San Diego State basketball to face Arizona in preseason exhibition
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San Diego State’s basketball team is renewing its rivalry with Arizona, although this time it’ll be in a preseason exhibition game in Tucson.
The game is set for Friday, Oct. 16 at McKale Center, with tip time still to be announced. The game was revealed when the Wildcats announced their schedule.
SDSU has yet to announce its full schedule, but has confirmed two non-conference games as well as its first two opponents in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
Why this matters
Even though it's a preseason exhibition, this will be a great test for the Aztecs, who have pretty much rebuilt their roster under coach Brian Dutcher after a disappointing end to what had been a highly anticipated season.
Teams will now be allowed an additional preseason exhibition game, for a total of three. Last season, the Aztecs lost to UCLA and beat San Diego in preseason exhibition games at Viejas Arena.
They faced Arizona during a challenging non-conference schedule, losing 68-45 on Dec. 20 at PHX Arena. Less than a month earlier, the Aztecs lost big to Michigan and Baylor in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, sandwiched around a win against Oregon.
Those losses, against marquee teams, started to reveal shortcomings on the Aztecs’ normally tough defense.
Arizona went on to reach the Final Four, where it lost in a national semifinal to eventual champion Michigan to finish 36-3.
Along the way, the Wildcats won first- and second-round games at Viejas Arena, beating Long Island University 92-58 and Utah State 78-66.
Utah State was the only Mountain West team to reach March Madness, claiming the automatic berth by beating SDSU in the conference championship game. San Diego State was snubbed after being on the bubble most of the season and finished 22-11. SDSU and Utah State are now in the reborn Pac-12, which Arizona left for the Big 12 during a mass exodus three summers ago.
The last time these teams met in the regular season, Arizona beat the Aztecs 87-60 in the 2022 Maui Invitational semifinals and went on to win the title.
For perspective, Arizona leads the regular-season series 26-7. SDSU was victorious, however, the last time they visited McKale Center, winning 61-57 on Nov. 23, 2011.
Other games
Other confirmed games for the Aztecs are Nov. 7 against Colorado in the inaugural Bill Walton Classic at Pechanga Arena on Nov. 7; against Iowa State on Nov. 24 and either Tennessee or Maryland on Nov. 25, both in the Players Era Festival; and against former conference rival BYU at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert on Dec. 19. The Aztecs are also guaranteed a third game in the Players Era Festival on Nov. 26.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Aztecs will also host Fullerton State on Nov. 4, former MW foe UNLV on Dec. 5, Montana State on Dec. 11 and Long Island on Dec. 22.
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Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.