last week Sam Houston and Stephen F Austin. In the case of the latter, it was the first conference loss of the season for the Lumberjacks. The America First Event Center was rocking for both games and the same should be expected Thursday night. Maizen Fausett had 41 combined points in last week’s games. That effort got him consideration for WAC Player of the Week. However, Seattle’s Riley Grigsby would win the award.
Nationally Ranked (Kind Of) T-Birds
While programs of SUU’s nature are highly unlikely to ever sniff the AP Top 25, the Thunderbirds have found themselves in another national Top 25. For the 3rd straight year, SUU finds itself ranked in the College Insider mid-major Top 25 poll. In this week’s rankings, the Thunderbirds checked in at #21. A 2-0 week with a win at WAC leader Seattle on Saturday would all but certainly move the Thunderbirds up.
Don’t Sleep on the Slump
The 7-11 Aggies have shown flashes of success at times. NMSU gave Seattle everything it had in a narrow 69-66 defeat showing that they cannot be overlooked. Xavier Pinson, Deshawndre Washington, and Issa Muhammad have been bright spots during NMSU’s recent struggles. They could give the Thunderbirds fits if SUU is not careful. The offense that showed against Sam Houston and the defense that came to play against SFA will need to be on full display.