Aztecs Look For Split At Utah State

SAN DIEGO - Putting its off shooting game from Thursday night, the San Diego State men's basketball team looks to get back in the win column and earn a split in its two-game series with the Utah State Aggies on Saturday morning in Logan, Utah.

San Diego State continues its stretch of four consecutive road games, its longest stretch since March 2003, with the back end of a two-game series against Utah State on Saturday morning.

The game features one of the best road teams against one of the best home teams. San Diego State is 13-1 in its last 14 road games, while Utah State is 27-2 in its last 29 home games.

The teams accounted for both conference titles last season. San Diego State, owners of a Mountain West-record 12 Mountain West Conference titles, won the regular season crown by a record five games last season, while Utah State defeated the Aztecs in the championship game of the conference tourney (handing SDSU one of its two losses in a 30-2 campaign).

This is the 21st meeting between the teams, with the Aztecs owning a 13-7 series lead. San Diego State is 4-3 at the Dee Glen Smith Center, with victories in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2020.  Last season in Logan, Matt Mitchell scored 19 points and added seven rebounds and Jordan Schakel had 11 points on the strength of three treys as the Aztecs claimed a 77-68 victory on Jan. 4, 2020. Malachi Flynn, currently with the Toronto Raptors, scored 22 points in the game.

On Thursday, the Aztec defense was sensational, holding the Aggies to a season-low 57 points on just 43.4 percent shooting while forcing a  season-high tying 18 turnovers, but San Diego State could not overcome an off shooting night in a 57-45 setback to Utah State.

San Diego State will look to pull the upset on Saturday and avoid consecutive losses for the first time since March 6 and 9, 2019. The Aztecs have responded from each of its last six losses with a victory in its next game.

The Aztecs have gone 48 games without suffering consecutive losses. That is tied for the third longest active streak in the nation.

San Diego State suffered from season lows in points (45), field goal percentage (31.5) and free throws (6). 

The loss marked San Diego State's first road loss in 677 days. The Aztecs last road loss since March 9, 2019 (at No. 17 Nevada). During the nation's longest 13-game road winning streak, all 13 victories were by more than one possession (at least four points), seven were by at least 12 points and the average margin of victory was been 13.4 points.

The Aztecs are currently 14th in RPI, 33rd in Sagarin Ratings, 33rd in BPI, 41st in Kenpom, 43rd in the NET and 47th in Strength of Record.

San Diego State's 9-3 record is particularly impressive when considering the Aztecs' Division I opponents are a combined 86-29, 74.8 percent (when factoring out 3-8 against San Diego State). Eleven of the 12 Aztec Division I games are against teams that own a .500 or better record when factoring out the game against SDSU.

San Diego State ranks among the national leaders in several categories including: 14th in scoring defense (60.4), 24th in Kenpom adjusted defensive efficiency (91.8), 32nd in field goal percentage defense (39.1), 39th in three-point field goal percentage (37.7), 47th in three-point field goals per game (9.1), 51st in scoring margin (+11.4), 57th in turnover margin (+3.1), 62nd in turnover per game (11.9) and 69th in steals per game (7.9).
 
San Diego State student-athletes are atop the following Mountain West Conference stat categories: Matt Mitchell - free throws made (65), free throw attempts (80), Trey Pulliam - assist-to-turnover ratio (2.53) and Jordan Schakel - three-point field goal percentage (42.9).

Junior forward Nathan Mensah has scored in double figures a career-high four consecutive games. Prior to this stretch, Mensah had never reached double figures in three straight contests. In his last four games, Mensah is averaging 13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while connecting on 21-of-33 field goal attempts (63.6 percent).

Senior forward Matt Mitchell has reached double figures in 12 consecutive games. Mitchell, who currently ranks 13th on the school's career scoring list (1,269 points).

Prior to Thursday's Utah State game, San Diego State concluded a stretch of four games in eight days with its third consecutive win, a 69-67 victory over Nevada to complete the season sweep. Senior guard Trey Pulliam drove the length of the floor and hit a running floater as time expired to give the Aztecs the walk-off victory.

Pulliam's walk-off winner was the first for the Aztecs in Viejas Arena history and marked the first for the Aztecs since Jamaal Franklin nailed a three-point basket to defeat Boise State on March 8, 2012.

San Diego State's 9-3 record after 12 games is its second best start in the last six seasons. The Aztecs started 26-0 last season.