LAS VEGAS – With its 63-58 victory over No. 23/24 Colorado State on Friday night in the semifinal of the 2022 Mountain West tournament, the San Diego State men's basketball team advances to the championship game and will meet the Boise State Broncos for the league crown. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. PT tip and the game will be broadcast on CBS.
OFF THE BOUNCE
San Diego State looks to add to its Mountain West Conference record 14 league titles, including a conference-high six tournament championships when the 3rd-seeded Aztecs face top-seeded Boise State in the championship game.
This marks the fifth consecutive season the Aztecs are in the title game (all five seasons Brian Dutcher has been head coach), the eighth time in the last nine seasons and a league-high 14th time SDSU has played in the event (UNLV has the second most championship game appearances among current members with eight).
San Diego State has won this event a record six times (2002, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021).
San Diego State has won the event as the one seed (twice), two seed, four seed and five seed (twice).
Amazingly, San Diego State has played for the tournament title in eight of the last nine years and in 12 of the last 14 seasons (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022).
Overall, San Diego State is 39-16 in the Mountain West tournament for a winning percentage of 70.9 percent. The Aztecs' 39 tournament wins are the most by any team - current or former - in league history. This is particularly impressive because 10 of SDSU's 55 tournament games have been played on the road (8-2 at UNLV), while UNLV has played 40 of its 47 tournament games at home.
San Diego State owns 41 victories in Thomas & Mack Center since the start of the 2008-09 campaign. That is the most victories by any school in any venue in which it has not played a home game in the past 14 seasons. What is particularly impressive is that 17 of those 41 victories came as the road team playing at UNLV. Villanova is second with 34 victories at Madison Square Garden.
This marks just the second time since joining the Mountain West Conference that the Aztecs have been the third seed (2007). The Aztecs are 2-1 in the event on the third line (including victories the last two days).
San Diego State and Boise State are meeting for the 27th time, with the Aztecs owning a 17-9 series advantage. The Broncos won both meetings this season by a combined six points (42-37 win in San Diego (Jan. 22) and 58-57 in Boise (Feb. 22)).
San Diego State has won a season-best six straight games and is 11-1 in its last 12 games.
San Diego State is playing its best basketball of the season. The Aztecs are 12-2 in their last 14 games with just a pair of one-point road losses at NET No. 27 Colorado State (57-58) and at NET No. 29 Boise State (57-58).
San Diego State continues to boast an impressive NCAA metric profile. The Aztecs are 24th in the NET (tops in the MWC), 22nd in KenPom (tops in the MWC), 29th in BPI (tops in the MWC) and 30th in Sagarin Rating (tops in the MWC).
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 119-38 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 119 wins are the most and he is one of two head coaches in the group to reach triple-digit victories (also: Bob Richey of Furman with 109 victories).
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Aztecs Play Boise State For Mountain West Crown
