SAN DIEGO – The No. 22/25 San Diego State men's basketball team hosts its final regular season series this Thursday & Saturday against the Boise State Broncos. The games have seeding implications for the 2021 Mountain West Championship Tournament and the Aztecs control their own destiny.
SCENE SETTER
No. 22/25 San Diego State, owners of a Mountain West Conference record 12 Mountain West Conference championships, including a record seven regular-season titles, opens a pivotal two-game homestand with first place Boise State on Thursday night at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs, who were 3-3 and tied for fifth place in the conference on Jan. 7, are now in second place in the league, a half-game behind the Broncos.
San Diego State has made a run for a 13th Mountain West title by winning eight consecutive games (by an average margin of 26.4 points, winning each game by at least 14 points and not trailing at any point of the second half during that stretch).
On Tuesday, the Mountain West formally awarded San Diego State a pair of forfeit victories over New Mexico. Those games do not count in SDSU's overall or formal conference record, but will count for seeding and conference championship implications.
The result is that San Diego State controls its destiny in its quest for a conference title. If the Aztecs win the next three games, it will win its eighth Mountain West regular season title (MW regular season championships: 2006, 2011*, 2012*, 2014, 2015*, 2016 and 2020 / * - indicates shared title).
The Aztecs and Broncos will meet for the 23rd time, with San Diego State owning a 15-7 series lead. The Aztecs have won the last four encounters played between the teams, including three games last season by a combined 48 points.
San Diego State owns a 7-2 series advantage in games played in San Diego. The Aztecs are also 8-1 when facing the Broncos as an AP Top 25 team and Brian Dutcher is 5-2 against Boise. This marks the fourth straight time the Aztecs have faced Boise while ranked in the AP Poll.
Win streaks on the line Thursday: 8-game overall win streak (9th longest active streak nationally), 8-game Mountain West win streak (tied for the fourth longest league win streak in school history; third league win streak of at least six games in Brian Dutcher's fourth season as head coach), 7-game win streak at Viejas Arena and a 4-game win streak against Boise State.
San Diego State moved from No. 25 to No. 22 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll this week and returned to the coaches poll at No. 25. Since the start of the 2010-11 campaign, the Aztecs have made 85 appearances in the poll, including four weeks this season. That ranks 19th nationally and is the highest total among California and Mountain West teams.
The Aztecs metrics continue their upward trend following the eight dominating victories. San Diego State rankings in the metrics after Monday's games: 24th in the NET, 12th in Torvik, 18th in KPI, 20th in BPI, 20th in KenPom and 24th in Sagarin. San Diego State is one of only 15 teams in the nation to rank among the top 25 in the six major metrics - NET, BPI, KenPom, KPI, Sagarin and Torvik. The 15 schools listed alphabetically are: Alabama, Baylor, Florida State, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, San Diego State, Texas, USC, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia.
Nationally, San Diego State ranks among the leaders this season in the following categories: 6th in scoring defense (59.8), 7th in field goal percentage defense (39.0), 13th in scoring margin (+15.2), 13th in turnover margin (+4.0), 15th in three-point field goal percentage (38.7), 37th in steals per game (8.2) and 38th in three-point field goals per game (9.1).
San Diego State leads the Mountain West Conference in the following team categories: scoring margin (+15.2), scoring defense (59.8), field goal percentage defense (39.0), three-point field goal percentage (38.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28), steals per game (8.2) and turnover margin (+4.0).
According to KenPom, several of San Diego State's highest offensive efficiency rating against a Division I opponent in the 20-year history of the public ratings have come in the last couple of games. Three of the nine highest-rated games have occurred during the current win streak - No. 1 - Wyoming (Jan. 30, 2021), No. 4 - at Air Force (Jan. 24, 2021) and No. 9 - at Air Force (Jan. 22, 2021).
Senior guard Jordan Schakel is currently 5th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 45.7 percent. He leads the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made per game (3.00).
No. 22/25 Aztecs Host Boise State In Final Home Series
