March 25, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Men's Basketball Game Notes | SDSU Broadcast Flip
NEWS AND NOTES (through March 23)
* Having won its three NIT games by a combined 55 points, San Diego State advances to Madison Square Garden and New York City for the NIT semifinals for the second time in school history (2009). The Aztecs will meet first-time foe George Washington in the second semifinal game Tuesday evening.
* This is the 11th consecutive season that San Diego State has played an NCAA-sponsored postseason event (NCAA or NIT), the 11th straight year with 20 or more wins, eighth straight campaign with at least 23 victories and the fourth straight season it has won at least one NCAA or NIT game.
* San Diego State's 11 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament or postseason NIT is tied for the eighth-longest active streak nationally.
* San Diego State owns at least one win in four straight NCAA or postseason NIT events, which is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the country.
* This marks San Diego State's sixth appearance in the postseason NIT and first since the 2009 campaign (the Aztecs appeared in the NCAA tournament the last six seasons). SDSU owns an 8-5 record in the event, including an 0-1 record in the semifinal round.
* San Diego State's last NIT appearance was very similar to this season. In 2009, the Aztecs were the last team left out of the NCAA tournament, earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT, and rallied from the disappointment to defeat Weber State (65-49), Kansas State (70-52) and Saint Mary's (70-66) to advance to the national semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
* SDSU won its Mountain West-high 10th men's basketball title by capturing the regular-season championship this season (six regular-season titles, four tournament titles). All 10 titles have come under the direction of head coach Steve Fisher, who has won four more Mountain West titles than any other coach in league history.
* San Diego State advanced to the semifinal round with a 72-56 victory over Georgia Tech on Wednesday at a sold-out Viejas Arena. Sophomore guard Trey Kell scored a game-high 18 points on the strength of a career-high four three-point field goals and sophomore forward Malik Pope scored 10 points and added 10 rebounds in the win.
* In the second round, SDSU posted a 93-78 victory over Washington in front of a sellout crowd at Viejas Arena on March 21. The Aztecs scored a season-high 93 points behind a season-high six players reaching double figures in scoring and led the final 36:47 of the game. Senior forward Winston Shepard scored a season-high 20 points and added 10 rebounds and four assists, while Pope scored 10 points and added a career-high 12 rebounds in the victory.
* San Diego State opened postseason action on March 15 with a 79-55 victory over IPFW. Shepard recorded the first triple-double in the 2,508-game history of San Diego State Basketball with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists. The Aztecs shot 53.3 percent from the field and won for the 61st straight time at home when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.
* Although San Diego State and George Washington have no previous encounters on the hardwood, Fisher has faced the Colonials before. In the 1993 NCAA tournament, Fisher guided Michigan to a 72-64 victory in the Sweet 16 en route to an appearance in his second consecutive national championship game.
* Fisher is one of two active coaches to win both an NCAA and postseason NIT championship (John Calipari) and is looking to become just the second coach in history to win postseason NIT with two different teams (Dave Odom with Wake Forest and South Carolina).
* Shepard, the only SDSU player in school history to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists, is playing the best basketball of his career. During the past seven games, he has averaged 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, while shooting 47.2 percent.
* Kell has overcome flu-like symptoms earlier in the month and regained his all-conference form. In his last 24 games, he is averaging 15.5 points and 4.0 rebounds. In his past 13 games, he is 36-76 (47.4 percent) from three-point range.
* In his last eight games, Pope is averaging 13.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and is 17-31 (54.8 percent) from three-point distance.