(7) Colorado State vs. (2) San Diego State

Thomas & Mack Center – University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV)

Thursday, March 12 at 6:00 pm PT (or after the Nevada/GCU game)

TV: CBSSN

San Diego State’s journey to the Mountain West Championship begins with Colorado State. 

March Madness is here, and San Diego State shows up in March. The Aztecs and Colorado State Rams meet for the third game on Thursday night for the second round of the Mountain West Tournament.

These two squads split games during the regular season, and the Rams were one of the hottest teams in the league to end the campaign, while SDSU ended the regular season winners of only two of their final five games.

“I’m excited to get the team ready and head to Las Vegas for another Mountain West Tournament, the last Mountain West Tournament we’re going to play in,” head coach Brian Dutcher told the media Tuesday. “We have a lot of great memories over the years of the event, obviously, we’ve won a share of them, and we’ve lost a share. It’s a great environment. Aztec fans travel well, so we’ll be well-represented both on the court and in the stands. I’m excited to play either Colorado State or Fresno State Thursday at six o’clock and try to get a title and play our way into the NCAA Tournament.”

The Aztecs did not finish conference play how they wanted after owning a two-game lead over the Utah State Aggies at one point; however, taking down a rising UNLV squad on Senior Night has the team entering the conference tournament on a high note.

The Aztecs are confident that they can go win the crown and play their way into the Big Dance. SDSU is 5-1 overall as a 2-seed, including a 2-0 record against a 7-seed.

“We’ve shown the ability to win multiple games in a row, and we have a veteran team now,” Dutcher said. “Everybody’s played enough minutes that if we execute at a high level and play up to our potential, we’ll have a chance to win. The greatest opponent in March is always yourself. You have to play to your potential. We have a high enough ceiling that if we play well, we’ll have a chance to win.”

“It will definitely be tough,” Reese Dixon-Waters said Tuesday. “We have great competition. Everyone in our conference has a great team. We cannot take anybody lightly because everyone wants to make it to March Madness. Everybody is going to be playing hard. Our goal is to go in there and win and play our best basketball.”

Aztecs Mountain West Awards

Miles Byrd was named the 2025-26 MWC Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday. He was also named to the All-MW Defensive Team and Third Team All-MW. Dixon-Waters was named to the All-MW Second Team, while BJ Davis was an All-MW Honorable Mention.

Byrd responded to receiving the honor and how he is dealing with the criticism of the early season expecations.

“I believe it was just an expectation from everyone, especially being Preseason Player of the Year,” Byrd said. “A lot of people expect me to go out there and average 18 points a game, but that has never been my type of game. I have been more of a guy that does the little things and tries to make plays to help our team win.”

“I am honored that people thought I was the best defender in the league this year. Something my dad and I always say is that being a good defender is a choice. The majority of it, in my opinion, is motor and playing hard, diving for loose balls, and not taking shortcuts defensively. I believe that is why I was able to win this award.”

Depth Expectations 

Players must step up this week with three games in three days. This is no longer just a standard conference game. It will take a collective effort in order to accomplish the goal.

“Depth has been a great advantage for us,” Dutcher noted. “I always say that if a guy shows me I can’t play without him on the floor, I’m going to play him more minutes and the bench will shrink. With that being said, I think guys like BJ (Davis) back off the bench, Taj (Degourville), Pharaoh (Compton), these guys are all really producing at a high level, so l’m going to continue to ride the bench, and hopefully that will be a strength of ours as we have to hopefully play three games in three days.”

Davis is coming off an incredible game against the Rebels to end the regular season. He scored a career high of 30 points off the bench. According to the SDSU Media Guide, His 30 points off the bench against UNLV are the second most for an Aztec since at least the start of the 1996-97 season, trailing only Evan Burns’ 31 against New Mexico (2-24-03) and Jamaal Franklin’s 31 against UC Davis (11-13-11).

“Coach Dutcher always says, ‘March is for players.’ Players step up when the time is right,” Davis said.

Freshman Elzie Harrington will once again miss the contest against Colorado State. He has been dealing with a lingering injury that only really heals with time. Just because he will not play on Thursday does not mean he is out for the entire tournament. We will know more information after the game on Thursday.

Colorado State’s Win over Fresno State in Round 1 

The Rams came from behind and defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs 67-63 after trailing by five at halftime. Fresno State’s top player, Jake Heidbreder, who was Third-Team All-MW this season, ended with a game-high 26 points. Jase Butler finished with 20 points, going 6-9 from beyond the arc, and had nine rebounds for CSU. Carey Booth added 18 points and six boards.

This squad is known for hitting the deep ball at a high percentage, but struggled against the Bulldogs, going 10-30. SDSU will aim to keep the Rams below 10 made triples, but it’s to the Aztecs’ benefit seeing the Rams not be at their best from deep the last two games. Still, the team ended 8th in the nation at 39.4% from beyond the arc. Colorado State is very good at taking the right shot.

The last time these two teams met in Fort Collins, CSU finished 13-31 from three-point range. The Aztecs ended with more rebounds, but allowing the deep ball hurt them. If Dutcher can get his players to close out better and force CSU into tougher attempts, then they will be in a prime position to take them down on Thursday night. Both teams finished with 23 made baskets in that game; the three-ball was the deciding factor.

The Aztecs understand what is in front of them. They still have a great opportunity despite a “down season.”

Let the madness begin.

Chris Spiering

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.