July 8, 2010
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State, which is scheduled to return all five starters from a year ago, will travel to Spokane, Wash., to play Gonzaga in the nation's most exciting early-season college basketball event, the 2010 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.
The SDSU-GU contest is set for the McCarthy Athletic Center on Tuesday, Nov. 16. Game time between two of the West's top teams will be announced at a later date.
Gonzaga finished the 2009-10 campaign ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today poll after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament, claiming its 10th straight regular season West Coast Conference title and posting a 27-7 overall record. The Bulldogs return four starters from last season, including WCC Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-league choice Elias Harris. Entering the 2010-11 season, the Zags are ranked No. 9 in Andy Katz's preseason top 25 and No. 15 in Dick Vitale's top 40.
The Aztecs, meanwhile, return nine letterwinners from 2009-10, including the aforementioned five starters. Mountain West Conference first-team selection and league freshman of the year Kawhi Leonard leads the way for San Diego State after being one of only four freshmen in the country in `09-10 to lead his club in scoring and rebounding. Also returning is senior Billy White (2010 MWC honorable mention), who enters the year as the nation's active leader in field-goal percentage, senior Malcolm Thomas (2010 all-MWC second team) and senior D.J. Gay (2010 MWC honorable mention).
SDSU enters the upcoming season fresh off one of its most successful efforts after winning the MWC tournament crown, advancing to the NCAA Tournament and compiling a 25-9 record. The Scarlet and Black have won 20 or more games and advanced to the postseason five consecutive seasons. San Diego State inches toward the 2010-11 season with much anticipation as it is ranked No. 23 in Vitale's preseason poll and No. 24 in Katz's rankings. ESPN.com's Pat Forde and FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman, meanwhile, have tabbed the Aztecs as one of their top teams heading into `10-11.
Following its stop in Spokane, San Diego State will travel to Miami (Ohio) to participate in additional games which are part of the event. The Aztecs will play three games in three days from Nov. 20-22. Opponents will be announced at a later time.