San Diego State learns opponent for Bill Walton Classic matchup
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The San Diego State Aztecs have known for several weeks that they’ll be playing in the inaugural Bill Walton Classic on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Pechanga Arena.
Now they know their opponent — the Colorado Buffaloes of the Big 12.
The opponent was announced on Wednesday, with tipoff time to be announced later.
The Buffs-Aztecs game will be preceded by a women’s game between UC San Diego and USD, giving all three of the city’s Division I schools a chance to showcase their teams.
Why this is important
The Bill Walton Classic is being promoted by Sports San Diego, which also runs the Holiday Bowl, the revived Poinsettia Bowl and the four-team Rady Children’s Classic men’s hoops tournament.
Buffaloes, we’ll CU for the first time since 1975-76! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/FOVLR1Wvp8
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) June 10, 2026
Walton is one of the greatest athletes to come out of the San Diego area. He attended Helix High before being recruited by John Wooden at UCLA, where he helped the Bruins win two NCAA championships.
He went on to a distinguished NBA career that saw him win championships with Portland and Boston, as well as the league MVP for the 1977-78 season.
In between his championship years with Portland and Boston, Walton played parts of four injury-shortened seasons with the Clippers in San Diego and Los Angeles.
The game will be played at Pechanga Arena rather than Viejas Arena on campus because that’s where the Clippers played. The Sports Arena, as it was known back then, was also the home court for the Aztecs for several seasons.
Affectionately known as “The Big Redhead,” Walton died of cancer on May 27, 2024, at 71.
Chris Walton, the youngest of four Walton sons, played at SDSU in the early 2000s, when current head coach Brian Dutcher was Steve Fisher’s top assistant and they began turning the Aztecs from a doormat into a West Coast power.
What the coaches say
“It’s such a privilege to be invited to play in the inaugural National University Bill Walton Classic, which honors a true legend of our game,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to play an elite program like Coach Dutcher’s San Diego State Aztecs, which will be a great early season challenge for our team.”
Dutcher called Colorado “a quality program from one of the best conferences in college basketball. Bill Walton was such a San Diego icon, and with Chris Walton having played for the Aztecs, this event is really a family affair for us.”
The series
The teams haven’t played since the 1975-76 season. SDSU has beaten the Buffs twice at Pechanga Arena in a series that’s tied at 3-3.
The Buffs were 7-11 last year in the Big 12 and 17-16 overall, including a season-ending loss to Oklahoma in The College Basketball Crown.
San Diego State finished 22-11 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons.
The Aztecs' schedule is starting to come together. The Bill Walton Classic is the only known game so far in San Diego. The Aztecs will play Iowa State on Nov. 24 in their first game in the 2026 Players Era 16 in Las Vegas and are finalizing a game against former rival BYU in Palm Desert on Dec. 19.
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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.