LAS VEGAS - The San Diego State Aztecs, the 2-seed in the 2026 Mountain West Tournament, won its opening game in the event for the 18th time in the last 19 years and plays 3-seed New Mexico in the semifinal round on Friday evening. The game is set to tip at 9 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
OFF THE BOUNCE
Overall, as a 2-seed, SDSU has a 6-1 record, which includes a 2-0 mark against the 3-seed, defeating UNLV, 74-72, on March 11, 2011, and Colorado State, 56-43, on March 13, 2015.
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 opened the 2026 Mountain West Tournament in the quarterfinal round for the ninth straight year under Brian Dutcher. This is the 26th time in 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.
San Diego State has reached the semifinal round of the Mountain West Tournament 21 times in the 27 years of the league’s existence, including in 18 of the last 19 years.
In semifinal games at the Mountain West Tournament, San Diego State has a 16-4 record, has won seven straight and 10 of its last 11 semifinal games.
San Diego State has won an unprecedented 16 Mountain West titles: nine regular season and seven tournament crowns.
Overall, San Diego State is 45-19 in the Mountain West Tournament, for an event-best winning percentage of 70.3 percent. The Aztecs’ 45 tournament wins are the most by any team - current or former - in league history. This is particularly impressive because 10 of SDSU’s 64 tournament games have been played on the road (8-2 at UNLV), while UNLV has played 47 of its 54 tournament games at home.
San Diego State owns 49 victories in Thomas & Mack Center since the start of the 2008-09 campaign. That is the most victories by any school the nation 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 21st game of the season in the Mountain West Tournament’s quarterfinal game, marking the ninth straight campaign the Aztecs have reached that milestone ...every year under Brian Dutcher...and in the last 21 seasons, SDSU has totaled at least 21 wins 19 times, at least 20 wins 20 times, and at least 19 wins 21 times.
San Diego State owns a 176-54 record (76.5 percent) since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, which is the sixth best record in the nation. SDSU trails Gonzaga at 204-33 (86.1 percent), Houston at 210-37 (85.0 percent), Duke at 189-48 (79.7 percent) and Saint Mary’s 175-53 (76.8 percent) and Arizona 180-55 (76.6 percent) and ahead of the likes of Connecticut 177-56 (76.0 percent) and Kansas 178-59 (75.1 percent).
Against Colorado State, in its quarterfinal contest, the Aztecs attempted 42 free-throws, which are their most in a regulation game since also shooting 42 at Wyoming on March 1, 2003, their most in a Mountain West Tournament game, and the sixth most in Mountain West Tournament history.
Magoon Gwath blocked his 100th career shot against Colorado State in the quarterfinal round of the Mountain West Tournament. Gwath did it in his 49th career games, moved into 10th place on the program’s career list and is two away from Billy White at No. 9.