SAN DIEGO - Owners of the nation's eighth-best winning percentage since the start of the 2009-10 campaign and Mountain West regular-season champs in two of the last three seasons, San Diego State plays its first 2022-23 Mountain West road contest on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. tip off against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
OFF THE BOUNCE
San Diego State, when it plays at UNLV on Saturday, will be playing just its second true road game of the season; the first game was a 74-62 victory at Stanford on Nov. 15. Through December 29, the Aztecs are one of 28 Division I programs that have only played one true road contest.
San Diego State has won 10 of its last 11 Mountain West games including a 4-1 mark in conference road contests and has wins in each of its last four games against the Runnin' Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center, including clinching the 2020-21 Mountain West regular season title at the site.
Since the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, San Diego State's 86-19 record is the fifth best in the nation (see box on page 8).
The last time out, San Diego State defeated Air Force, 71-55, at Viejas Arena in each program's conference opener. The victory was the team's 16th straight over the Falcons at Steve Fisher Court.
With its win, SDSU is 40-4 in its last 44 Mountain West home games since January 24, 2018.
San Diego State limited Air Force to 55 points and moved to 136-4 in its last 140 home games, when it's held its opponent to under 60 points.
SDSU moved to 82-4 the last 86 times it has shot better than its opponent and the Aztecs improved to 142-9 the last 151 home games when leading at the half, both of which it did against Air Force.
The Aztecs and Rebels are meeting for the 78th time in program history with SDSU holding a 40-37 advantage in the all-time series. The Aztecs once trailed the series, 26-6, but is 34-11 against the Rebels in the last 45 meetings.
San Diego State is 12-1 in its last 13 games at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center. Since March 5, 2014, San Diego State is 12-1 against the Rebels in TMC, while the rest of the country is 52-84.
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 17 victories over UNLV at Thomas & Mack Center. Saint Mary's (at Loyola Marymount) is second with 14 wins and Vermont (vs. Hartford) is third with 13 wins.
San Diego State's 41 victories at Thomas & Mack Center since the start of the 2008-09 campaign (24 neutral and 17 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 34 victories at Madison Square Garden.
The Aztecs enter Saturday's game winners of 10 of its last 11 regular season Mountain West contests, including its last five in a row.
San Diego State's calling card is defense, and it is playing it at an elite level, according to Kenpom, which has the Aztecs ranked No. 13 nationally in adjusted defense. In addition, the SDSU offense, which ended the 2021-22 campaign ranked No. 167 in adjusted offense, slots in at No. 61 so far this year and SDSU is No. 14 in adjusted efficiency margin.
According to Kenpom, through the games of Dec. 29, San Diego State (10-3) has the No. 24-ranked strength of schedule. The only teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 with a stronger strength of schedule are No. 8 Alabama (11th), No. 10 Gonzaga (5th) and No. 25 North Carolina (14th).
San Diego State, receiving votes in this week's AP poll, has appeared in the top 25 for 93 weeks since the start of 2010-11 season. SDSU's 93 weeks in the top 25 are the 18th most nationally and are the most for any California school in that time frame (see graphic on page 5).
SDSU enters today's game with a 10-3 record, with its losses coming against then No. 5 Arizona and No. 9 Arkansas at the 2022 Maui Jim Maui Invitational and Saint Mary's at the Jerry Colangelo Classic. Two of the three, vs. Arizona and Arkansas, are Quad 1 games, played on a neutral court, and all three rank among the top-20 in Kenpom rankings. In addition, the Aztecs victory over Ohio State, No. 14 in Kenpom is also a Quad 1 game. Those four games and the team's win at Stanford are Tier A games in the Kenpom rankings.
San Diego State, which in 2021-22 reached the Mountain West championship game for the fifth time in head coach Brian Dutcher's five seasons, looks for its unprecedented 15th Mountain West men's basketball title. Entering the 2022-23 season, San Diego State, the most successful program in conference history, has won eight regular season and six Mountain West tournament titles.
San Diego State owns a 86-19 record (81.9 percent) since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. That is the fifth best record in the nation, trailing only Gonzaga (101-10), Baylor (91-15), Houston (96-19) and Kansas (94-19).
Senior Matt Bradley led the Aztecs with 27 points, including 13 in the first half in SDSU's 71-55 win over Air Force on December 28. He scored in double figures for the sixth time this season and 103rd of his career. HIs 13 first half points came on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-3 from the bonus distance, and 14 in the second half (4-for-5 FG, 3-for-4 3PFG). He became the eighth Aztec, since at least the 1996-97 season, to score at least 25 points without committing a turnover and he did it in the fewest minutes (31).
Brian Dutcher is now in his sixth season as San Diego State's head coach and his 24th season on the Aztec sidelines. In his five-plus seasons as head coach, he has led the Aztecs to four conference titles, five Mountain West championship game appearances, a 129-43 overall record, and has been named the national coach of the year and twice the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.