SAN DIEGO - After a 65-44 win in its lone exhibition game of the campaign, the San Diego State men's basketball opens the regular season hosting the UC Riverside Highlanders on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. PT in Viejas Arena.
San Diego State enters its 101st season of basketball, its 52nd at the Division I level and the fifth under the direction of Brian Dutcher on Tuesday evening, when the Aztecs play host to UC Riverside.
The Aztecs and Highlanders are meeting for the 12th time in school history, with the Aztecs claiming the previous 11 contests. The 11-game win streak is tied for the second-longest active streak for the Aztecs, trailing only LaVerne (13, a team the Aztecs have not played since 1938).
San Diego State has won 14 straight season-openers against unranked teams, a run dating back to the start of the 2005-06 season. SDSU's last loss to an unranked opponent on opening night came on Nov. 19, 2004, when it came out on the wrong end of a double-overtime 80-72 defeat at the hands of UC Santa Barbara.
San Diego State has won eight straight season openers and 15 of the last 16 lidlifters to begin a campaign. The lone blemish during the stretch came at the start of the 2012-13 season when SDSU fell to No. 9/9 Syracuse on the USS Midway. Taking into account that the Syracuse game was played outdoors, on the flight deck of the USS Midway, the Aztecs have come out victorious in its last 15 season openers played indoors.
The Aztecs are currently in an 11-game winning streak in season openers that have taken place at home.
San Diego State is the two-time defending outright Mountain West Conference regular-season champion and doubled up last season by also winning the conference tournament. The Aztecs have a record 14 Mountain West men's basketball titles.
Once again this season San Diego State is unranked in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. That is no problem for the Aztecs. SDSU has been unranked each of the last two seasons but nonetheless have spent 22 weeks in the polls since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, climbing as high as No. 4 in 2019-20 and to No. 16 in 2020-21. Each of the last two seasons the Aztecs have ended the season nationally-ranked.
Since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, San Diego State owns a 53-7 record (88.3 percent). That is the third best record in the nation, trailing only Gonzaga (62-3) and Baylor (54-6).
San Diego State prepped for the regular season with a 65-44 victory over Saint Katherine. The Aztec defense was in regular-season form, holding the opposition to 14 points in the first half and not allowing consecutive made field goals until the 49th and 50th attempts of the evening.
Senior transfer Matt Bradley announced his presence with a game-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, while adding two rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 18 minutes of action. The forward, who was named the Mountain West Conference preseason newcomer of the year, was +25 while on the court.
Senior forward Nathan Mensah added 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in 15 minutes of action. Mensah was 6-of-9 from the field, and had a pair of monstrous dunks in the contest.
Brian Dutcher enters his fifth season as San Diego State's head coach and his 23rd season on the Aztec sidelines. In his four seasons as head coach, he has led the Aztecs to four conference titles, a 96-31 overall record and has already been named the national coach of the year and twice named Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.
Men's Hoops Opens 2021-22 Campaign Hosting UC Riverside
