SAN DIEGO – For a school-record sixth consecutive week, the San Diego State men's basketball team is ranked in the top five of both the Top-25 of the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls, which were release on Monday morning. San Diego State, despite falling to the UNLV Runnin' Rebels on Saturday evening, is No. 5 in both national polls falling just one spot.
SDSU, the only team in Division I with just a single loss (26-1), is ranked for the 12th 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, five straight weeks at No. 4 and now this week at No. 5. The Aztecs totaled 1,287 points in this week's poll, its seventh straight week totaling more than 1,200 points. Prior to this season, San Diego State had received more than 1,200 points a total of 13 weeks since the 2010-11 season. The Aztecs' No. 5 ranking in the AP Poll is the second highest in program history and the fourth time the team has been at No. 5 (previously Jan. 27 through Feb. 10, 2014).
The program's current eight-week run inside the top-10 is the second longest in program history and trails only the 13-week streak from Dec. 10, 2010 through March 14, 2011.
This also marks the fifth time in program history the team has been No. 5 in the Coaches Poll. In addition to this week, the team was No. 5 for three straight weeks in 2014 (Jan. 27 through Feb. 10) and on March 14, 2011. San Diego State's 613 points in this week's Coaches Poll are 73 behind No. 4 Gonzaga (704).
Today's poll ranking, released on Feb. 24, marks the fourth time that SDSU has appeared in the AP Top-25 on this date and is the highest ranking for the program on this date.
Feb. 24, 2011 No. 6 (NCAA Tournament Sweet-16 appearance w/ Kawhi Leonard)
Feb. 24, 2012 No. 24
Feb. 24, 2014 No. 13 (NCAA Tournament Sweet-16 appearance)
Overall, this marks the 78th week the program has been ranked in the AP Top-25 and all have come since the start of the 2010-11 season. Those 78 weeks are the 21st most for any school in the nation in that time frame; ahead of Maryland and Oregon (71 weeks), Indiana (62 weeks) and UCLA (44 weeks). This week's No. 5 ranking marks the 29th time the program has appeared in the AP Top-10.
Prior to the UNLV game, the Aztecs 26-0 start was the longest winning streak in the nation and the longest to open a season in program history, passing the 2010-11 team that started 20-0. In addition, that win streak is also the longest in school history, eclipsing the 2013-14 team's 20-0 mid-season streak. Both those teams won Mountain West regular-season championships, the 2010-11 team won the tournament championship, and each reached the Sweet-16 of the NCAA Tournament.
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. 5 in the nation. Prior to its loss to UNLV, San Diego State had spent the most days at No. 1, 45 in total, and had multiple double-digit consecutive days in the No. 1 spot. Kansas has occupied the No. 1 spot for the last two days, ending the Aztecs' 24-day streak at the top of the ranking. Earlier in the season, from Dec. 22, 2019 to Jan. 7, 2020, the team enjoyed a streak of 17 straight days at No. 1. 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 wraps up the home portion of Mountain West play on Tuesday evening with an 8 p.m. game in Viejas Arena against Colorado State. Seniors Nolan Narain, KJ Feagin and Yanni Wetzell will be honored in a ceremony prior to tipoff. To purchase tickets, log onto GoAztecs.com, visit the Aztec Ticket Office at Window E at SDCCU Stadium or call (619) 283-7378.
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