The San Diego State Aztecs men’s basketball team has one goal in mind: to exit the Mountain West on top.

One year from now, the Scarlet & Black will be a part of the rebirth of the Pac-12, opening up play for the very first time in the once prestigious conference. The Pac-12 will need to prove itself in 2026 and beyond before the conference gets the respect that it deserves.

San Diego State will quickly help with the transition.

SDSU’s success has basketball fans aware of how good they can be. This season has been a frustrating one, but this team is one of only two teams so far this year (Auburn) that have played the current No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country. This program schedules very good opponents, and they are not afraid to take on the best. SDSU is quite familiar with playing the top teams due to the NCAA Tournament runs of the last handful of years.

There is no doubt that San Diego State has been the premier team of the Mountain West since shortly after the start of the conference in 1999-2000. Steve Fisher and Brian Dutcher have done nothing but win and own the most conference tournament championships with seven. They would like to go out on top with eight tournament wins and their 10th regular-season title.

For this to happen, the Aztecs must set the tone right away. They are already 1-0 in conference play with the 81-58 win over Air Force in mid-December. The Aztecs will have another favorable matchup on the road against San Jose State on Tuesday night for a chance to go 2-0 before hosting Boise State on Saturday night. The Aztecs are 51-37 against the Spartans and own a 15-game win streak.

This game against San Jose State will be the first true road game for the Aztecs this season. A different but familiar environment could help this team get back on track. Let’s not forget, since 2009-10, the Aztecs have been the best road team in the conference by a wide margin. SDSU is 89-55 on the road, which puts them as the only team with a winning record. Boise State is second at 60-64, and Utah State is third at 49-59.

What does setting the tone look like? The Aztecs must leave San Jose with a double-digit win. As you can see above, winning on the road is not easy in this competitive conference. Dutcher and his team will play in another competitive game on Tuesday night. Despite the history of success against this team, SJSU has played well at home with a 4-2 record this season.

Following this win against San Jose State, the Aztecs would need to regroup and defeat a good Boise State team to improve to 3-0 in the conference. This hot start is going to be critical for the Aztecs to maintain an advantage in this conference. Utah State and New Mexico are going to continue their dominance at home throughout conference play. Nevada is winners of five in a row and handled Boise State to open conference play. Grand Canyon joined the Mountain West this season and is expected to be one of the better teams.

The Aztecs can’t let their early-season troubles control their minds. The win against Whittier College saw this team play freely, and the offense hit 50 field goals. The timing of that game could be a blessing for this team as they embark on their final journey in the Mountain West.

It’s time for Miles Byrd, Reese Dixon-Waters, and Magoon Gwath to step up. These three must get back into the groove that they know they can play in and dominate the Mountain West. This group is too good not to be putting up 60% or more of the offense while being the top defenders on the team.

With that said, the defense has slowly improved. It is not close to where they want to be and where many Aztecs fans are accustomed to seeing, but they did just hold the No. 1 team in the country to their season-low in scoring. Dutcher is going to get this team back on track. It is only a matter of time. The early stages of conference play will give Dutcher a good sense of how good his team really is.

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.