SAN DIEGO - In the 31st meeting in this series, San Diego State men’s basketball returns to Mountain West play and faces the Utah State Aggies on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. PT at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena at San Diego, Calif.
OFF THE BOUNCE
The Aztecs hold a 20-10 advantage in the all-time series, are 20-7 in the Mountain West era, and 2-1 last season including an 86-70 throttling on March 15, 2024, in a semifinal game at the 2024 Mountain West Tournament.
San Diego State ascended three spots in this week’s AP top 25 poll, moving into the No. 20 slot on Monday. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Aztecs 114 appearances in the poll are the most of any program in the state of California and nationally rank No. 20 in that time frame. The second most appearances by any other Mountain West program since the start of the 2010-11 campaign are New Mexico’s 31.
A third of the way through the season, San Diego State is once again trending as one of the nation’s best in defense. After the games of December 25, according to KenPom, the Aztecs are 1st in block percentage, No. 3 in 2-point percentage defense, No. 6 in effective field goal percentage defense, and 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Aztecs are holding opponent shooters to 34.8 percent from the floor, which is No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 3 in the nation and is one of three programs who are limiting opponents to a combined maximum of 34.8 percent from the floor and 29.0 percent from beyond the arc (also: Houston and Tennessee).
San Diego State’s defense, despite eight newcomers, is...San Diego State defense. In its nine Division I games, SDSU has held five opponents to their worst shooting game of the season and for two of the remaining four, had their second worst field goal percentage games.
The Aztecs showed California what stifling defense looks like last Saturday, in holding a Golden Bears team that shoots 47.5 percent from the floor to just 25.5 percent, Cal’s fourth worst shooting game in the last 30 years. SDSU also limited Cal, a 38.1 percent shooting team from the bonus distance to 20.8 percent.
Individually against California, its top three scorers, who average 45.9 points a game, scored just 25. Andrej Stojakovic, who averages 19.9 points per game on .464 shooting from the floor (.362 from distance), scored 10 points on 2-of-12 (.167) from the field, including 2-of-6 (.333) from distance. Jovan Bleackshear had 2 points on 0-of-6 shooting, 0-of-3 from the bonus distance, after coming into the game at .424 from the floor and .440 from long range. Jeremiah Wilkinson had 13 points on 3-of-11 (.272) from the field, 0-of-7 from outside after entering the contest shooting .495 from the field and .405 from beyond the arc.
The Aztecs enter today’s game on a run of five consecutive wins and six victories in their last seven games. San Diego State has wins over No. 21 Creighton and No. 6 Houston, to take third place at the inaugural Players Era Festival, at Fresno State and versus the University of San Diego, California Baptist & California in its last seven.
Freshman Magoon Gwath ranks No. 2 in the nation in blocks per game (3.4) and no. 1 Kenpom’s block percentage (17.6) and No. 5 in total blocks (34). Gwath has a triumvirate of five block games: vs. No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 6 Houston & Oregon.
In limiting California to just 25.5 percent shooting last Saturday, the Aztecs have held seven of its first 10 opponents to less than 40 percent shooting, including six games of less than 35.0 percent and three under 30.0 percent.
Freshman wing Magoon Gwath enjoyed a 25 point, 10 rebound and four block game in the team’s 84-62 win at Fresno State on December 4. He became the first Aztec freshman to have a game of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds since Kawhi Leonard totaled 25 and 12 against Wyoming on January 9, 2010, and is the only freshman in the nation with a game of at least 25 points, 10 boards and four blocks this year.
San Diego State, which in 2023-24 reached the Mountain West Tournament championship game for the seventh time in head coach Brian Dutcher’s seven seasons, looks for its unprecedented 17th Mountain West men’s basketball title. Entering the 2024-25 season, San Diego State has won nine regular season and seven Mountain West tournament titles, the most of any program that has ever been a member of the league.
At the Mountain West Media Day in Las Vegas, by a vote of media members who regularly cover the league, Aztec senior guard Reese Waters and freshman forward Pharaoh Compton were named Preseason All-Mountain West and Preseason Freshman of the Year, respectively. Waters returns as the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and assists man, but is expected to be out until early January. Compton was the No. 80 rated player in the nation and is the first top 100 signee since Jer’Vaughn Johnson, ranked No. 26 nationally, signed in 2005.
With the Aztecs 71-50 win over California, San Diego State is 96-7 in the Brian Dutcher era, when it limits its opponent to 60 or fewer points. Overall, the Aztecs have won 30 straight when holding the opposition to 60 points or less and are 103-8 in its last 111.
In the team’s 73-70 overtime win against No. 6 Houston, the team overcame both a 5-point halftime deficit and trailed by 11-point with 14:58 to play to send the game to overtime and ultimately its 3-point win. The victory was Brian Dutcher’s 15th win in 26 games against top 25 opponents. Dutcher is the only head coach in program history with a winning record against ranked teams and it was the program’s first win against a top-10 team since a 71-64 victory over No. 1 Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
In the Aztecs 100-49 win over Occidental on November 12, numerous highlights were achieved both as a program. It was the first time since the 2018-19 season SDSU scored 100 points in a game, not including overtime games. The team’s 37-point halftime lead was its biggest since a 46-point lead in the 2013-14 campaign. The Aztecs’ 18 three-pointers were one off the Viejas Arena and program record, set on Dec. 2, 2022, against Occidental.
Brian Dutcher is in his eighth season as San Diego State’s head coach and his 26th season on the Aztec sidelines. In his seven-plus seasons as head coach, he has led the Aztecs to five conference titles, seven Mountain West championship game appearances, a 185-60 overall record and 93-32 mark in league games, has been named the national coach of the year, twice the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year and led this team to back-to-back Sweet 16s including a run to the 2023 NCAA national championship game.