Dec. 15, 2014
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip Card
NEWS AND NOTES (all notes through Dec. 14 games)
* Following semester exams, San Diego State plays its first game in a week on Wednesday night at Cincinnati.
* The game is the first for the Aztecs against the American Athletic Conference, which is in its second year of existence.
* Although the San Diego State and Cincinnati programs are meeting for the first time, Aztec head coach Steve Fisher and associate head coach/head coach in waiting Brian Dutcher own a victory over the Bearcats. The duo (Fisher as the head coach and Dutcher as an assistant coach) handed Cincinnati a 76-72 loss on April 4, 1992, in the Final Four in Minneapolis, Minn. Two days later, Michigan lost to Duke in the 1992 national championship game.
* The game features one of the nation's best road teams against one of the country's best at home. Since the beginning of the 2010-11 campaign, San Diego State is 33-14 (70.2 percent) in road games, which is the third-best winning percentage in the nation during that span (see list below). During that stretch, SDSU has impressive road wins at Kansas, Arizona, Gonzaga, California, Utah, USC, UNLV (four times) and New Mexico (twice).
* Cincinnati, meanwhile, has won 25 of its last 26 home games and since March 2, 2013, owns the nation's seventh-highest home winning percentage (96.2 percent). The lone loss during that span was to No. 11 Louisville last season, 58-57.
* In addition, Wednesday's game features two of the top programs in the nation this decade. Since the start of 2010-11, SDSU is seventh in winning percentage (121-29, 80.7 percent), while UC is 25th in the category (107-41, 72.3 percent).
* San Diego State is off to a 7-2 start, despite playing the nation's 26th-most difficult schedule to date (RPI strength of schedule) and having 24 missed games due to injury.
* The Aztecs have lost twice this season - vs. No. 3/3 Arizona (10-0) in the finals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational and at No. 16/16 Washington (8-0). The two losses have come to teams with a combined record of 18-0.
* SDSU is ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll for the 22nd straight week, just one week short of the school record. The Aztecs' streak is the eighth-longest in the nation.
* San Diego State has attempted more free throws than its opponents in eight of nine games this season (SDSU had the same number of attempts in the loss to Arizona). The Aztecs are 91-11 in the last 102 times they have had an advantage in the category. For the season, SDSU has made more free thrown (144) than its opponents have attempted (119).
* Once again this season, San Diego State is one of the top defensive teams in the nation. The Aztecs rank 14th in scoring defense (55.0), 18th in field-goal percentage defense (36.0), t-18th in fewest fouls per game (15.1) and t-25th in blocked shots per game (5.7). KenPom has SDSU fifth nationally in defensive efficiency (7.1 points allowed per 100 possessions).
* According to Synergy, through the first nine games of the season, SDSU opponents score just 0.642 points per possession and are shooting just 32.8 percent from the floor in 579 half-court opportunities this season. The 0.642 points per possession ranks third nationally, behind Louisville and Kentucky.
* Both teams field excellent football and men's basketball programs. San Diego State is one of only five programs nationally (the others: Kansas State, Louisville Michigan State and Wisconsin) to advance to each of the last five NCAA tournaments and five straight bowl games (includes 2013 season). Cincinnati has played in four straight NCAA tournaments and four consecutive bowl games.
* Since the beginning of the 2010-11 campaign, San Diego State ranks third nationally in combined men's basketball and football record (162-52, 75.7 percent). Cincinnati is 12th nationally over the same span (148-62, 70.5 percent).