UCLA vs San Diego State: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
UCLA and San Diego State get the season going with a great matchup; which of these West Coast powers get the season started with a win?
TV schedule: Wednesday, November 25, 10:30 pm ET. CBSSN
Arena: Viejas Arena in San Diego, California
Last season marked the beginning for Mick Cronin at UCLA (0-0) and the results were pretty solid as he shifted across the country. The former Cincinnati coach led the Bruins to a 2nd place finish in the Pac-12 and returns a team set to make an even bigger impact on the college basketball universe this year.
The Bruins bid farewell to Prince Ali, but welcome back their top five leading scorers from last season. The late play of guard Chris Smith was especially productive and his return gives the Bruins a big boost. UCLA will also welcome Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang, who will likely slide into that starting lineup and is a great shooter.
UCLA begins the season in the top 25 and may put together one of the nation’s most efficient offenses by the end of the season. This Bruins team put together a seven-game winning streak near the end of last season and were certainly a much better team as Smith’s play heated up. Many months later, the Bruins still have talented players like Tyger Campbell and Jalen Hill who could take steps forward as well.
San Diego State (0-0) clearly shined last season, while their disappointment at the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament remains immeasurable. Plenty of the talent from that Aztecs team has moved on, but coach Brian Dutcher has still put together a roster that will compete at the top of the Mountain West yet again.
The Aztecs said fond farewells to Malachi Flynn, Yanni Wetzell, and KJ Feagin, but will get one last season from starters Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel. San Diego State will be expecting bigger roles from players like Trey Pulliam and Nathan Mensah, who really stepped up during Mitchell’s injury last season. The addition of grad transfers Terrell Gomez and Joshua Tomiac will add depth to an Aztecs team still figuring out where each piece fits together.
Last season, San Diego State had one of the nation’s best defenses, and it was on display time after time. Dutcher pieced together a fantastic roster for last season, and there’s no reason not to trust that this year’s team can compete at a high level. This year’s team is likely not starting the season with 26 straight wins, but you never know.
This game will be an early test for that Aztecs defense against a Bruins offense that was performing well at the end of last season. At the very least, the Bruins won’t have to worry about the tough road crowd, and should have the players to break through the Aztecs defense if they can make their shots. For the Aztecs, they need to figure out who outside of Mitchell and Schakel can be dependable scorers, while playing that same stout defense.
Next. Ranking all 357 teams for 2020-21. dark
This is a great matchup on the opening night of the season. Discounting Gonzaga, these will be two of the best programs on the West Coast this season, and this early matchup will go a long way to determining future success for both teams. It’s hard to pick against the team returning much of its roster, but it’s even harder to pick against the Aztecs in Viejas, even if the defense is reshuffling the deck.