SDSU rides a three-game winning streak to Logan, aiming to earn a season split against Utah State

Saturday night will be a season-altering showcase for the Mountain West. The San Diego State Aztecs and Utah State Aggies meet for a crucial contest that could determine who wins the regular season title.

Boise State, one game behind the SDSU and Colorado State Rams, defeated New Mexico on Wednesday night, putting the Lobos’ previously high chances in jeopardy. New Mexico is now one game ahead of Utah State and 2.5 games ahead of the Aztecs. This Saturday night, there is a lot more on the line.

San Diego State recently defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs by 23 points.

The boys were cooking last night #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/16lt0qDmE4

— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) February 19, 2025

Nick Boyd has scored 43 points over a two-game span while also dishing out nine assists. He recently secured 1,000 career points. The team’s point guard has stepped up offensively at the right time, and he is now averaging 12.8 points and 3.8 assists per game in the year. If the senior continues his elite play then the Aztecs should feel much better about their chances against a team that is very good.

“I changed my mindset and just tried to be aggressive,” Boyd told the media on Thursday. “Being aggressive is really what changed; I’m just going for it, not really overthinking, getting lost in the game, and having fun with it. When I do that, I feel like there are very few things that will stop me.”

Every time SDSU and Utah State meet, it seems to be a competitive battle. Outside of a few huge wins for the Aztecs, four of the last six meetings have been within five or fewer points. It’s hard not to forget about the last matchup, but the good news is that the Aztecs have had success in Logan. It is not an easy place to play, but SDSU is 5-6 in Logan and won by two points there in 2023. The Red & Black are 20-10 all-time against Utah State.

“You don’t need to know metrics to know that we’re playing the top two teams in the conference in our next two games,” Dutcher told the media on Thursday. “Going to Logan is never easy. The environment is going to be electric, much like it is everywhere we go, but extra special. We’re excited for an opportunity to get in there and see if we can continue our win streak and build momentum ahead of our home game against New Mexico on Tuesday. It’s a big, big challenge for the Aztecs this week, but one that we’re looking forward to.”

First Matchup

In late December, Utah State came back from down 17 points to stun the Aztecs at Viejas Arena. San Diego State played a great first half by scoring 43 points but scored just 23 in the second and lost by one point. Tucker Anderson hit a game-winning three-pointer with a few seconds remaining. The Aggies were only 8-28 from beyond the arc but Anderson’s four made triples helped the them get back into the game and eventually escape with a win.

Both Boyd and Miles Byrd scored 14 points in that contest. Magoon Gwath scored just four points on 2-7 shooting. With how Gwath is playing now, it’s encouraging to know that a better performance from the redshirt freshman could be what gets the Aztecs over the top.

BJ Davis, who left the game against Fresno State with an illness, also scored only four points against Utah State. The sophomore’s offense has slowed down a ton since the start of the season. He began the campaign scoring in double figures in the first five games but has only done so once in his last eight games. Davis hasn’t scored more than 13 points since the huge win over Air Force at home on Jan. 8.

“You don’t want them to be overly emotional,” Dutcher said. “Do your job. Do it at a high level. Have a next-play mentality when things don’t go well. That is just the maturity of a good team. As much as you emotionally want to beat a team that’s beating you, you don’t do it with emotion. You do it with execution. We have to go out and be emotional but execute at a high level.”

Keeping up with the Aggies

Utah State is 23-4 in the season, which is the best record overall in the conference. However, New Mexico remains just one game ahead in the conference standings. If Utah State wants a chance to win the conference outright, they must win on Saturday night. They have back-to-back road games against Boise State and Colorado State after this battle. There is no guarantee they win any of these games. San Diego State plays well on the road, but the Aggies have the best road record in the conference at 7-2, highlighted by the 67-66 win at Steve Fisher Court.

Utah State responded from their loss to New Mexico with a massive win against San Jose State, 105-57. The Spartans gave the Aztecs two close and competitive games, whereas the Aggies defeated the Spartans by a combined 55 points in the two meetings. The Aggies know how to take care of business and take down teams they are supposed to beat. Once the Aggies get going they are very hard to stop. They have a ton of weapons on both sides of the floor.

Ian Martinez leads the squad with 17.3 points per game. He is one of the top free throw shooters in the conference at 87.9%. Mason Falslev is next on the team at 15.2 points, leading the team in rebounds at 6.1 and steals at 2.4 per game. Falslev also shoots 51.1% from the field and is a very good all-around player. He scored 16 points in the win over SDSU but made his presence known with five steals.

Those two combine to score just under half of the team’s total points per game. They lead a powerful offense that averages 82.6 points per game, which is 21st in the nation. SDSU currently allows 62.5 points per game, which is 10th in the nation. The Aggies offense facing the Aztecs defense will be a must-watch on TV. Utah State also shoots 50.0% from the floor, which is tied for 3rd alongside Gonzaga and only 0.6 behind the top team, Northern Colorado.

Key to Victory

Limiting turnovers will be a huge key to success for SDSU. At 9.3 steals per game, the Aggies are 19th in the country. They generate a lot of forced turnovers, and they are elite at turning them into points on the other end.

“This is a place where if we go and turn the ball over, we are going to have a hard time winning,” Dutcher explained. “They turn turnovers into baskets, so any live ball turnovers are going to be exploited. We have to take care of the ball if we want to win on the road, especially at Utah State.”

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Boyd and the Aztecs are aware at what is at stake. The next two games could change the season and entire outlook for the Mountain West Tournament.

“There’s an opportunity for us to get it done and it’s on us to handle our business,” Boyd said. “We have two of the top teams in the conference coming up back to back. It’s on us to stay focused (Thursday) in practice and tomorrow and then go into both games with an edge about us.”

Senior forward Reese Waters told the San Diego Union-Tribune that he would make it official and medically redshirt this season and not play. He also said he will return to the Aztecs next season, which is great news for the program. If all goes well, next season’s roster has a chance to be very special.

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.