“Final Showdown: No. 20 Men’s Basketball Takes on Utah State this Saturday!”

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SAN DIEGO – In the 31st encounter of this series, San Diego State men’s basketball recommences Mountain West action and challenges the Utah State Aggies on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. PT at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena, San Diego, Calif.

OFF THE BOUNCE
The Aztecs possess a 20-10 lead in the all-time match-up, hold a 20-7 record in the Mountain West era, and finished 2-1 last season including a commanding 86-70 victory on March 15, 2024, in a semifinal match at the 2024 Mountain West Tournament.

San Diego State jumped three positions in this week’s AP top 25 rankings, landing in the No. 20 spot on Monday. Since the initiation of the 2010-11 season, the Aztecs’ 114 appearances in the rankings are the highest of any program in California and rank No. 20 nationally during that period. The second highest appearances by any other Mountain West team since 2010-11 are New Mexico’s 31.

A third of the way into the season, San Diego State is emerging once more as one of the nation’s top defensive teams. Following the games of December 25, KenPom has the Aztecs ranked 1st in block percentage, No. 3 in two-point field goal percentage defense, No. 6 in effective field goal percentage defense, and 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

The Aztecs are limiting opponent shooters to 34.8 percent from the floor, placing them at No. 1 in the Mountain West and No. 3 nationally. They are one of just three programs that restrict opponents to a maximum of 34.8 percent shooting and 29.0 percent from beyond the arc (the others being Houston and Tennessee).

Despite the inclusion of eight newcomers, San Diego State’s defense continues to excel. In its nine Division I match-ups, SDSU has compelled five opponents to record their poorest shooting performances of the season, and for two of the remaining four, those teams delivered their second-lowest field goal percentages.

The Aztecs demonstrated superb defensive prowess against California last Saturday, holding a Golden Bears squad with a .475 shooting average to just .255, marking Cal’s fourth-worst shooting performance over the last three decades. SDSU also restricted Cal, a team with a .381 shooting percentage from three-point range, to a mere .208.

In terms of individual performance against California, the top three scorers from the Bears, who combined average 45.9 points per game, managed only 25 points. Andrej Stojakovic, who contributes 19.9 points per outing on .464 shooting overall (.362 from three), managed a mere 10 points on 2-of-12 shooting (.167) from the field, including 2-of-6 (.333) from distance. Jovan Bleackshear registered 2 points on 0-of-6 shooting, 0-of-3 from beyond the arc, after entering the match as a .424 shooter overall and .440 from three. Jeremiah Wilkinson had 13 points on 3-of-11 (.272) from the field, 0-of-7 from beyond the arc after stepping into the game with a .495 shooting average overall and .405 from three.

The Aztecs head into today’s competition riding a five-game winning streak and have secured six wins in their last seven matches. San Diego State’s victories include No. 21 Creighton and No. 6 Houston, earning third place during the inaugural Players Era Festival, with additional wins against Fresno State, the University of San Diego, California Baptist, and California.

Freshman Magoon Gwath stands No. 2 nationally in blocks per game (3.4), holds the top position in KenPom’s block percentage (17.6), and ranks No. 5 in total blocks (34). Gwath has recorded five block games against No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 6 Houston, and Oregon.

By limiting California to merely 25.5 percent shooting last Saturday, the Aztecs have kept seven of their initial ten opponents below 40 percent shooting, including six games under 35.0 percent and three under 30.0 percent.

Freshman wing Magoon Gwath achieved a remarkable 25 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks during the team’s 84-62 victory at Fresno State on December 4. He became the first Aztec freshman to reach at least 25 points and 10 rebounds since Kawhi Leonard posted 25 points and 12 rebounds against Wyoming on January 9, 2010, and is the only freshman in the country with a performance of at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks this year.

San Diego State, which in the 2023-24 season advanced to the Mountain West Tournament championship for the seventh time under head coach Brian Dutcher’s guidance, is in pursuit of its unprecedented 17th Mountain West men’s basketball championship. As they approach the 2024-25 season, San Diego State has accumulated nine regular season and seven Mountain West tournament titles, more than any other program that has ever been associated with the league.

At the Mountain West Media Day in Las…
“`Vegas, through a selection of media representatives who consistently follow the league, Aztec senior guard Reese Waters and freshman forward Pharaoh Compton were acknowledged as Preseason All-Mountain West and Preseason Freshman of the Year, respectively. Waters is back as the team’s top scorer, rebounder, and facilitator, but he is anticipated to miss time until early January. Compton was rated as the No. 80 player nationally and is the first signing in the top 100 since Jer’Vaughn Johnson, who was ranked No. 26 nationally, joined in 2005.

With the Aztecs’ 71-50 triumph over California, San Diego State boasts a record of 96-7 in the Brian Dutcher era when restricting opponents to 60 points or fewer. In total, the Aztecs have amassed 30 consecutive victories when keeping their adversaries below 60 points and hold a 103-8 record in their last 111 contests.

In the squad’s 73-70 overtime victory against No. 6 Houston, they rallied from a 5-point halftime disadvantage and were behind by 11 points with 14:58 remaining, ultimately pushing the match into overtime and clinching a 3-point triumph. This victory marked Brian Dutcher’s 15th win in 26 matches against top 25 opponents. Dutcher stands as the sole head coach in the program’s history with a favorable record against ranked adversaries, and this was the team’s first win over a top-10 opponent since a 71-64 success against No. 1 Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

During the Aztecs’ 100-49 conquest of Occidental on November 12, various program milestones were achieved. This marked the first occasion since the 2018-19 season that SDSU reached 100 points in a game, excluding overtime contests. The team’s 37-point halftime advantage was its largest since a 46-point lead during the 2013-14 season. The Aztecs’ 18 three-pointers were just shy of the Viejas Arena and program record, established on December 2, 2022, against Occidental.

Brian Dutcher is entering his eighth season as the head coach of San Diego State and his 26th season on the Aztec sidelines. Throughout his more than seven seasons as head coach, he has guided the Aztecs to five conference championships, seven Mountain West championship game appearances, a remarkable overall record of 185-60, and a 93-32 record in league fixtures. He has been honored as the national coach of the year, twice selected as the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, and has led the team to consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, culminating in a run to the 2023 NCAA national championship game.

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