San Diego State basketball will face Ohio State and Stanford as part of the team’s non-conference schedule, while taking part in tournaments in Hawaii and Arizona.
The 12 regular-season games and one exhibition includes five opponents that played in the postseason last year – three of them in the NCAA tournament.
The prelude to the 102nd season of Aztecs hoops takes place at Viejas Arena Nov. 1 with an exhibition against San Diego Christian College.
The regular season and home opener follows Nov. 7 against Cal State Fullerton, which had 21-11 record last year. They won the conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
Four nights later, on Nov. 11, Brigham Young comes to town for the renewal of one of the program’s most heated rivalries, the first of a two-game, home-and-home series. The Cougars posted a 24-11 record last season and reached the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
San Diego State heads out on the road to Palo Alto on Nov. 15 for the first meeting in nearly 25 years with Stanford. This is the first of a two-game series, which concludes at Viejas next year.
Then the team travels to Hawaii for three games in the 2022 Maui Jim Maui Invitational starting Nov. 21 against Ohio State. In 2021-22, the Buckeyes posted a 20-12 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Aztecs will play either Arizona or Cincinnati in its second game the next day. Arizona was 33-4 last season and won the Pac-12 tournament. The team reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament before bowing out to Houston.
The Aztecs’ final game at the invitational, on Nov. 23, will be against one of four teams: Creighton, which eliminated them in last year’s NCAA Tournament, Texas Tech, Creighton, Louisville or Arkansas. Texas Tech and Arkansas also competed in the NCAA tourney.
San Diego State next plays five of its final six non-conference games at Viejas, beginning Nov. 29 against UC Irvine. On Dec. 2, San Diego State and Occidental College meet. The teams last played in 2010.
The Aztecs host Troy on Dec. 5, the second time the teams have met.
The last road trip prior to the start of the Mountain West schedule comes on Dec. 10, with the Aztecs traveling to Phoenix to face Saint Mary’s College in the Jerry Colangelo Classic.
Last year, SDSU logged a 63-53 victory, tipping the all-time series to the Aztecs by a 7-6 margin. The Gaels went on to go 26-8, falling to Gonzaga in the championship game of the WCC tournament before they advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The final two non-conference games are at home against Kennesaw State, on Dec. 12, and UC San Diego on Dec. 20.
They open their Mountain West slate on Dec. 28 against Air Force at Viejas.