San Diego State has mostly had its way against West Coast Conference teams.
The Aztecs (10-2) have a winning record against six WCC programs and trail in the all-time series with the two remaining WCC schools.
But they are even, 2-2, with Gonzaga. That will change at 6 p.m. Friday when they take on the powerhouse No. 13 Bulldogs (9-3) on the road.
But SDSU’s reputation, months after an appearance in the title game of the NCAA Tournament, isn’t too shabby either. For head coach Brian Dutcher, it’s a prime match up.
“I just thought any opportunity to play Gonzaga I wanted to take, and they’re going to come back here a year from now,” he said of Viejas Arena. “We got a home-and-home out of it. It’s hard to get in college basketball good home-and-home anymore. Everyone wants to play
neutral. To get them home-and-home, I would have played them anytime they wanted to play.”
Both teams are coming off more-than-convincing wins – SDSU over Stanford 74-60 on Dec. 21, and Gonzaga, 100-76 over Jackson State on Dec. 20. The Aztecs have won three straight and the Bulldogs have gone 2-2 since Dec. 9, including a loss to No. 5 UConn.
The teams have set standards for excellence in the past several years, with San Diego State having posted a 118-25 record since the start of the 2019-20 season. That trails only Gonzaga (130-16) and Houston (128-22) for best in the nation.
The Aztecs and Bulldogs are facing off for the fourth time since November 2010, but the first meeting came nearly 65 years ago, at the 1959 City of Roses Tournament in Portland. Gonzaga won 72-69.
The Aztecs won the second matchup, 79-76 in 2010, during the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon. In the second game of the 2016-17 season, the Bulldogs cruised to a 69-48 win in Spokane, also during the Tip-Off Marathon.
SDSU prevailed the last time – at Viejas during Dutcher’s first season as head coach – winning 72-70 on Dec. 22, 2017.
With a win, the Aztecs also delay a major milestone for Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, who is three wins away from 700 in his head coaching career. When he hits the mark, he will become the 14th active head coach in NCAA Div. 1 history to reach the milestone.
