SAN DIEGO – Making its second appearance in the Las Vegas Invitational, the Aztecs competed in the tournament in 2015, the San Diego State men's basketball team meets the Creighton Bluejays on Thanksgiving evening with the game being broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
NEWS AND NOTES (as of Nov. 26)
-San Diego State, off to its first 6-0 start since the Kawhi Leonard led NCAA Sweet 16 team of 2010-11, travels to Las Vegas for the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. The Aztecs will open the event on Thanksgiving evening, facing Big East foe Creighton at 7:30 p.m. PT on FS1.
-The Aztecs are 6-0 for just the third time in the last 34 seasons and this marks the first time in the 99 seasons of basketball that SDSU has opened the season 6-0 with all six wins coming by at least five points.
-For the third consecutive week, the Aztecs are receiving points in the Associate Press Top-25 poll. The Aztecs last appearance in the Top-25 came in February of 2015.
-Early season metrics are fans of the Aztecs play this season. Through Monday's games, San Diego State ranked 4th in strength of record, 28th in Sagarin Ratings, 43rd in BPI and 66th in KenPom (see below).
-Through Tuesday, San Diego State was one of 34 undefeated teams in the nation.
-San Diego State is one of five undefeated teams that has won multiple road games this season (also: Delaware, DePaul, SMU, Temple).
-Amazingly, San Diego State has compiled a 31-12 record in games played in Las Vegas since the start of the 2009-10 season. Of those 43 games, 16 have been road games played at UNLV in the Thomas & Mack Center (SDSU has gone 12-4) , while the Aztecs are 19-8 in neutral site games in Sin City.
-San Diego State's active win streak of four games against Big East teams is tied for the second longest active streak nationally, trailing only Michigan State (5) and tied with Arizona State (4).
-San Diego State has won its last four games against members of the Big East Conference, with all four of those contests played at neutral sites. SDSU posted wins over No. 20 Creighton in the Wooden Classic (86-80, Nov. 29, 2013), over No. 25 Marquette in the Wooden Classic (Dec. 1, 2013), over St. John's in the NCAA Second Round (76-64 on March 20, 2015) and over Xavier in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational (70-74 on Nov. 20, 2018).
-The Aztecs and Bluejays have met twice while Creighton has been ranked either in the AP or Coaches' Poll or both. The pair of games resulted in a split. Creighton, ranked 22nd in the coaches poll, defeated San Diego State 85-83 in Viejas Arena on Nov. 30, 2011, but the Aztecs earned a measure of revenge in 2013-14 campaign, when the earned an 86-80 triumph over Creighton on Nov. 29, 2013, in that year's edition of the Wooden Legacy Tournament. At the time the Bluejays were ranked 20th and 18th in the AP and Coaches' Poll, respectively.
-Junior guard Malachi Flynn has exploded on the scene. Through six games, the Washington State transfer leads the team in scoring (13.3), assists (5.8) and steals (1.3 spg). Flynn has 35 assists and just eight turnovers, giving him an assists-to-turnover ratio of 4.38. That ranks third in the nation among all players with at least 30 assists this season.
-The reigning Mountain West Player of the Week, senior forward Yanni Wetzell is playing the best basketball of his career. A transfer from Vanderbilt, Wetzell has reached double figures in three consecutive games for the first time in his 38-game career. In his last three outings, he has averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and has connected on 18-of-23 field goal attempts (78.3 percent).
-Junior guard Jordan Schakel is off to a red-hot start. The long-range specialist has connected on 15 of his 30 three-point field goal attempts (50.0 percent). He has made 86 of his 214 career attempts from beyond the arc (40.2 percent). Through six games, he is averaging 10.2 points and 3.5 rebounds. He has made at least four three-point field goals in three of six games this season.
-Junior forward Matt Mitchell is once again averaging in double figures. Mitchell, who averaged 10.5 and 10.3 points in his first two seasons, is averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and has five steals in his last two games.
Men's Hoops Open Las Vegas Invite Against Creighton
