SAN DIEGO - Going 2-1 at the inaugural Players Era Festival with wins over No. 6 Houston and No. 21 Creighton, the San Diego State Aztecs open Mountain West play at Fresno State on Wednesday evening at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.
OFF THE BOUNCE
The Aztecs and Bulldogs are meeting for the 129th time, with San Diego State on a 10-game win streak against Fresno State, regardless of location, and leading the series 72-56 heading into this game.
San Diego State jumped into the AP top 25 on Monday slotting in at No. 24. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Aztecs 111 appearances in the poll are the most of any program in the state of California and rank No. 20 in the nation.
Brian Dutcher has been on the San Diego State bench for the last 15 meetings against the Bulldogs. SDSU is 11-4 in those games including a 7-2 record on Fresno State’s floor and have not lost a game in the Central Valley since January 22, 2019, a run of six straight at the Save Mart Center. SDSU, as a ranked team, is 9-0 against Fresno State, with 7-of-9 wins coming at Fresno State.
The Aztecs enter tonight’s game off a 73-70 overtime win against No. 6 Houston in the third-place game on Saturday at the Players Era Festival. The win improved San Diego State’s record to 3-1 in the all-time series, with the last game, Houston’s only win, in a first-round game at the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The teams have split two neutral site games with SDSU winning at its and Houston’s home floor.
In the Aztecs three games at the Players Era Festival, sophomore guard Miles Byrd averaged 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks and had a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio to earn All-Tournament Team honors and was also named the Mountain West Player of the Week. Freshman forward Pharaoh Compton was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week for his efforts at the tournament. He posted a season-best 13 points against No. 6 Houston and in three games he averaged 9.0 points, on 65.0 percent (13-of-20) shooting, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 0.7 assists and 0.3 blocks per game.
The SDSU defense against No. 21 Creighton was what NCAA basketball is used to from the Aztecs, limiting the Bluejays to just 3 points in the final 8:15 of the game. The Aztecs held Creighton to just 1-of-16 from distance (6.3 percent) in the second half, and 6-of-31 for the game (19.4 percent). In addition, the Scarlet and Black held the Bluejays to 33.9 percent from the field (21-of-62) and has, under Brian Dutcher, held an opponent to under 35 percent shooting 127 times and has won 115 of those games.
In Mountain West road games, since the start of the 2013-14 season, when the current lineup of teams was set, the Aztecs have a 75-49 record which is the best record in the league and the only record above .500 in that timeframe.
Despite the roster turnover, San Diego State ranks No. 222 in DI experience at 1.59 years, the Aztecs are once again trending as an elite defensive team. Through the games of December 1, according to KenPom, SDSU is rated 1st in block percentage (22.9), No. 6 in 2-point percentage defense (40.4), 12th in adjusted defensive efficiency (94.0), and 40th in effective field goal percentage defense (45.0).
San Diego State, which in 2023-24 reached the Mountain West Tournament championship game for the seventh time in head coach Brian Dutcher’s seven seasons, looks for its unprecedented 17th Mountain West men’s basketball title. Entering the 2024-25 season, San Diego State has won nine regular season and seven Mountain West tournament titles, the most of any program that has ever been a member of the league.
At the Mountain West Media Day in Las Vegas, by a vote of media members who regularly cover the league, Aztec senior guard Reese Waters and freshman forward Pharaoh Compton were named Preseason All-Mountain West and Preseason Freshman of the Year, respectively. Waters returns as the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and assists man, but is expected to be out until early January. Compton was the No. 80 rated player in the nation and is the first top 100 signee since Jer’Vaughn Johnson, ranked No. 26 nationally, signed in 2005.
With the Creighton win, 71-53, San Diego State is 94-7 in the Brian Dutcher era, when it limits its opponent to 60 or fewer points. Overall, the Aztecs have won 28 straight when holding the opposition to 60 points or less and are 101-8 in its last 109.
Freshman Magoon Gwath ranks No. 1 in the nation in blocks per game (4.0) and No. 2 in total blocks (24). Gwath has a triumvirate of five block games: vs. then No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 6 Houston & Oregon.
In the team’s 73-70 overtime win against No. 6 Houston, the team overcame both a 5-point halftime deficit and trailed by 11-point with 14:58 to play to send the game to overtime and ultimately its 3-point win. The victory was Brian Dutcher’s 15th win in 26 games against top 25 opponents. He is the only head coach in program history with a winning record against ranked teams and it was the program’s first win against a top-10 team since a 71-64 victory over No. 1 Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
In the Aztecs 100-49 win over Occidental on November 12, numerous highlights were achieved both as a program. It was the first time since the 2018-19 season SDSU scored 100 points in a game, not including overtime games. The team’s 37-point halftime lead was its biggest since a 46-point lead in the 2013-14 campaign. The Aztecs’ 18 three-pointers were one off the Viejas Arena and program record, set on Dec. 2, 2022, against Occidental.
Brian Dutcher is in his eighth season as San Diego State’s head coach and his 26th season on the Aztec sidelines. In his seven-plus seasons as head coach, he has led the Aztecs to five conference titles, seven Mountain West championship game appearances, a 181-60 overall record and 92-32 mark in league games, has been named the national coach of the year, twice the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year and led this team to back-to-back Sweet 16s including a run to the 2023 NCAA national championship game.