Aztecs Basketball Preview: Nevada hosts SDSU

Credit: Don De Mars/EVT Sports

SDSU heads to Reno, Nevada to take on the Wolf Pack on Saturday night
The Nevada Wolf Pack welcomes the San Diego State Aztecs for a Mountain West Showcase. SDSU is 26-8 all time against Nevada but just 5-6 at Lawlor Events Center. The contest starts at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network as well as the Mountain West Network.
On Wednesday night in Colorado Springs, the Aztecs snuck by with a tight win over the Air Force Academy. Wayne McKinney III hit a layup as time expired to escape with a 77-76 win against the Falcons.
If you didn’t stay up for the end of our game last night, you missed some @Waynemckinn3y heroics! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/9ajgluCAyp
— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) January 23, 2025
The Aztecs improved to 12-5 on the season and 5-3 in conference play. SDSU is now in a tie for 4th place in the conference with 12 games left. A win on the road at Nevada could propel them to a big run with only 11 games remaining after that.
After the win, the Aztecs dropped in the NET rankings to 48. SDSU is 3-3 in Quad 1 games, 1-1 in Quad 2, 2-1 in Quad 3, and 5-0 in Quad 4. Their loss against UNLV counts as a Quad 3 loss but that could potentially improve to a Quad 2 loss the better UNLV plays this season. The Rebels are coming off a loss to Wyoming after taking down the Aztecs at Viejas Arena.
Getting to Know the Opponent: Nevada Wolf Pack
The Navy Blue and Silver are 11-8 on the year and 3-5 in Mountain West play. They are coming off a brutal loss to Utah State on the road where they are 1-4 on the season. At home, the Wolf Pack are 8-3 with wins against Washington and Santa Clara.
Earlier in the season, Nevada earned 5th place in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic against Oklahoma State. Nevada has losses to Vanderbilt, LMU, Wyoming, and Washington State.
Utah State just dominated Nevada from start to finish on Wednesday, marking the Aggies second win over the Wolf Pack on the campaign. Winning by the score of 90-69, the Aggies proved they are the team to beat in the conference. At this rate, Utah State could very well win the conference outright once again.

Nick Davidson leads Nevada in scoring at 15.8 points per game. He adds 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 blocks, and shoots 50.8% from the floor. Davidson also shoots the deep ball at a respectable rate of 40.6%. In the loss to Utah State, Davison scored 19 points but turned the ball over six times. Kobe Sanders is the second leading scorer for the Wolf Pack. He averages 14.6 points and has scored in double digits in all but three games this season.
Tre Coleman rounds out the top scorers for the Pack. At 9.1 points per game, the senior is averaging the most points he has scored in a season in his career. Coleman has been with the program for five seasons now and is nearing the all-time starts record. The defensive star has started 129 games for the Pack which is just one shy of Deonte Burton’s 130. Coleman will tie the record against SDSU and surpass it on the road against Boise State next Wednesday. Coleman is looking to make his third consecutive All-Mountain West Defensive Team nomination as well as Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year nomination.
As a team, the Pack average 74.5 points per game and allow 68.1. They shoot 48.4% from the field compared to SDSU’s 43.3%. Nevada rebounds the ball 34.4 times per game and adds 16.1 assists, 3.4 blocks, and 6.4 steals per contest. The Wolf Pack are 36th in the nation in field goal percentage and 18th in three-point percentage at 38.8%.
Nevada scores at a high rate. They have a plethora of options who can score. Seven players shoot 50% from the field or better.
Player to Watch: Kobe Sanders
Kobe Sanders is the player to watch for this contest. The Cal Poly transfer and San Diego native was one of the top offensive players in the country last season. He averaged 19.6 points per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. This year at Nevada, Sanders is once again being tasked to score the rock. He shoots 44.7% from the field and 36.9% from beyond the arc. At home, Sanders adds 4.9 assists and shoots 48% from the floor.
“I think I made the best decision I could.”
Kobe Sanders turned down some Blue Blood programs for the Silver and Blue. Now, the kid from America’s Finest City is enjoying life in the Biggest Little City.
Full feature, including some off-the-court talk: https://t.co/9tQbManQhA pic.twitter.com/UWNCDpYvgM
— Mike Stefansson (@MikeStefansson) December 11, 2024
On two occasions this season, Sanders notched 27 points, both in wins. He has scored 20+ four times and 15+ points seven times. The San Diego native is the team’s top facilitator, especially at home. Sanders is a big part of the Wolf Pack’s offense and the Aztecs must force him to shoot below his average.
Key to Victory
San Diego State must not let the Wolf Pack hit shots from beyond the arc consistently. Being one of the more consistent teams from range, the Wolf Pack average 7.7 made triples per contest. At home against a very good defense, they could very well shoot 25+ three-pointers. The Aztecs need to close out quickly and not allow those shots to fall. Defending the three-point shot affectively will be a key reason as to why the Aztecs win in Reno.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.