SAN DIEGO – Boasting a 19-4 record, 13-3 in the Mountain West and ranked No. 19/21 in the national polls, the San Diego State men's basketball team will have an opportunity to clinch the MW regular-season title on Wednesday night in Las Vegas when it plays UNLV in its regular-season finale.
SCENE SETTER
No. 19/21 San Diego State looks to secure its second consecutive Mountain West outright regular-season title and add to its league record 12 conference championships, including seven regular season titles, on Wednesday when the Aztecs face UNLV at Thomas & Mack Center. SDSU can claim the outright crown with a victory over the Runnin' Rebels.
The Aztecs have won 10 consecutive games, tied for the third longest active win streak in the nation. SDSU, which has not lost since Jan. 16 (46 days ago on game night), has won by an average of 22.7 points and has not trailed in the second half at any point during the 10-game win streak.
As previously mentioned, San Diego State has seven regular-season MW titles (2006, 2011*, 2012*, 2014, 2015*, 2016 and 2020) * - indicates shared title. San Diego State is looking to win outright consecutive regular-season conference titles for the first time in its Division I era (1970-71).
The Aztecs and Rebels are meeting for the 75th time in series history with each team having claimed 37 wins. SDSU once trailed the series, 26-6, but is 31-11 against the Rebels in the last 42 meetings.
San Diego State is 10-1 in its last 11 games at UNLV in Thomas & Mack Center. Since March 5, 2014, San Diego State is 10-1 against the Rebels in TMC, while the rest of the country is 35-76.
Since the start of the 2008-09 season, no Division I team has won more road games against a single opponent than San Diego State's 15 victories over UNLV at Thomas & Mack Center. Saint Mary's (at Loyola Marymount) and Vermont (vs. Hartford) are second with 13 wins.
San Diego State's 34 victories at Thomas & Mack Center since the start of the 2008-09 campaign (19 neutral and 15 road wins) are the most by any team in any building in which it has not played at least one home game. Villanova is second with 30 victories at Madison Square Garden.
Win streaks on the line Wednesday:
| Category | Streak | Note |
| Overall Win Streak | 10 games | 8th longest streak in school history; T-3rd longest active DI streak nationally |
| Conference Win Streak | 10 games | T-3rd longest streak in San Diego State history (Dutcher was HC for longest streak, 13) |
| Road Win Streak | 4 games | T-11th longest active DI streak nationally |
| at UNLV | 3 games | San Diego State is 10-1 in its last 11 games at UNLV |
San Diego State has been one of the most impressive teams in the country over the last month. Since the start of the 10-game win streak on Jan. 22, here is a look at the Aztecs national rankings: 4th in scoring margin (+22.7), 5th in rebound margin (+10.7), 8th in field goal percentage defense (37.7), 12th in points per game allowed (59.1), 12th in turnover margin (+4.6), 13th in scoring (81.8), 18th in three-point field goal percentage (40.3).
San Diego State moved from No. 22 to No. 18 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 86 appearances in the poll, including five 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 nine dominating victories. San Diego State rankings in the metrics after Monday's games: 17th in the NET, 10th in Torvik, 11th in RPI, 18th in BPI, 18th in Sagarin and 20th in KenPom. As of Sunday, San Diego State is one of only 11 teams in the nation to rank among the top 20 in the seven major metrics - NET, BPI, KenPom, KPI, RPI, Sagarin and Torvik. The 11 schools listed alphabetically are: Alabama, Baylor, Florida State, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio State, San Diego State, Villanova, and West Virginia.
At 19-4, San Diego State has its second-best record after 23 games in the last seven seasons (last season the Aztecs opened 26-0). Overall, it is the fourth best 23-game start in the Division I era, trailing 2019-20 (23-0), 2013-14 (21-1), 2010-11 (21-1) and 2011-12 (20-3).
San Diego State is one of only three teams in the nation that has a scoring margin of at least +14.5, a rebound margin of +4.5 and a turnover margin +3.5 this season. The others are Baylor and Houston.
Senior guard Jordan Schakel is 5th among Division I players this season in three-point field goal percentage at 45.6 percent. Schakel ranks 6th among all Division I players averaging 1.180 point per possession this season (minimum 275 possessions).