San Diego State Aztecs
Mountain West (30-2, 17-1)
San Diego State cruised to the regular season championship in the Mountain West conference as they had the title clinched by February 16th when they beat Boise State. The Aztecs stayed in the mix for a number one seed up until the last week or so of the regular season despite losing to UNLV back on February 22nd.
Big Wins: 11/9 at BYU (76-71), 11/28 vs Creighton (83-52), 11/29 vs Iowa (83-73)
Bad Losses: 2/22 UNLV (63-66), 3/7 vs Utah State (56-59)
Coach: Brian Dutcher
Why They Can Surprise:
The experience throughout the starting lineup is a huge plus for San Diego State as it pays to be an “old team” in the NCAA Tournament. Malachi Flynn has had a big season after sitting out last year while transferring from Washington State. Flynn is averaging 17.6 points per game on the season and has done a great job of distributing the basketball. Matt Mitchell has stepped up in the absence of Nathan Mensah as Mitchell has been very efficient shooting the basketball. Jordan Schakel can also stretch opposing defenses as he has made 43.6 percent of his shots from behind the three-point line. The wins over BYU, Creighton, and Iowa should set up the Aztecs to be able to have plenty of success in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Defending the three-point shot is another reason why they will be a tough out as they are limiting teams to a 29.8 shooting percentage from three-point range.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The way they handled the UNLV, Colorado State and Nevada games after clinching the conference championship is a bit of a problem as playing for a one seed was still in play. Looking back to the loss at home against UNLV, the Aztecs got off to a very slow start, trailing 37-25 at the halftime. They did a nice job of responding in the second half of that game but still came up short. It will be important, especially in the Round of 32 and beyond, for San Diego State to get off to a good start and avoid digging themselves a deep hole.
Probable Starters:
Malachi Flynn, Junior, Guard, 17.6 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.5 rpg, 1.8 spg
Jordan Schakel, Junior, Guard, 10.0 ppg
KJ Feagin, Senior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 3.0 apg
Matt Mitchell, Junior, Forward, 12.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Yanni Wetzel, Senior, Forward, 11.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg
Key Role Players:
Trey Pulliam, Junior, Guard, 3.3 ppg, 1.9 apg
Adam Seiko, Sophomore, Guard, 2.9 ppg
Aguek Arop, Sophomore, Forward, 3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.8 (76th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.4 (4, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.8 (34, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.7 (10, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.1 (33, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.0 (13, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.1 (16, 1)
Rebound Margin: 3.3 (81, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.8 (46, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.8 (16, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Houston |
| 2016 | NIT | First Round win over IPFW |
| 2016 | NIT | Second Round win over Washington |
| 2016 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech |
| 2016 | NIT | Semifinal loss to George Washington |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over St. John's |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Duke |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over New Mexico State |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over North Dakota State |
| 2014 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Arizona |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Oklahoma |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Florida Gulf Coast |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to North Carolina State |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Northern Colorado |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Temple |
| 2011 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Connecticut |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Tennessee |
| 2009 | NIT | First Round win over Weber State |
| 2009 | NIT | Second Round win over Kansas State |
| 2009 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over St. Mary's |
| 2009 | NIT | Semifinal loss to Baylor |
| 2008 | NIT | First Round loss to Florida |
| 2007 | NIT | First Round Win over Missouri State |
| 2007 | NIT | Second Round loss to Syracuse |
*all team stats through 3/8
