SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (7-5; 0-0 MW) vs. CSUN MATADORS (6-8; 0-0 Big West)
Tue., Jan. 1, 2019 :: noon PT / 12:05 p.m. PT (tip) :: Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena (12,414) :: San Diego, Calif.
SCENE SETTER (through the games of Sun., Dec. 30)
- San Diego State rings in the New Year by concluding a three-game home stand against a frequent opponent, CSUN. Please note the noon PT start.
- The Aztecs and Matadors are meeting for the 26th time, with SDSU owning a 19-6 series advantage. SDSU has won the last four meetings.
- San Diego State has a 12-3 record against CSUN at home, including victories in all four meetings that have occurred inside Viejas Arena.
- San Diego State, which opens conference play at Boise State on Saturday, is looking to win its last non-conference game prior to opening league play for a third straight season (2016-17 def. USF and 2017-18 def. No. 12 Gonzaga).
- The Aztecs are 13-1 in their last 14 games prior to the conference opener (the lone loss was to No. 2/3 Kansas, 57-70, on Dec. 22, 2015.
- San Diego State has responded from its last nine home losses with a victory in its next game at Viejas. SDSU has played 49 home games without dropping consecutive games at Viejas (last time was in December of 2015 to Grand Canyon and No. 2 Kansas).
- San Diego State ranks 11th nationally in three-point field goal percentage at 40.5 percent. Only once have the Aztecs ended a campaign with a higher percentage from beyond the arc (43.7 percent in 1987-88). In the last 17 seasons, only once has SDSU ended the season ranked above 101st nationally (12th in 2005-06).
- San Diego State is 16-6 in its last 22 games - regardless of location - dating back to last season.
- San Diego State is 14-4 in its last 18 contests against teams that were not ranked in the AP Top 25 at game time.
- Second-year head coach Brian Dutcher is looking for his 30th victory since taking over prior to the 2017-18 campaign. A win would make him the fastest person to claim 30 wins at SDSU in the Division I era and the fastest to get to the 30-win plateau since C.E. Peterson guided SDSU to a 30-13 record in the first 43 game in program history (1921-22 and 1922-23 seasons). Assuming the Aztecs win at least one of their next 14 games, he will be the first Aztecs head coach to have a winning record at the time of his 30th win since Tim Vezie was 30-25 (started in 1974-75 seasons). Two-time national coach of the year Steve Fisher began his tenure at SDSU with a 30-43 mark.
- Senior guard Devin Watson is one of only three players in the nation to average at least 15 points, 5 assists and 2.75 three-point field goals per game this season. The senior has scored or assisted on 40.1 percent of San Diego State's field goals this season.
- Senior guard Jeremy Hemsley is in 17th place on the school's career scoring list with 1,205 points. He is seven points shy of passing Marcus Slaughter for 16th spot on the chart. In his last six games he is 9-of-20 from three-point range (45.0 percent).
- Sophomore guard Jordan Schakel has 111 points this season (in 12 games), five points more than he accumulated during his entire freshman season (33 games). Schakel, who is averaging 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds has connected on 24-of-47 three-point field goal attempts this season (51.1 percent). He is one of five players in the nation who is shooting 49 percent from the field (minimum 65 field goal attempts), 50 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free-throw line.
- Sophomore forward Jalen McDaniels has reached double figures in 12 of his last 13 games. He is averaging 14.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists and has multiple assists in a career-high seven straight games.