23. San Diego State (6-2)
The Aztecs have shined in recent years, though this year’s team certainly has another new flavor. With that being said, Brian Dutcher’s new band of additions are up to par with recent success, scoring major wins over Creighton and Houston last week in Las Vegas. San Diego State got themselves back into relevance despite a pair of early losses, but can they stay that way moving forward?
This team handled their first road test of the season, winning 84-62 at Fresno State to kick off MWC play on Wednesday night. Magoon Gwath continued a hot start to his year with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Saturday saw more action as the Aztecs won 74-57 against San Diego back at home. Nick Boyd led the charge with 17 points while Miles Byrd and Jared Coleman-Jones each contributed 13 points apiece during a strong second half.
New faces are making major moves for an Aztecs team that won significant games in recent years. We haven’t even seen San Diego State playing the level of defense that we’ve come to expect yet, aside from their dominance against Creighton, meaning there’s still a lot of potential ahead for this group. Moving forward, Cal Baptist is next on the docket, though the Aztecs will get plenty of challenges once league play really begins around New Year’s.