San Diego State Aztecs 2024-25 Season Review
Credit: Don De Mars/EVT Sports
The thrill of March Madness is full of emotions.
The NCAA Tournament is considered one of the biggest sporting events in the world because of its unpredictability and Cinderella stories.
After recent success in the NCAA Tournament, San Diego State’s chance to make another run came up short. Head coach Brian Dutcher and his team were one of the last four teams in, and as a result, we’re playing in the First Four for the first time in program history. Just to SDSU’s luck, they happened to face one of the most prestigious programs in the world.
The University of North Carolina, famous for its long, rich history of winning and, of course, being the team that Michael Jordan once played for, defeated SDSU 95-68. The game was not close, and the Tar Heels proved to the world that they belonged in the dance. UNC would then lose in a competitive game to Ole Miss in the Round of 64.
San Diego State’s season came to an end in a horrifying way, but the season was still a success, and there was a lot to take away from the last six months.
The 2024-25 season was full of emotions. They won some big games and even lost some that they were not supposed to. SDSU defeated No. 6 Houston, who later ended up becoming a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The transfer portal window has opened, and over 1,000 men’s players have hit the portal. SDSU has four players (three on scholarship) who have decided to transfer away.
First, let’s take a look at some of the biggest moments of the 2024-25 season.
SDSU Opens Season With Win Over UCSD
Nobody could have predicted the season that UC San Diego would have. In their first year of playoff eligibility, the Tritons won the Big West Conference regular season and tournament. They earned a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament but lost to Michigan by just three points. They had an incredible season, and it was sparked from their close loss to San Diego State at Viejas Arena. After losing by a buzzer beater the year before, the Tritons realized they could compete with the Aztecs. To begin the campaign, SDSU only beat them by five points, 63-58.
San Diego State Scores 100 points
The Aztecs hardly ever score above 80 points, and they were able to score 100 against Division III Occidental College on November 12. BJ Davis, Magoon Gwath, and Wayne McKinney III all scored 16 points, and Taj DeGourville had 14 off the bench. The Aztecs did this without Miles Byrd, who injured his ankle during practice ahead of the game.
Players’ Era Festival – Wins Over No. 21 Creighton & No. 6 Houston
This may have been the highlight of the season. Going to Las Vegas, a familiar territory for SDSU, benefited them. They participated in what will be the biggest early season tournament in college hoops. The Players Era Festival is a NIL-driven tournament that showcased a ton of elite teams like Alabama, Houston, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Creighton. Next year, it expanded even more as Auburn, Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas, Baylor, Tennessee, Iowa State, Syracuse, and St. John’s will all participate. Not to mention; UNLV, Rutgers, Notre Dame, and St. Josephs are in it as well.
SDSU began with a huge win over No. 21 Creighton, holding Ryan Kalkbrenner to just 11 points. They then followed up with a loss to Oregon, who were undefeated at the time. Then, the Aztecs won their biggest game of the season against No. 6 Houston in overtime, 73-70.
The wins over Creighton and Houston put the Aztecs into the rankings for the only time during the season. They won two games as the 24th-ranked team in the country before losing to Utah State, the No. 20-ranked team in the country. After that loss, they fell out of the rankings.
Magoon Gwath’s Breakout Game
Against Fresno State in the first conference game of the year, Gwath broke out onto the scene. The 7-footer scored 25 points on 10-13 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. He even finished 3-4 from beyond the arc. The tape he put out for that game is a major reason why the big man will command a lot of NIL this offseason.
.@magoongwath is en fuego
: @FS1 pic.twitter.com/xrhiS5cBia
— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 5, 2024
Gwath is very talented on both sides of the floor. He can block shots on the defensive end and spread the floor offensively with the ability to hit shots off the dribble.
.@magoongwath, you are a menace!
— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 5, 2024
The performance at Fresno State propelled the big man to a huge freshman season.
SDSU Wins San Jose Tip-Off vs. Cal
A season ago, Cal and SDSU went to overtime in the SoCal Showcase in Orange County. The Aztecs would go on to win, thanks to a huge game from Reese Waters. Facing Cal again the following year, without Waters, they would go on to win by 21, 71-50. Nick Boyd finished 5-8 from beyond the arc and both Byrd and Davis ended with 12 points each.
Aztecs Win in Boise
The Aztecs responded from a horrifying loss to Utah State at home with a massive eight-point win in Boise. Byrd scored 22 points and led the Aztecs to a huge road win. Tyson Degenhart scored just nine points on 1-7 shooting in a rare outing from the Boise State big man.
The Miles Byrd Game
10 days after the win against Boise, Byrd had the game of his life. Against Colorado State, the sophomore filled up the stat sheet. He scored 25 points, grabbed six rebounds, had seven steals, blocked one shot, and assisted on one bucket. He shot 53% from the floor and 5-9 from deep. The Aztecs defeated the Rams 75-60.
Wayne McKinney III’s Buzzer Beater at Air Force
In a contest that had no business being close, McKinney III came up very clutch. SDSU trailed with seconds left before he ended the game with a layup.
.@Waynemckinn3y is going the distance! He’s going for speed! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/K14BwKk2Ny
— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) January 23, 2025
SDSU Scores 49 Second-Half Points in Comeback Win at San Jose State
At halftime, the Aztecs trailed 37-20 on the road at San Jose State. In what would have been a terrible loss, the Aztecs responded. McKinney III held a player-only meeting at halftime, and that seemed to have worked, as they would respond by scoring 49 points to win by three. SDSU avoided a Quad 4 loss that would have more than likely caused them to miss the NCAA Tournament.
Aztecs Hold Boise State to 47 Points
SDSU played very well against the Broncos in the two regular-season matchups. However, beating a team three times is not easy. Boise State beat them in the Mountain West Conference Tournament after scoring just 47 points at Viejas Arena toward the end of the season. Boise State scored a season-low 18 first-half points and could not do much at all against SDSU at Viejas Arena. Boyd scored 24 points to lead the Aztecs.
San Diego State beats New Mexico at Viejas
The last thrill of the season came when the Aztecs beat New Mexico to end the month of February. SDSU won 73-65 in a close battle. Donovan Dent scored 26 points in the loss, and Boyd led SDSU with 17.
The win should have propelled the Aztecs to a big run in March, as they normally do. However, that did not happen. SDSU finished the season 2-3 from that point with losses to UNLV, Boise State, and North Carolina in the First Four.
What is next for the Aztecs?
The Mountain West will look very different next season. SDSU is losing Gwath, Boyd, Demarshay Johnson Jr., and Cam Lawin to the transfer portal. Byrd declared for the NBA Draft while keeping his NCAA eligibility open. His situation will be one to monitor over the next few weeks as he prepares to go pro. If Byrd doesn’t, then he should return to the Aztecs.
Other schools in the conference are losing their stars as well. New Mexico lost head coach Richard Pitino to Xavier, and Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent is in the portal as well.
With Mckinney III, Jared Coleman-Jones, Kimo Ferrari, Desei Lopez, and Ryan Schwarz all graduating; and Boyd, Gwath, Johnson, and Lawin leaving, the Aztecs will open up a ton spots on the roster for next season. Thokbor Majak will take one of the spots, but the team will have a handful of scholarships available. Coach Dutcher and his staff will likely bring in four or more players in the portal.
As of now, the roster contains DeGourville, Waters, Pharaoh Compton, Miles Heide, and BJ Davis.
Tae Simmons will come in as a true freshman. He will be a scholarship player, and with his upside, there is no need for him to redshirt. Simmons is a 6-foot-7, 4-star recruit from Heritage Christian High School and is ranked the No. 40 forward in the country. Depending on what Byrd does, Simmons could immediately be a candidate to start alongside Reese Waters.
There are some players in the portal who currently have been linked to San Diego State. Keep an eye out for players to commit to SDSU in the coming weeks.
The Aztecs will be playing in the Pac-12 after one more season in the Mountain West.
The future remains very bright.
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.