San Diego State blown out 94-54 by No. 7 Michigan in Players Era Festival
In this story:
San Diego State might be the unanimous pick to win the Mountain West, but the Aztecs aren’t ready to hang with the big boys of college basketball.
The Aztecs were overwhelmed 94-54 by No. 7 Michigan on Monday night in their opening game of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. They had an early lead that quickly disappeared as the Wolverines (5-0) built a double-digit lead before the game was six minutes old.
The Wolverines led 45-33 at halftime and never let up as they overwhelmed the Aztecs (2-2) with better size and athleticism.
SDSU was playing six days after taking a gut punch in a 108-107, double-overtime home loss to Troy.
What is the Players Era Festival?
The tournament expanded from eight teams last year to 18 teams this year. EAch team will receive $1 million in NIL money, with the winner receiving another $1 million. San Diego State finished third last year, when it was the only non-power conference team in the field.
The stats
Elzie Harrington, the preseason MW Freshman of the Year, led the Aztecs with 15 points while BJ Davis had 11. The Aztecs shot only 27.4% (17 of 62) from the field and made just 7 of 23 3-pointers. They were outrebounded 49-34 and had 17 turnovers to Michigan’s 15.
Yaxel Lendeborg scored 15 to lead six Wolverines in double figures.
The series
The Aztecs and Wolverines were meeting for just the second time ever and Michigan won both games by double digits.
The Wolverines won 72-58 in Ann Arbor on Dec. 4, 2021, when Juwan Howard, who was part of the Fab Five, was their head coach. That game came about because SDSU coach Brian Dutcher was on Steve Fisher’s Michigan staff from 1989-1997 and helped recruit the Fab Five.
In an interesting twist, SDSU coach Brian Dutcher and Michigan coach Dusty May faced off for the first time since the 2023 Final Four, when SDSU beat May's Florida Atlantic squad 72-71 on Lamont Butler’s thrilling buzzer-beater. The Aztecs were then routed by UConn in the national championship game.
What’s next
San Diego State will face Oregon at 8 p.m. Tuesday, also at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The Ducks lost 84-73 to No. 21 Auburn earlier Monday night. It’ll be a rematch from the inaugural Players Era Festival last year, when the eventual champion Ducks beat the Aztecs 78-68.
SDSU’s third opponent will be determined after the conclusion of Tuesday’s games.
MORE SAN DIEGO STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS
-bd678ba4dbad4f453246f539ee56a3b4.jpg "Bernie Wilson")
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.