Ranking each matchup on San Diego State's non-conference schedule by difficulty

Brian Dutcher and the San Diego State Aztecs head into their final season in the Mountain West conference with a loaded roster ready to once again make some serious noise come March.

The Aztecs retained NBA-caliber talent in Miles Byrd and Magoon Gwath, along with star guard Reese Waters and key rotation pieces in BJ Davis, Pharaoh Compton, and Taj DeGourville. Sprinkle in a transfer guard addition in Sean Newman Jr and you have a roster that should be favored to win the Mountain West and earn a single-digit seed in the big dance — exceeding last year's disappointing campaign.

The Aztecs have a couple of key matchups in the non-conference portion of the schedule to help prepare them for the rigors of March Madness, notably taking on Arizona at the end of December and returning for the second year of the Player's Era Festival in Las Vegas, where two of the team's three matchups are set.

SDSU will play ten non-con games this year, and with nine of the matchups known, we take a stab at ranking them from easiest to toughest:

9. Whittier (Dec. 22 at Viejas Arena)

Two days after a tough game against Arizona, San Diego State will host D3 Whittier College at Viejas Arena. It is an awesome opportunity to work on things following the Arizona game, and a good transition into the holiday break and the start of Mountain West play.

8. Idaho State (Nov. 9 at Viejas Arena)

Idaho State's main weapon last year, guard Dylan Darling, hit the transfer portal and will play for Rick Pitino at St. John's this upcoming season. Center Evan Otten led the Big Sky with 2.2 blocks per game last year, but there isn't enough offensive firepower on coach Ryan Looney's team to project much of a fight from the Bengals.

7. Long Beach State (Nov. 4 at Viejas Arena)

Former Boise State Broncos assistant coach Chris Acker, now the head coach of Long Beach State. | Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Coach Dutcher and the Aztecs open up the season at home against Big West foe Long Beach State, coming off a horrendous 7-25 season under first-year head coach Chris Acker. The Beach project to be even worse this year after losing star guards Devin Askew and TJ Wainwright in the transfer portal to Villanova and Pacific, respectively.

6. Lamar (Dec. 10 at Viejas Arena)

Lamar managed to keep over 40% of their production from last year on the roster, although Alexis Marmolejos (14.5 points per game) leaving for Pacific certainly hurts. Still, this team has enough continuity to be at least capable of competing with the Aztecs, especially during a slow part of the season.

5. Troy (Nov. 18 at Viejas Arena)

Troy's two leading scorers from last year, Tayton Conerway and Myles Rigsby, transferred to Indiana and Tulsa, respectively, leaving 6'8 forward Thomas Dowd (9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds) as the team's projected leader entering 2025-26. The Trojans won 23 games last year and earned a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and it should be a nice test prior to the Player's Era Festival for the Aztecs.

4. Utah Valley (Dec. 3 at Viejas Arena)

Dec 16, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Valley Wolverines head coach Todd Phillips looks on against the Utah Utes during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Wolverines won the WAC last year with a 15-1 record, but fell to Grand Canyon in the conference tournament and missed the big dance yet again. Utah Valley will look to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance after losing seven players to the transfer portal from last year's excellent squad, including Tanner Toolson (TCU), Carter Welling (Clemson), and Dominick Nelson (Iowa State).

Central Florida transfer Tyler Hendricks is a name to keep an eye on in this matchup.

3. Oregon (Nov. 25 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas)

Oregon is a solid veteran team under coach Dana Altman, led by junior guard Jackson Shelstad and senior big man Nate Bittle. Bittle will be a problem for the Aztecs thanks to his rim protection and outside shooting, while Shelstad and forward KJ Evans are difficult matchups as well. Coming off the Michigan game, this is a contest that will really test the grit of coach Dutcher's team.

2. Michigan (Nov. 24 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas)

Michigan head coach Dusty May cheers on after a play against Auburn during the second half of the Sweet 16 round of NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on Friday, March 28, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan is one of the most talented teams in the country on paper, bringing in elite transfer Yaxel Lendeborg as well as guard Elliot Cadeau and forward Morez Johnson Jr from North Carolina and Illinois, respectively.

San Diego State drew one of the toughest first matchups in the entire Player's Era Festival, providing them with a great early test before conference play begins.

1. Arizona (Dec. 20 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, AZ)

Michigan may be the better team on paper, but playing Arizona in Phoenix is a very tough matchup for the Aztecs. Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats are loaded with freshmen talent, including Koa Peat, Braydon Burries, and Dwayne Aristode, and returners Tobe Awaka, Jaden Bradley, and Anthony Dell'Orso give this team a nice blend of experience, upside, and continuity. This would be a massive win for San Diego State just before the holiday and the start of Mountain West play.