The San Diego State Aztecs have officially wrapped up non-conference play following their Dec. 22 home win over UC San Diego. An (8-3) record through eleven games is generally considered a “cold stretch” for an Aztec program that has dominated their opponents, winning 53 of 60 games in the previous two seasons.
However, the non-conference schedule that the Aztecs were faced with, as well as having to battle with injuries and long road trips, was a challenging period of adversity that the team ultimately overcame.
In head coach Brian Dutcher’s fifth season since taking over for Steve Fisher, San Diego State competed in six non-conference games against top-tier Division 1 opponents, a larger number than the team has played in any season in recent history. Four of these games featured teams ranked top 50 in the NET rankings; The other two teams being Georgetown and Arizona State, who are both historically successful programs and compete in Power 5 conferences.
In these six games, the Aztecs finished with a respectable (3-3) record and won the five easier games on their schedule against UT Arlington, Long Beach State, UC San Diego, UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton.
The three statement wins that the Aztecs pulled off included a 65-63 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils, a 73-56 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas, and perhaps the most impressive non-conference game for the Aztecs, a 63-53 win over the Saint Mary’s Gaels.
Their three losses consisted of a 66-60 game against the Brigham Young Cougars, a 58-43 loss to the USC Trojans, and a 72-58 loss to the Michigan Wolverines.
The Trojans are currently 13-0 and the no. 7 ranked team in the AP Poll, while the Wolverines and Cougars both sit outside the rankings looking in. BYU and Michigan are both in the top 35 in the NET rankings and received votes outside the top 25 in the AP Poll.
The non-conference journey for San Diego State was highlighted by an injury to a critical part of the team’s success, sophomore guard Lamont Butler. Despite initial worry and uncertainty, Butler has been taking the right steps toward recovery and could make a return as soon as the Aztecs’ New Year’s Day showdown against UNLV in the conference opener. Butler was averaging nearly ten points per game, as well as two rebounds, two assists, and a team-leading two steals.
Multiple players have had to step up and play a more prominent role for the Aztecs during Butler’s absence, specifically Adam Seiko, Matt Bradley, Trey Pulliam, and Nahan Mensah.
Bradley has led the team in scoring with 14.7 points per game and holds second place on the team in both assists and rebounds. Pulliam has played the most minutes on the team in his senior season and averages 10.6 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, and a team-leading 3.9 assists per game. Mensah has contributed 8.3 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, and 2.4 blocks per game.
Seiko has come off the bench and become a starter in the last four games since Butler’s injury and has averaged 9.3 points and played a substantial role over that period.
The Aztecs are the fifth-ranked Mountain West team in the NET rankings and have an uphill battle ahead against Colorado State, Wyoming, Fresno State and Utah State. Despite the most non-conference games since the 2018-19 season, San Diego State will have their fair share of opportunities for more Quad 1 wins during Mountain West play.
They will open conference play on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, facing the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (8-5) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. for tip-off at 1 p.m. PT.