The San Diego State Aztecs are off to an electric start in this 2019-20 season, at 17-0 (6-0 MWC). They make the drive up north to Fresno this Tuesday to face a struggling Fresno State Bulldog team 5-11 (1-4 MWC).
The two teams have met a total of 119 times with the Aztecs leading the series 63-56. However, in Fresno, the Bulldogs have the 33-21 advantage and have won four of the last five matches at home.
San Diego State already beat the Bulldogs earlier this month on New Year’s Day, where the Aztecs won 61-52 at Viejas Arena. With a win on Tuesday, San Diego State would complete a season sweep of the Bulldogs for the first time since 2014.
The Aztecs are one of two remaining unbeaten teams along with the 15-0 Auburn Tigers. They are also the fourth best team in the NET rankings and have a good chance at a number one or two seed come March Madness.
Despite the number three team in the country, Kansas losing on Saturday at home, the Aztecs, who had two blowout wins, stay behind them in the AP Poll as number seven once again. All that the Aztecs can do is keep winning and hope they can sneak into the top three in the AP poll by the end of the year, and pull off a high seed in the tournament.
The Aztecs are also off to their second best start in school history at 17-0.
The Aztecs got key bench players Aguek Arop and Joel Mensah back on Saturday, which will undoubtedly improve their performance later in games. As for the Aztecs big man Nathan Mensah, who is still struggling with upper respiratory issues, he has an unknown return date and will hope to return before the Mountain West Tournament.
On the other side, Fresno State is getting back up to three players Tuesday, including their leading scorer last season in Nate Grimes. These additions will help out the Bulldogs by far on Tuesday night and possibly lead them to a huge upset over a top ten team in San Diego State.
The key matchup in this one to watch will be Aztecs forward Yanni Wetzell against Fresno State forward Grimes.
San Diego State is 82% favorites heading into Tuesday, although this game has the potential to be a lot closer than many people think. The game will be streamed on ESPN2 and will start at 8:00 PM PT from Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.