The men’s basketball programs at San Diego State and Brigham Young will begin a new home-and-home series next season with the Cougars coming to San Diego in December.
The Aztecs will return the favor with a trip to Provo during the 2021-22 season.
On Dec. 1, BYU will visit Viejas Arena for the third time since the 2010-11 season. That’s the final year BYU was part of the Mountain West Conference.
SDSU played BYU in Provo in November, defeating the Cougars 76-71.
The Cougars hold an 48-25 advantage in the all-time series. It began back before World War II, with a pair of SDSU victories in Aztec Gym during the 1940-41 season.
When the teams resume the series, SDSU will be in the midst of a four-game win streak, its longest in the 73 games the teams have played over the last 80 years.
Two of the San Diego State’s biggest wins have come against BYU. In the 1987-88 season, when Brigham Young was the No. 7-ranked team in the nation, SDSU handed them an 82-80 overtime defeat at the Sports Arena.
The championship game of the 2011 Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas featured a Top 10 clash. The No. 7-ranked Aztecs cruised past the No. 8 Cougars, 72-54. The stars for the teams were BYU’s Jimmer Fredette and future NBA All-Star Kawhi Leonard.
San Diego State is 17-18 against BYU at home, but wins have been tough to come by in Provo. There, San Diego State is 4-24 all-time. The team’s victory in the Marriott Center last season was its first since a 59-57 win in 2005.
San Diego State will enter next season coming off its league-leading 12th Mountain West Conference regular-season championship. The team finished the season ranked No. 6 in the nation, with a 30-2 record.
– Staff reports