SAN DIEGO - Coming off its first conference setback of the 2023-24 season, San Diego State looks to return to its winning ways in Mountain West play when it hosts Nevada on Wednesday at 8 p.m. PT at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.
OFF THE BOUNCE
The Aztecs and Wolf Pack are meeting for the 33rd time, with SDSU owning a 25-7 advantage in the all-time series. In the Mountain West era, SDSU owns a 20-4 lead in the series, including 11-1 at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs are 23-3 in their last 26 games immediately following a loss. In situations where a loss is followed immediately by a home game, San Diego State has won 30 consecutive games.
Wednesday night's contest features a "Return to the Rafters" for the retired jerseys of Aztecs basketball greats Judy Porter (1980-83), Milton "Milky" Phelps (1938-41) and Michael Cage (1981-84). The three had their jerseys retired in other facilities, but this will be the first time the three, along with Kawhi Leonard, will have their jerseys displayed together. The ceremony will take place at halftime.
Having won seven of its last eight games, including a victory at Gonzaga which has lost just twice in the last 92 home games, San Diego State enters this week receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 and at No. 24 in the Coaches Poll. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, San Diego State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 104 weeks, the most for any Division I program in the state of California.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, when the current slate of MW members was finalized, SDSU has a 82-11 (.882) record in Mountain West home games, the best mark in the conference. Boise State has the second-best record 74-18 (.804).
Once again San Diego State's metrics rank among the best in the nation. Through the games of January 14, the Aztecs were ranked No. 25 in the NET, No. 24 in Kenpom, No. 36 in T-Rank, No. 23 in KPI and No. 45 in BPI. San Diego State RPI strength of schedule is No. 5, and its strength of record is No. 13.
The Aztecs are among the elite programs in the country and that includes winning on their opponent's floor. Since the beginning of the 2009-10 campaign, SDSU has the fifth best road record in the nation, 104-62 (62.7 percent). Since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, SDSU has lost just 12 times in 45 road games (33-12, 73.3 percent), which is the third fewest in the nation trailing only Gonzaga (5 losses) and Baylor (11 losses) in that time frame and its 73.3 winning percentage in road games is the second best in the nation trailing only Gonzaga (29-6, 82.9 percent) with one of the Zags' six losses coming at the hands of the Aztecs, 84-74 on Dec. 29, 2023.
San Diego State enters the Nevada game with a 5-3 record in Quad 1 & 2 games this season, including a 2-3 record in Quad 1 games. Its three losses have been on the road at three of the toughest venues to play in for an opposing team. The Aztecs lost at Brigham Young (65-74) in front of its second largest crowd of the season, at Grand Canyon (73-79) in front of its largest crowd and at New Mexico (70-88) in front of the largest crowd it has had since the 2009 season.
SDSU is 137-9 the last 146 times it has shot better than its opponent and the Aztecs have won 30 straight games when scoring between 80-89 points.
San Diego State, which won both the 2022-23 Mountain West regular season and tournament titles and reached the league tournament championship game for the sixth time in head coach Brian Dutcher's six seasons, looks for its unprecedented 17th Mountain West men's basketball title. Entering the 2023-24 season, San Diego State has won nine regular season and seven Mountain West tournament titles.
San Diego State owns a 122-26 record (82.4 percent) since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. That is the third best record in the nation trailing only Gonzaga (132-18, 88.0 percent) and Houston (130-24, 84.4 percent).
At New Mexico, senior forward Jaedon LeDee led the Aztecs with 15 points, added six rebounds and a career-high four assists. It was the 16th time in 16 games this year he has reached double figure scoring and the 35th time in his career. Twenty-seven of his 35 double digit scoring games have come in the 55 games he has played for San Diego State. He led the team in scoring for the 12th time this season.
Sophomore guard Miles Byrd reached double figure scoring, 13 points, for the first time in his college career and led the squad with three triples and two steals.
Senior guard Darrion Trammell scored 12 points at New Mexico, his sixth double-digit game of the year and 73rd of his college career. Trammell passed the 1,500-career point milestone (1,507 points) and is one of two active players who stand 5-11 or less to have reached the plateau (also: California's Jalen Cone).
Finishing with seven points, senior guard Lamont Butler passed the 800-point milestone at New Mexico and enters the Nevada game with 805-career points. Butler led the equaled a game-high with five assists and led SDSU in the category. It was the 10th time this year and 32nd time in his career he has paced the team in assists.
Brian Dutcher is in his seventh season as San Diego State's head coach and his 25th season on the Aztec sidelines. In his six-plus seasons as head coach, he has led the Aztecs to five conference titles, six Mountain West championship game appearances, a 165-50 (.767) overall record, the 2023 NCAA national championship game, has been named the national coach of the year, and twice the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.
Men's Hoops Host Nevada Wednesday Night in Viejas
