Aztecs aim for season sweep over Boise State as they host the Broncos at Viejas Arena this Saturday night.

This weekend, the San Diego State Aztecs will play one of their bigger games of the season. They will do so in front of their home crowd. San Diego State welcomes Mountain West preseason favorite Boise State, as just seven games remain in the regular season. This MW battle can be seen on CBS Sports Network at 7:00 p.m.

This past Tuesday night, the Aztecs used another gritty performance to battle their way back to a win against San Jose State on the road.

Relive our latest thrilling victory! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/cZl4gtwTwZ

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 12, 2025

The Aztecs have done that twice this season. At home in late January, SDSU returned from down 21 points to beat the Spartans. This time, they were down 17 points and the break and tied it up quickly in the second half and eventually won by just three points.

Aztecs’ senior guard Nick Boyd was asked postgame if comebacks can be sustainable.

“I think it’s 50/50 in a sense,” he said. “It can bite you, and then at the same time, you can sustain it. Our focus is to bring that energy that we had this second half and all these other second halves that we played throughout the season. I feel like we play our best ball in the second half. We’ve got to bring that same energy in the first half, whether it’s the guys who start the game or the guys who come off the bench. You’ve got to bring that every time the ball goes in the air.”

We have heard Miles Byrd say it as well. The team is aware that the energy they bring is contagious, and it needs to be spreading for 40 minutes, not just for the second half.

The Aztecs now shift focus to Boise State. A team who was predicted to win the conference during the regular season is tied for third along with SDSU and Colorado State. The Scarlet & Black took down the Broncos at ExtraMile Arena earlier in the season and are aiming to earn the season sweep over their conference rival for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Aztecs are 19-16 all-time against the Blue & Orange.

First Matchup

Back at the start of the new year, on January 4, the Aztecs traveled to Boise and defeated the Broncos 76-68. The game was back-and-forth early on, but the Aztecs played much better in the second half and scored 43 points. Byrd led the way with 22 points and freshman Taj DeGourville was the next best offensive scorer with 13 points on 4-7 shooting.

Timely three-pointers, protecting the ball late, and dominating the glass is what led the Aztecs to victory. Magoon Gwath and the Aztecs did not block a single shot that game, as the Broncos took 30 of 53 shots from beyond the arc. SDSU held Tyson Degenhart to just nine point,s which is his season low. Boise State shot 37.7% from the field, while the Aztecs shot 44.3%.

Free throw shooting has been in need of major improvement this season. One of those examples came late against Boise State in the first matchup. Despite winning by eight, SDSU missed multiple free throws down the stretch. DeGourville, Byrd, Boyd, and Miles Heide all missed free throws with under a minute and a half remaining. They shot 15-24 overall compared to the Broncos’ 21-25. Taking advantage of the free opportunities could be a deciding factor in this second matchup.

Update on Boise State

The Broncos are 17-7 overall and 9-4 in conference play. They are also coming off a win against San Jose State last Friday night, 79-52. SDSU had trouble with the Spartans on two occasions, and while the Broncos only beat them by two in their first meeting, they found a way to dismantle SJSU on their home court in the second meeting. Since the loss to Colorado State, the Broncos are winners of four straight including one road win against UNLV. After this matchup with San Diego State, they will host New Mexico for another crucial contest.

Boise State contains four players who average north of 10 points per game, with Degenhart leading the way at 17.8 per game. Alvaro Gardenas is second at 12.0 but is 7th in the nation at 6.8 assists per game. Andrew Meadow is third at 11.7 points per game, and Javan Buchanan is fourth at 11.0.

Player to Watch: Tyson Degenhart

Since scoring a season-low of nine points against SDSU, Degenhart has responded in a big way. He has scored at least 13 points in every game since while scoring 21+ in four of them. He scored his season-high of 27 in a loss to Colorado State on the road, so he has proven to score away from home. In an intense atmosphere at Viejas Arena, it’s expected the Broncos will need Degenhart to carry the load and use his experience to battle with the Aztecs.

Put this in the ATO Hall of Fame.

Boise State’s Tyson Degenhart forces overtime vs. New Mexico in an absolute thriller on FS1.pic.twitter.com/YwCLL2OnPD

— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) January 21, 2023

The senior played 37 minutes in the first loss and should play around the same minutes in this go-around. The season is down to the nitty-gritty, and every game matters for seeding in the Mountain West Tournament, not to mention a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Degenhart averages 17.8 points per game on 52.8% shooting. He adds 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and shoots just under 80% from the charity stripe.

Key to Victory

The Aztecs were okay from the free throw line in the comeback win over San Jose State as they finished 17-22. In a game of this magnitude, converting on free throws is very important. They must be able to put the Broncos away if it comes down to it. However, it’s not just free throw shooting that proves critical.

The Aztecs must storm out of the gates strong. They need to get into a rhythm and correct their mistakes early on. The team can’t continue to wait until the start of the second half to make adjustments. That isn’t always the case, but recently, it has been. Head coach Brian Dutcher and his staff understand what they have to do, and they are aware of how to fix the problems. The Aztecs don’t go on 17-0, 18-0, and 21-0 runs without elite coaching and belief that they are the better team.

“We want to play to the standard always,” Boyd said after the SJSU win. “That’s the culture here. I feel like, sometimes, we as a team begin to overthink some things in terms of trying to just be perfect in a sense instead of just going all out for it and having a good time and playing the game we love at a high level. That’s what we did early on. When you get into conference, it’s a little bit more strategic, and I think sometimes the strategy bogs us down a little bit.”

We know the Aztecs will bring it on defense and play competitive ball in the second half, but if they play to their standard early on, then they will sweep the Broncos for a postseason-defining win.

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.