As far as mountain ascents go, San Diego States assignment Monday against No. 3 Gonzaga ranked somewhere between K2 and Everest.
Icy footing, treacherous crevasses, burning lungs and all.
The Zags entered as the highest-ranked team to lace up at Viejas Arena since second-ranked Kansas in 2015. Experience oozed from a roster that returned four starters from a 27-win team that shoulder-blocked Kansas on the way to the Sweet 16.
The Aztecs?
San Diego State is learning on the fly with eight newcomers and six freshmen and sophomores in the rotation. The level of Division I experience for the Aztecs ranks No. 198 nationally.
Reset buttons hardly come in a brighter shade of red.
We ran into a really good Gonzaga team with a lot of experience, Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said after the Zags ground out an 80-67 win. I think that experience paid off for them. Theres not many things they havent seen as a group.
I didnt think we gave in, but I didnt think we got close enough to make them feel us.
Gonzaga is as balanced as an accountants ledger. They score at all five positions, underscored in ink with the teams absurd 100.7-points-per-game scoring average coming in.
The Zags rotate the ball, happy with whatever option creates the most space and opportunity. There are no offensive boat anchors, with five — and nearly six — scoring in double figures.
Theyre talented and patient, a lethal combination.
San Diego State senior guard Nick Boyd, who scored a career-high 23 points and corralled nine rebounds, saw what it would take to topple a team like that.
As a team that just got together, weve got to learn how to get over those humps, Boyd said.
On the San Diego State side of that accounting ledger, Magoon Gwath can swat shots, piling up five blocks in 14 minutes. The 7-foot redshirt freshman also can foul, committing five in the same time frame.
Boyd seems to be the type of player who can lead a group that leans so collectively young.
You see Wayne McKinney IIIs athleticism and energy. You sense that moment was not too big for sophomore BJ Davis, who hit six of nine shots, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, to score 15 points.
There are pieces and parts. Melding those will require time and some bruises along the way. The defense, a program hallmark, seems confidently in tow as they held the Zags 20 points below their gaudy average.
At some point, senior leader Reese Waters will return from the stress fracture in his right foot. The Island of Misfit Toys will find firmer footing in all that loose sand.
They will be better, as Aztecs teams almost unfailingly prove when March and the rising stakes arrive. A game in November against a team this loaded is the price and long-term payoff of a steep learning curve.
We grew during the game, but not enough to beat the No. 3 team in the country, Dutcher said. The whole key to Aztec basketball is continuing to grow. So well take lessons from this game.
The difference, beyond the Zags sturdy mental makeup at so many positions, came at the free-throw line. Gonzaga shot 13 more than SDSU and made 14 more. In a 13-point game, the math becomes pretty simple.
Obviously, free throws were a big part of what Gonzaga did tonight, Dutcher said. Twenty-seven of 31 is incredible. Thats a lot of free throws.
The collective polish of working together more and more should help the Aztecs bring that number down, especially with a better-by-the-day shot blocker like Gwath pushing shooters farther from the basket.
The game was an experience and basketball-chops mismatch from the tip, as expected.
The Aztecs, though, stayed within reach when a blowout so often seemed imminent. Thats no small matter against the Zags, as then-top 10 Baylor can attest to after a 38-point drubbing earlier this month.
Were not really here for moral victories or to play a game close, Boyd said. Were here to win. We didnt do what was asked of us today. Weve got to learn from that and weve got to learn fast because weve got (No. 14) Creighton coming up.
Theres that.
The Bluejays Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 49 points in a game this season. After that comes Oregon. After that, a power conference matchup to be determined at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
A meat-grinder? Yes.
Accelerated class schedule? That, too.
Very valuable, Boyd said. We just got together, but thats no excuse for (less) success. San Diego States been doing this for a long time and winning a lot of big-time games. Weve just got to get better.
But I love the group. I love how we compete. And I think the skys the limit.
That mountain might not be as steep as some thought.