March 11, 2018
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men's basketball team received word of its postseason destination on Sunday, earning the No. 11 seed in the West Region against No. 6 seed Houston in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs (22-10, 11-7 MW), who captured the Mountain West tournament championship, will face the Cougars (26-7, 14-4 AAC) on Thursday, March 15, at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan.
This is SDSU's seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last nine years.
The Cougars enter the tournament with a 26-7 overall record after finishing 14-4 in the American Athletic Conference. Following a 77-74 upset of Wichita State, Houston advanced to the finals of the AAC tournament, where it fell in a 56-55 nail-biter to Cincinnati on Sunday.
San Diego State will be making its 12th Division I NCAA Tournament appearance overall and first under head coach Brian Dutcher. This year's NCAA Tournament appearance also marks the 12th postseason berth for the Aztecs in the last 13 years. SDSU has won nine straight games, including Saturday's 82-75 triumph over New Mexico in the finals of the MW tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.
The winner of the SDSU-Houston clash will square off against the victor of the No. 3 Michigan (28-7, 13-5 Big Ten) and No. 14 Montana (26-7, 16-2 Big Sky) showdown on Saturday, March 17.
The Aztecs have played the Cougars twice in program history, posting a 78-66 victory in San Diego on Jan. 29, 2002, followed by a 71-61 triumph in Houston the following season on Dec. 21, 2002.