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San Diego State vs BYU: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Jacob Stevenson

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Jordan Schakel #20 of the San Diego State Aztecs reacts to a turnover during the second half of a game against the Colorado State Ramsat Viejas Arena on February 25, 2020 in San Diego, California. San Diego State Aztecs defeated the Colorado State Rams 66-60. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Jordan Schakel #20 of the San Diego State Aztecs reacts to a turnover during the second half of a game against the Colorado State Ramsat Viejas Arena on February 25, 2020 in San Diego, California. San Diego State Aztecs defeated the Colorado State Rams 66-60. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Former Mountain West rivals, BYU and San Diego State take to battle with an important resume-building victory on the line.

TV schedule: Friday, December 18, 5:00 pm ET. CBS Sports Network

Arena: Viejas Arena in San Diego, California

The San Diego State Aztecs (5-0) and BYU Cougars (6-2) face off Friday night it which figures to be a matchup of two of the best non-power-6 teams in the country. San Diego State is coming off a recent (80-68) win against Arizona State.

Jordan Schakel and Nathan Mensah had 42 combined points and shot a combined 59% of the field. Mensah also added 15 rebounds. To beat BYU, having scoring outside of Matt Michell and Schakel will be important.

San Diego State checks in at 18th in the country in the latest Top 25 rankings. A big reason why San Diego State has got up to 18th in the country is defense and experience. The Aztecs currently 26th in the country in defensive turnover percentage and according to Kenpom. They are also the 9th most experienced team in the country.

A storyline to watch out for is how Mitchell shoots. Mitchell (12.6 PPG) is down from 46.8% from the field to 35.6%. As the season progresses you can expect the percentages to go up.

The BYU Cougars are coming off their best performance of the season where they defeated Utah (82-64). Connor Harding added 17 points while shooting 6-8 from the field. Spencer Johnson and Richard Harward also contributed with 31 points off the bench.

Last year BYU was the number one three-point shooting team according to Kenpom. But this year they have dropped all the way to 108th. BYU has also greatly improved their two-point defense with the addition of Matt Haarms. Last year, the Cougars ranked 235th in two-point defense where this year they rank 36th.

Outside of Haarms, another key player for BYU is Alex Barcello. Barcello (17.8)PPG is averaging (4.6)RPG and just under four assists per game. He is also shooting over 60% from the field. Barcello has been a huge reason why the Cougars are off to a (6-2) start.

Key storylines for Iowa vs Gonzaga. dark. Next

This should be an interesting game with a top 20 team facing quality opposition. San Diego State has already beaten two Pac-12 squads in Arizona State and UCLA. Where BYU is coming off a good win against Utah. I think going on the road will be tough for BYU to handle and San Diego State should pull off the victory.

Prediction: SDSU 70 – BYU 62