College hoops preview: Dixie State at Academy of Art

College hoops preview: Dixie State (19-5, 13-5) vs. Academy of Art University (6-18, 4-13), at SF State Main Gym in San Francisco, Calif.
Gametime: 4 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN Radio 106.1 FM
Previous meeting: Dixie State 86, Academy of Art 73 at Burns Arena on January 30. DeQuan Thompson led four players in double-figures with 19 points. DSU held AAU to 37 percent shooting from the floor.

URBAN KNIGHTS
Academy_of_Art_University_logoCoach: Julius Barnes
Record: 6-18, 4-13 Pac West Conference
Streak: 2 losses
PPG: 72.1
PAPG: 77.9
Probable starters: Alex Carmon (G, 6’3″, 17.8 ppg), Alexis Moore (G, 6’3″, 17.3 ppg), Aaron Anderson (G, 6’0″, 8.4 ppg), Aaron Aikman (F, 6’8″, 10.0 ppg), Rodrigo Maza (F/C, 6’10″, 8.6 ppg)
Other key contributors: Herman Pratt (G, 5’11″, 7.7 ppg), Sergio Valdelmillos (G, 6’2″, 4.8 ppg), Matt Cesca (F, 6’6”, 1.3 ppg)

RED STORM
Coach:
Jon Judkins
dsulogoRecord: 19-5 overall, 13-5 in Pac West Conference
Streak: 1 loss
PPG: 85.8
PAPG: 78.0
Probable starters: Kimball Payne (G, 6’0″, 9.5 ppg), DeQuan Thompson (G, 6’3″, 14.3 ppg), Jordan Rex (C, 6’9″, 5.4 ppg), Zach Robbins (F, 6’10″, 15.7 ppg), Dalton Groskreutz (F, 6’6″, 13.5 ppg)
Other key contributors: Mason Sawyer (G, 5’10″, 7.4 ppg), Louis Garrett (F, 6’6″, 10.1 ppg), Curtis Papenfuss (F, 6’8″, 4.4 ppg), Landon Clegg (G, 6’4″, 2.0 ppg), Robbie Nielson (G, 6’4″, 6.3 ppg)

Game outlook: DSU is coming off a disappointing road loss to Dominican that would have all but clinched the No. 2 seed in the PacWest Tournament. They will have to rebound against AAU and hope Dominican falters in one of its remaining games. AAU has no post-season hopes and are playing for pride at this point. AAU has gone 2-3 since its last game against Dixie, winning its home games and losing on the road. While AAU is near the bottom of the conference, the Knights do not get blown out. They stay within striking distance. They upset Point Loma earlier this year and took BYU-Hawaii into overtime before losing. Maza can match Robbins in size, but AAU is undersized in the remaining match-ups. Dixie has a much deeper bench and utilizes it well against teams with less depth.

Women’s Basketball
Dixie State’s women’s basketball team also plays Academy of Art University this afternoon. The Lady Storm are 13-11 and 11-7 in conference. The Lady Storm still have a chance at the No. 2 seed in the PacWest Conference Tournament, but to do so, have to win their last two games against the two teams in front of them, the Lady Urban Knights (No. 1) this afternoon, and Cal Baptist (2) next week. The Lady Urban Knights are 19-6 and 16-1 in conference. In their last meeting, AAU topped DSU 98-85 at Burns Arena. Tipoff is at 2 p.m at SF State Main Gym and is broadcast on 91.3 FM.

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