SAN DIEGO – The last unbeaten team in Division I men's basketball, San Diego State put its perfect record on the line on Saturday evening when it hosts the Nevada Wolf Pack in a Mountain West tilt. The Aztecs are looking to move to 19-0 and one game from tying he best start to a season in program history.
NEWS AND NOTES (through games of Jan. 16)
-San Diego State takes the hardwood as the only remaining Division I unbeaten team for the first time in school history on Saturday evening when the Aztecs play host to Nevada at 5 p.m. PT.
-At 18-0, San Diego State is off to the second-best start in school history (the 2010-11 opened the campaign 20-0).
-The current 18-game win streak for the Aztecs is the third-longest in school history, trailing a pair of 20-game win streaks; the aforementioned 2010-11 start, of which two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was a part of, and the 2013-14 squad led by Xavier Thames. That team also advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tourney.
-Win streaks on the line Tuesday: 18-game win streak overall (longest in the nation, 3rd longest in school history), 9-game homecourt winning streak (tied for the 14th longest win streak in school history), 8-game win streak against teams from the Pacific Time Zone, 7-game conference win streak (5th longest win streak in the nation, tied for the fifth longest win streak in school history).
-San Diego State is looking for just its third 8-0 conference start of the Mountain West era on Saturday. The Aztecs last two outright regular-season titles have come following an 8-0 start to league play.
-San Diego State is the 14th team to open a season 18-0 since the start of the 2010-11 campaign (the Aztecs also did it in 2010-11). Of the previous 13 teams, 12 reached the NCAA tournament (one was ineligible for the tourney), all of those teams won a game and five of those squads made it to at least the Elite Eight.
-San Diego State remained at number seven in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll this week. Now nationally ranked for a sixth consecutive week, this is the Aztecs highest ranking in the poll since SDSU was ranked No. 6 on Feb. 17, 2014. Three teams ranked in front of the Aztecs have lost a game this week - No. 3 Duke, No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Butler.
-San Diego State is enjoying its 72nd appearance in the AP Top-25 Poll this week (all have occurred since the start of the 2010-11 campaign). Since the start of the '10-11 season, SDSU's 72 weeks in the top 25 are the 23rd most nationally.
-San Diego State's metrics continue to pace at an elite level. The Aztecs are currently 3rd in NET (San Diego State has been in the top four every day since the daily chart debuted Dec. 16), 1st in strength of record, 8th in Sagarin, 11th in BPI, 12th in KenPom and 15th in RPI.
-With the fast start, San Diego State finds itself ranked among the nation's elite in several statistical categories, including 3rd in scoring margin (+18.3), 5th in scoring defense (56.9), 7th in three-point field goal percentage differential (+10.7), 8th in three-point field goal defense (26.7), 9th in field goal percentage differential (+9.9), 10th in field goal percentage defense (37.0), 14th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.39) and 32nd in three-point field goal percentage (37.4).
-San Diego State improved to 18-0 overall and 7-0 in conference play on Tuesday with a 64-55 victory at Fresno State. Malachi Flynn had a game-high 22 points and added five rebounds. Yanni Wetzell chipped in 17 points and six rebounds, while Matt Mitchell posted 10 points and eight rebounds. SDSU held Fresno State to 36.4 percent from the floor.
-In the victory over Fresno State, San Diego State did not trail in the second half marking the 15th time in 18 games this season that the Aztecs did not face a second-half deficit. The Aztecs claimed their 16th victory by nine or more points this season.
-San Diego State has four players averaging 9.5. points or more and six players averaging 6.9 points or more. Five Aztec players have scored 19 or more points in a game this season.
-San Diego State leads the Mountain West Conference in many team stats, including scoring margin (+18.3), scoring defense (56.9), field goal percentage defense (37.0), turnover margin (+4.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.39)
PLAYER TIDBITS
Junior guard Malachi Flynn - 16.6 points, 4.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 41.2 3FG pct., 3.03 A/TO
-Only player in the nation averaging 16 points, 4.5 assists and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of at least 3:1.
-Eight straight double figure scoring games and 10+ points in 17 of 18 contests this season.
-Last 4 games: 20.5 ppg (highest 4-game scoring stretch of SDSU career), 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 53.1 (26-49) FG pct., 22-22 FT.
-Leads the Mountain West Conference in assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio.
-The Sporting News midseason second-team All-American.
-Made 28 consecutive free throw attempts (last miss: vs. Cal Poly, 12-28-19); 14 straight games with a trey.
-4th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (min. 80 assists), 3.03.
Senior forward Yanni Wetzell - 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 60.4 FG pct.
-Last 15 games: 13.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 63.6 FG pct.
-Double-figures in four straight games (career long streak is five games).
-12 of 21 double-digit scoring games have come this season.
-Was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and produced 17 points, four rebounds and two assists (became the fourth Aztec player during the Brian Dutcher/Steve Fisher era to make at least seven field goals in a game without a miss - joining Nathan Mensah, Aerick Sanders and Billy White).
-2-time Mountain West Player of the Week (1 of only 2 players this season; also: New Mexico's Joquan Lyle).
Junior forward Matt Mitchell - 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 37.0 3FG pct., 84.4 FT pct.
-Despite coming off the bench in 13-of-18 games this season, Mitchell is third on the team in scoring and is third on the team in rebounding.
-He is averaging career-bests points, rebounds, three-point field goal percentage, steals and blocked shots.
-Scored 10+ points in two straight games and four of the last five contests.
-Has 30 rebounds in his last four games (7.5 rpg).
-In five games as a starter: 11.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 47.2 FG pct.
Junior guard Jordan Schakel - 9.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 45.2 FG pct.,43.9 3FG pct., 88.5 FT pct.
-Has eight or more points in nine of his last 12 games (double figure in seven of those contests).
-Not only is reaching double figures good for Schakel, it's good for the Aztecs. When Schakel scores 10 or more points in his career, SDSU is 18-2 with 11 straight victories.
-The Aztecs are 12-0 at Viejas when the he reaches double figures.
-The sharpshooter has made 36-of-82 attempts from bonus distance (43.9 percent).