San Diego State opens Mountain West play at 1 p.m. Saturday as the team travels to Las Vegas to face UNLV.
The Aztecs (8-3), though, in attempting to defend their back-to-back regular-season conference crowns, face a much-improved level of competition in the MW.
No. 20 Colorado State has won 10 consecutive games to start the season, while Boise State at 10-4, has made it seven straight. Wyoming, meanwhile, is 11-2, and UNLV and Air Force, like SDSU, have won eight games on the season.
The work for San Diego State so far has focused on getting the offense in sync, according to head coach Brian Dutcher.
“We have to clean up our offense, we have to be more free flowing, dangerous at the offensive end and we have to rebound the basketball, so those (issues) are getting our full attention right now,” Dutcher said last month.
SDSU, though, continues to be an elite defensive team. The Aztecs have held nine of their 11 opponents to less than 39.3% shooting from the field and denied Long Beach State a three-point field goal in 11 tries.
San Diego State, with its Tuesday game canceled due to COVID-19 issues with San Diego Christian, hasn’t played since Dec. 22, when the team knocked out UC San Diego 78-57 at Viejas Arena.
Top Aztec performers so far this season include:
- Guard Trey Pulliam, who has reached double figures in seven games this season, including a game-high 15 points vs. Saint Mary’s .
- Guard Matt Bradley has shot 42.9% from the field, while scoring in double digits in six games, including back-to-back 22-point efforts at No. 24 Michigan and Cal State Fullerton.
- Forward Nathan Mensah is one block from equaling Malcolm Thomas for third on the SDSU all-time list. In four career games against UNLV, he has averaged 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds.
- Guard Adam Seiko has scored 42 points in the last five games, after totaling 13 in the first four games this season.
SDSU though, “more than likely” will again be without Lamont Butler, who could miss his fifth straight game due to an injured wrist. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported though that he has been cleared to play and practiced this week while wearing a brace.
San Diego State has won its last nine MW games, with the last victory coming at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas when the Aztecs clinched the conference regular-season title.
The Aztecs and Runnin’ Rebels are meeting for the 76th time in series history with SDSU holding a slim 38-37 advantage. The Aztecs once trailed the series, 26-6, but are 32-11 against UNLV in their last 43 meetings.
The game will be broadcast on CBS.
