San Diego State Aztecs Mountain West farewell tour will begin on December 17 at home against Air Force, with 10 non-conference meetings beginning on November 4 against Long Beach State. The Aztecs will begin the campaign with three straight home games against CSULB, Idaho State, and Troy.

The Players Era Tournament will take place starting on November 24 against Michigan. The following day, SDSU will take on Oregon as they did in 2024. The final Players Era matchup will take place on either the 26th or 27th.

Coach Brian Dutcher on the just released @Aztec_MBB 2025-2026 schedule. pic.twitter.com/okFQT6GUz7

— Aztecs All In (@Aztecs_All_In) September 8, 2025

Brian Dutcher and the Aztecs will return to Viejas Arena for three straight games against Utah Valley, Lamar, and Air Force (first conference game). After the home stand, SDSU and Arizona will meet in Phoenix on December 20 for the Naismith Hall of Fame Series. After that, the Aztecs return home for the final non-conference matchup against Whittier College.

San Diego State will not play a true road game until its second conference matchup against San Jose State on the road on December 30, which is two months into the season.

A few more notables: SDSU and Grand Canyon will meet for the only two times as conference foes on January 20 and February 17. Senior Night will take place on March 7 against UNLV.

Let’s break down the non-conference schedule for the Aztecs.

Long Beach State (November 4)

The Aztecs open the season against former SDSU assistant coach Chris Acker and Long Beach State. The Aztecs are 6-0 all-time against The Beach, with their last victory coming two seasons ago with an 88-76 win at Viejas Arena. Despite being winless, CSULB has played well against the Aztecs. One matchup went to overtime, resulting in a four-point loss, while two other outcomes were a one-point loss and another four-point loss.

In Acker’s first season as head coach, Long Beach finished 7-25 and 3-17 in conference play. They ended the season with 15 straight losses. Once again, CSULB is not expected to be a great team in the Big West this season, but Acker will make sure that they are a competitive one with a full season under his belt.

Fun Fact: Long Beach State won the 2024 Big West Tournament but lost to Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 85-65. CSULB has 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Idaho State (November 9)

Idaho State and San Diego State will meet at Viejas Arena for the first time ever in 2025. The Bengals finished last season with a 15-15 record and ended 10-8 in Big Sky play.

Fun Fact: Idaho State has 11 March Madness appearances and own an 8-13 record in the NCAA Tournament. However, their last appearance was in 1987, and their last win was in 1977 against No. 2 UCLA, two years after John Wooden’s retirement.

Troy (November 18)

This rare matchup against Troy will be the second-ever meeting between these two programs. SDSU defeated Troy 60-55 back in December of 2022 in The Mesa.

The Trojans were one of the better teams in the Sun Belt Conference last season. They ended tied for first in the standings with a 23-11 overall record and finished 13-5 in conference play. Troy won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and found their way into the NCAA Tournament for the third time ever. They would face Kentucky, where they lost 75-57.

Fun Fact: In 1992, Troy and DeVry of Atlanta met for a regular-season game in which Troy won 258-141. That is the highest-scoring contest in NCAA history, as that game has certain unbreakable records.

Michigan (November 24 in Las Vegas)

The Steve Fisher & Brian Dutcher Game! This contest marks the beginning of a critical stretch for the Aztecs.

Dutcher and his team will begin the Players Era Tournament with a battle against Michigan. In. In 2021, Dutcher coached against Michigan for the first time. The Wolverines won 72-58 in Ann Arbor. Hunter Dickenson (who would later transfer to Kansas) scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the win. Dutcher will be aiming for revenge against his former school.

Last season, the Wolverines finished with a 27-10 overall record and a 14-6 conference record in Big Ten play. They were a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament but lost to No. 1 Auburn in the Sweet Sixteen. Dusty May enters his second season after replacing Juwan Howard, who coached for five seasons.

Fun Fact: Charlie May, son of Dusty May, is a senior on the roster. He appeared in five games off the bench last season.

Oregon (November 25 in Las Vegas)

SDSU is aiming for revenge against Oregon, which beat the Aztecs in the second game of the Players Era Festival last season. The Aztecs bounced back with their biggest win of the season, taking down No. 6 Houston in the 3rd Place game.

In their first season in the Big Ten, Oregon found its back to March Madness last season as a 5-seed. The Ducks defeated Liberty in the First Round but lost to Arizona in the Round of 32.

Fun Fact: The Ducks are now 2-1 against SDSU all-time. The Aztecs’ only win against Oregon came in 1997, 80-68 in San Diego.

TBD (November 26/27 in Las Vegas)

Depending on the results of the Michigan and Oregon games, SDSU will be placed into a matchup based on its seed. SDSU defeated Creighton last season, allowing them to compete in the third-place game.

This tournament features a lot of great teams, and the 2026 NCAA Tournament winner could be from this pool of teams.

Introducing November Mania
27 Games, 4 Days, 1 Champion, Las Vegas

Players Era Men’s Championship: The biggest in-season event ever🏀

📍Location:
MGM Grand Garden Arena 🎰
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📺 TNT Sports, with games broadcast on TNT, truTV, HBO Max pic.twitter.com/v8XNgbdixk

— Players Era (@Players_Era) July 14, 2025

Utah Valley (December 3)

Utah Valley is a good team. They won the WAC regular season and conference tournament last year for the third time in five seasons under head coaches Mark Madsen and Todd Phillips. Madsen left Utah Valley to become the head coach at Cal, and Phillips enters season three at the helm. The Wolverines ended 25-9 overall and 15-1 in WAC play last season.

Fun Fact: Utah Valley was a junior college until 2003. They made the jump to Division I and had a six-year transition period where they were ineligible for postseason play. Now, the Wolverines aim for their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Another elite season and conference tournament win could land them in the Big Dance in 2026.

Lamar (December 10)

Lamar will have a couple of big games this season when they take on TCU and San Diego State. The Cardinals are 2-0 all-time against SDSU, with wins dating back to the early ’90s.

Last season, Lamar ended 20-13 and were a respectable 14-6 in conference play.

Fun Fact: In 1980, Lamar made a run to the Sweet Sixteen with an upset win over No. 2 Oregon State.

Arizona (December 20 in Phoenix)

The Keshad Johnson Bowl! SDSU and Arizona will meet at PHX Arena as a part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series. The Wildcats are 25-7 all-time against the Aztecs and have won the last five games in row. This will be a massive contest for the Aztecs right before the holiday break.

As for Arizona, this is another critical game on their competitive non-conference schedule. Before they get into the highly talented Big 12 slate, the Wildcats will take on Saint Mary’s for the season opener, followed by reigning National Champions Florida, UCLA, UConn, Auburn, and Alabama, all before their meeting with SDSU.

Both teams will be very good this season. This may be the Aztecs’ toughest test all season long in what will be a “home game” on a neutral court for Arizona.

Fun Fact: In 16 career games, Aztec for Life and former Arizona star Keshad Johnson averaged 2.7 points on 69% shooting in his rookie season for the Miami Heat. He added 1.8 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, 0.3 assists, and 0.3 steals in 6.1 minutes per game.

Whittier (December 22)

The Whittier College Poets are on the Aztecs schedule in 2025 as an exhibition game. Just as the game against Occidental last season, this game won’t count for the Aztecs in official rankings. The Division III program is one of the oldest colleges in the state, competing in the SCIAC against schools such as the University of Redlands, Chapman University, and Cal Lutheran University.

Fun Fact (Via SDSU Athletics): The 80 games against Whittier, SDSU leads the series 49-31, are the eighth most against a single opponent in Aztec history. However, the programs will meet for the first time since January 31, 1969, which was 11 days after Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States.

Stay tuned for the Aztecs Conference Schedule Breakdown in the coming days!

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.