Gonzaga and San Diego State will square off in a must-watch contest between two premier mid-major programs at 10 p.m. ET Monday in San Diego in this week’s Mid-Major Basketball Game of the Week. The game pits two top-six teams from this week’s Mid-Major Basketball Top 25 Poll against each other. You can watch the game on CBS Sports Network.
The Aztecs and Bulldogs will face off for the sixth time in series history. Their most recent encounter occurred on Dec. 29, 2023, when San Diego State beat Gonzaga 84-74. Under coach Brian Dutcher, the Aztecs are 2-0 against Gonzaga.
Gonzaga
Gonzaga (3-0) ranks No. 1 in the MMB Top 25 Poll and travels to San Diego for its first true road game of the season. The Bulldogs are coming off a 113-54 win over UMass-Lowell on Friday.
Gonzaga boasts five players averaging double figures, led by Khalif Battle’s impressive 17.3 points per game.
Senior guard Ryan Nembhard has been a standout distributor, averaging 10.0 assists per game – second-best in the nation. He has just two turnovers, both coming against Baylor, giving him an elite 15.00 assist-to-turnover ratio, also ranked second nationally.
As a team, the Bulldogs rank sixth in the country, averaging 22.3 assists per game, showcasing their exceptional ball movement and unselfish play.
Gonzaga returns 81.4% of its minutes from the 2023-24 season, the seventh-highest mark in the nation. This level of continuity positions the Bulldogs for a smooth transition into the new campaign and boosts their prospects of securing their 18th consecutive season with 25 or more wins.
San Diego State
San Diego State (2-0) ranks sixth in the MMB Top 25 Poll. The Aztecs lost a lot of talent from last year’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team and were picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll this season.
The Aztecs narrowly beat UC San Diego in their home opener and crushed Occidental by 51 points on Tuesday.
Miles Byrd scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the season-opening win, but missed the Occidental game with an ankle injury. BJ Davis averages 13.5 points through two games, while McKinney and Nick Boyd add 10.5 points.
The Aztecs are strong defensively so far this year. Through the Nov. 13 games, KenPom ranks San Diego State first in 2-point percentage defense (26.8), fifth in block percentage (22.9), 16th in adjusted defensive efficiency (93.9) and 32nd in effective field goal percentage defense (41.0).
