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San Diego State Basketball: San Diego State Aztecs 2015-16 Season Preview

By Mitch Krmpotich

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San Diego State Aztecs

2014-2015 Record: 27-9 (14-4, Mountain West)
Postseason: NCAA Tournament – Third Round

Despite losing in the championship game of the Mountain West tournament last season, the San Diego State Aztecs still made it to the big dance.

In the Second Round, they took down St. John’s. After that the Aztecs were blown out by the eventual National Champion Duke Blue Devils.

SDSU had a good 2014-15 season and they will look to build on that in the upcoming season.

The only issue for San Diego State is that they are being investigated by the NCAA for possible violations.

Apparently the team has been very cooperative with the NCAA and they are hoping that no violations will be present.

Newcomers

G – Jeremy Hemsley (#75 247Sports)
G – Ben Perez
F – Max Hoetzel (Transfer from Indiana)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 16 at Utah – This is a great early test for the Aztecs. Early on Utah is ranked higher than San Diego State. This game could be closer than expected.

More from Mountain West

Head coach Steve Fisher knows Utah from when they played in the Mountain West. This should be a fun one.

Nov. 26 vs California – Cal is getting a lot of attention early on this season. If SDSU could steal a win here they could prove that they are the real deal.

This will be an excellent early test. The Aztecs really only have three tough non-conference games scheduled. Winning even just one of them would be great for the team.

Dec. 22 vs Kansas – In this final non-conference game the Aztecs have a huge task. Kansas is ranked fourth in the AP preseason poll.

If San Diego State can get a win against Kansas then they will have sky-high confidence heading into conference play.

Key Players

Winston Shepard – Last season Shepard led the team in scoring. He averaged 11.1 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. Heading into his senior season, Shepard is the clear leader of this team.

It will be important for Shepard to have good production and lead his team by example. This San Diego State team has a good mix of older, more experienced players and young talent. After graduating four players last year, this is now Shepard’s team.

Jeremy Hemsley – There will be a lot of pressure on the freshman guard to produce. In the exhibition game against California State San Marcos, Hemsley started and had seven points on 2/11 shooting.

He also added four rebounds. He will have to have better production than this, but nerves probably played a part in this performance. Himself could be a key piece of San Diego State’s success once he gets used to college play.

Season Outlook

San Diego State should be good this year. They are one of the best teams in the Mountain West. With strong coaching from Steve Fisher and a nice mix of experience and raw talent, the Aztecs have the opportunity to be great. I predict that the Aztecs will finish in the top two in the Mountain West just like last year.

Their biggest competition will be Boise State, who they lost to twice last year.  If the Aztecs can beat the Broncos this year then they will win the Mountain West.