Nov. 26, 2015
SDSU Thanksgiving Classic Notes | Tournament Page
SAN DIEGO - After a one-year absence, San Diego State will play host to an in-season tournament when it welcomes North Dakota State, Wisconsin and Delaware this weekend for the SDSU Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 27 and 29, at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs will tip off the inaugural event on Friday when they battle Summit League member North Dakota State starting at 6:30 p.m. PT, followed by a Sunday afternoon clash with Big Ten foe Wisconsin beginning at 2:30 p.m. SDSU alumnus Chris Ello will call the action for both games live on GoAztecs.com, with streaming video available for the Aztecs-Badgers showdown via the Mountain West Network on Sunday.
SDSU is still looking for its first win of the season after suffering an 80-51 setback at Washington on Monday. The Aztecs trimmed a 17-point deficit down to three at 43-40 with 3:37 left in the third quarter before the Huskies drained back-to-back three-pointers to spark a 13-0 run and quash SDSU's comeback hopes. The Aztecs were led by sophomore McKynzie Fort (Fontana, Calif.), who tallied 16 points on a career-high eight field goals, while junior Aleiah Brandon (Corona, Calif.) tossed in a collegiate-best 11 points, highlighted by a trio of three-pointers.
Both of this weekend's matchups for SDSU will mark the first-ever meetings between the respective schools. The Aztecs are 1-1 against current members of the Summit League and own a 4-7 all-time record against Big Ten teams. SDSU will tangle with a Big Ten team for the second year in a row after falling to Michigan at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico last season.
The Aztecs will hold a preseason home tournament for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons after playing host to the San Diego Surf 'N Slam for nine consecutive years from 2005-13.
Prior to that stretch, the last time SDSU conducted a home tourney was in November of 2000, when it split a pair of games to Illinois State and Chattanooga, respectively, in the Pacific Bell Classic.
The Aztecs have played host to 24 in-season tournaments and are 81-55 all-time in such events. Overall, SDSU is 22-2 in the opening game of a home tournament.In addition, the Aztecs have split games in nine of their last 12 home series. The Scarlet and Black won the opening contest and dropped the second in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2013, but completed the opposite in 2005 and 2007.
Following Sunday's action, SDSU concludes its homestand on Thursday, Dec. 3, when it locks horns with San Diego in the annual city showdown starting at 6:30 p.m. PT.