SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State Aztecs, the 2-seed for the third time in its 27 years competing in the Mountain West Tournament, opens the event on Thursday, March 12, with a quarterfinal game against the winner of the contest between 7-seed Colorado State and 10-seed Fresno State. The game is set to tip at 6 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
OFF THE BOUNCE
Overall, as a 2-seed, SDSU has a 5-1 record, which includes a 2-0 mark against the seven-seed, defeating Utah, 64-50, on March 10, 2011, and UNLV, 67-64, on March 12, 2012. The Aztecs have never played the 10-seed when they are on the 2-seed line.
San Diego State has reached the championship game in its previous two times as the 2-seed. It won the title in 2011 and was the runner-up in 2015.
San Diego State opens the 2026 Mountain West Tournament in the quarterfinal round. It is the ninth straight year under Brian Dutcher, and the 26th time in the 27 years of the event, that SDSU has avoided playing a first-round game. Only the 2016-17 Aztecs have not started the MWT in the quarterfinals.
In quarterfinal games at the Mountain West Tournament, San Diego State has a 20-6 record and has won 17 of its last 18 quarterfinal games.
Following its victory over UNLV in the regular season finale, SDSU, under Brian Dutcher, enters the Mountain West Tournament 55-13 in contests immediately following a loss. A Brian Dutcher team has lost three straight games only once (in January 2018). The only team in the country with a longer streak without losing three straight games is Gonzaga (last happened in January 2011).
San Diego State has won an unprecedented 16 Mountain West titles: nine regular season and seven tournament crowns.
Overall, San Diego State is 44-19 in the Mountain West tournament for a winning percentage of 69.8 percent. The Aztecs’ 44 tournament wins are the most by any team - current or former - in league history. This is particularly impressive because 10 of SDSU’s 63 tournament games have been played on the road (8-2 at UNLV), while UNLV has played 45 of its 52 tournament games at home.
San Diego State owns 48 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 18 seasons. What is particularly impressive is that 20 of those 48 victories came as the road team playing at UNLV. Villanova is second with 39 victories at Madison Square Garden (see below).
San Diego State won its 20th game of the season on March 6, marking the ninth straight campaign the Aztecs have reached that milestone ...every year under Brian Dutcher...and totaled at least 20 victories for the 21st time in the last 22 seasons.
San Diego State owns a 175-54 record (76.4 percent) since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, which is the sixth best record in the nation. SDSU trails Gonzaga at 203-33 (86.0 percent), Houston at 2098-37 (85.0 percent), Duke at 188-48 (79.7 percent) and Saint Mary’s 175-53 (76.8 percent) and Arizona 179-55 (76.5 percent) and ahead of the likes of Connecticut 176-56 (75.9 percent) and Kansas 177-59 (.75.0 percent).
THE AWARDS
Senior guard Miles Byrd earned MW Defensive Player of the Year honors becoming the fifth straight Aztec to garner the award as well as collecting third-team All-Mountain West and Mountain West All-Defensive Team designations. Byrd is averaging 10.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists and led the Aztecs in the regular season in blocks (36), steals (57), and defensive rebounds (119). He is second among the Aztecs in assists (81), rebounds (134), 3-point field goals (42), 3-point attempts (126), field goals (105), field goal attempts (257) and minutes (830) and ranks third in free throws (66), free throw attempts (82) and points (318).
Senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters earned his first Mountain West postseason honor with a second-team All-Mountain West nod. He leads the team in points (382), points per game (13.2), 3-point field goals (49), 3-point attempts (136), field goals (127), field goal attempts (298) and minutes (856). He is second on the squad in defensive rebounds (89), free throw percentage (.878), free throws (79) and free throw attempts (90), and ranks third in rebounds (106).
Junior guard BJ Davis, the leader of the No. 2 scoring bench in the nation, was named honorable mention All-Mountain West. He leads the team in free throws (82) and free throw attempts (94). He is second on the squad in points (326) and steals (30) and ranks third in free throw percentage (.872), 3-pointers (36), 3-point attempts (91), field goals (104), field goal attempts (236) and minutes (660).