SAN DIEGO – Returning to the floor for the first time in 14 days, the San Diego State men's basketball (10-3, 2-0 MW) hosts the Boise State Broncos, a team that is riding an 11-game win streak, on Saturday night in what will be the first of three games in five days for the Aztecs (14-4; 5-0).
OFF THE BOUNCE
Viejas Arena opened prior to the 1997-98 season and has become one of the great homecourt advantages in all of college basketball. The program owns a 299-87 mark in the building and will go for its 300th victory on Saturday.
Since Jan. 1, 2019, the Aztecs are 43-4 at home (91.5 percent), the nation's 10th-best record during that span.
San Diego State has won a season-high five consecutive games with its last loss coming on Dec. 4 (undefeated in the last 49 days).
Since Dec. 4, San Diego State leads the nation in fewest points allowed (54.0), opponent field goal percentage (34.5) and opponent effective field goal percentage (40.3).
Saturday begins a stretch of three games in five days for the Aztecs. SDSU will host UNLV on Monday and play at Utah State on Wednesday. Beginning Saturday, SDSU will play as many games in the next five days as it has in the previous 35 days.
SDSU has a number of win streaks on the line Saturday. Among them:
- 5-game overall win streak (tied for the 20th-longest active streak nationally; tied for 2nd longest active in the Mountain West)
- 16-game homecourt win streak (7th-longest active streak nationally; tied for 5th longest in school history)
- 13-game Mountain West Conference win streak (2nd-longest streak in school history; SDSU record and MW record is 15 games)
- 16-game win streak against Mountain West Conference opponents (includes three victories in the 2021 league tournament)
- 6-game win streak against Boise State (longest win streak by either side in the 24-game series)
San Diego State and Boise State are meeting for the 25th time in program history, with the Aztecs owning a 17-7 series lead. SDSU has won the last six games played between the teams, by an average margin of 11.7 points. The Aztecs have won the most recent meeting with every team in the Mountain West Conference.
The Aztecs have held the Broncos to under 40 percent field goal shooting in each of the last three meetings. SDSU is 49-2 the last 51 times it has held its opponent to 40 percent or less from the floor.
Once again, this season San Diego State ranks among the nation's best in defense. The Aztecs are 5th in scoring defense (57.5), 2nd in effective field goal percentage (42.1), 6th in field goal percentage defense (37.2) and 12th in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.4). In addition, the Aztecs are 6th in Kenpom adjusted defensive efficiency (88.6).
Through Wednesday, a Division I team had held its opponent to less than 30 percent from the field 38 times this year (since Jan. 1). San Diego State has done it twice (in both of its January games).
In its last game, San Diego State snapped the nation's third-longest active win streak by defeating No. 20/19 Colorado State, 79-49. Saturday, the Aztecs face a Boise State team that has won 11 consecutive games, currently the third longest active streak in Division I.
San Diego State has held consecutive opponents - at UNLV and vs. No. 20/19 Colorado State to less than 30 percent field goal shooting. It is the first time the Aztecs have ever held consecutive Mountain West opponents below the 30 percent threshold and it is the first time it has done it against two straight opponents regardless of conference affiliation since a three-game stretch Dec. 18-27, 2013.
The Aztecs disposed of the No. 20 Rams, 79-49, to record the program's largest ever margin of victory over an AP Top 25 team. SDSU limited Colorado State to 12 field goals on 27.9 percent field goal shooting, and owned a +17-rebound margin in the game.
This marked the Aztecs fifth straight home win against an AP Top 25 team, extending their school record.
Senior forward Matt Bradley, who scored a game-high 26 points, the most by an Aztec player in a game this season, and added seven rebounds and two steals in the victory, was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week Monday. SDSU's leading scorer this season reached double figures for a seventh straight game, team-high 11th time this season (SDSU is 10-1 in those games) and the 82nd time in his career.
Sophomore guard Chad Baker-Mazara scored a season-high 14 points, with two rebounds, two blocked shots and two assists. He tied his season high for assists and blocked shots while posting his seventh career double-figure scoring game.
After missing five consecutive games due to a wrist injury, sophomore guard Lamont Butler returned in a big way Saturday. Butler had 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. It was his ninth double-figure scoring game of his career (SDSU is 8-1 in those games).
Senior forward Aguek Arop had 10 points, tied his career-high with eight rebounds, tied his career-high with two blocked shots and two assists in 26 minutes. It was the first double-figure scoring game of the season and the fifth of Arop's career. He is averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds off the bench in two Mountain West games.
Junior forward Keshad Johnson, who earned Mountain West Player of the Week honors last week, had 10 points and three rebounds against the Rams. Johnson, who has 33 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots in his last three games, has scored in double figures in three straight games for the first time in his 55-game career. Prior to this stretch, he had never scored 10 or more points in consecutive games.
SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher is in his fifth season as San Diego State's head coach and his 23rd season on the Aztec sidelines. In his four plus seasons as head coach, he has led the Aztecs to four conference titles, a 106-34 overall record and has already been named the national coach of the year and twice named Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year. Among first time head coaches who started in the 2017-18 season, Dutcher's 106 wins are the most and he is the only head coach in the group to reach triple-digit victories.
Aztecs Return To Action Saturday Against Boise State
