SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's basketball team, the only remaining undefeated team in the nation, moved up to No. 4 in this week's Associated Press Top-25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, both of which were published on Jan. 20. The No. 4 ranking in each poll match the highest spot reached in program history.
Prior to Monday, SDSU had reached No. 4 in the polls three times. The only previous time the team was No. 4 in the AP Top-25 came on Jan. 24, 2011. The program was also No. 4 in that week's Coaches Poll and appeared again at No. 4 on Feb. 21, 2011.
SDSU is ranked for the seventh consecutive week this season. After initially appearing in the No. 25 spot in the AP Poll on Dec. 9, the Aztecs climbed to No. 20, No. 15, No. 13, into the top-10 with back-to-back weekly rankings at No. 7 and now to No. 4. The Aztecs 1,422 points are the most garnered in program history, eclipsing the 1,373 received in the Feb. 10, 2014 poll when San Diego State was ranked No. 5.
Today's poll ranking, released on Jan. 20, marks the fifth time that SDSU has appeared in the AP Top-25 on this date and it is the highest ranking for the program on this date.
Jan. 20, 2011 No. 6 (NCAA Tournament Sweet-16 appearance w/ Kawhi Leonard)
Jan. 20, 2012 No. 16
Jan. 20, 2013 No. 15
Jan. 20, 2014 No. 7 (NCAA Tournament Sweet-16 appearance)
Overall, this marks the 73rd week the program has been ranked in the AP Top-25 and all have come since the start of the 2010-11 season. Those 73 weeks are the 23rd most for any school in the nation in that time frame; ahead of Maryland and Oregon (66 weeks), Indiana (62 weeks) and UCLA (44 weeks). The program's No. 4 ranking marks the 24th time it has appeared in the AP Top-10.
The Aztecs 19-0 start is currently the longest winning streak in the nation and one victory shy the program record for wins to open a season without a loss, which the 2010-11 team achieved at 20-0. That team won the Mountain West regular-season and tournament championships and reached the Sweet-16 of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to opening the 2010-11 season winning 20 straight, San Diego State also had a 20-game win streak during the 2013-14 season, both are the longest in program history.
In addition, the latest NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool), which replaced RPI this year as the primary sorting tool for evaluating teams during the Division I men's basketball season, ranks the Aztecs No. 2 in the nation. San Diego State has spent the most days at No. 1, 18 in total and 17 in a row from Dec. 22, 2019 to Jan. 7, 2020. NET relies on game results, strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses to create its rankings.
SDSU continues Mountain West play on Tuesday and Sunday this week. Tuesday night the Aztecs host Wyoming and on Sunday the team is in Las Vegas to face UNLV. Tip-off for each game is set for 8 p.m. PT and 1 p.m. PT, respectively. To purchase tickets for the Wyoming game and the rest of the home schedule log onto GoAztecs.com, visit the Aztec Ticket Office at Window E at SDCCU Stadium or call (619) 283-7378.
Aztecs Up To No. 4/4 In National Polls
