San Diego State men’s basketball moves closer to cracking AP Top 25

Utah State is the only other Mountain West school receiving votes

San Diego State Aztecs forward Pharaoh Compton (5). | Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

The San Diego State men’s basketball team inched up one spot to No. 26 in the second regular-season Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Monday.

Despite not playing last week, the Aztecs (2-0) received 71 votes, up from 67 the previous week. 

The Aztecs sit 18 points behind No. 25 North Carolina State. They’re six points ahead of Indiana, the next team in the “others receiving votes” portion of the poll. Several other West Coast programs are behind the Aztecs, including Oregon, Southern Cal, Saint Mary’s and fellow Mountain West member Utah State. 

Utah State is the only other MW school receiving votes. The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW title in their final season before jumping to the new-look Pac-12, along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.

What it means

San Diego State has opened with relatively easy wins at home, 77-45 against Long Beach State and then 73-57 against Idaho State. 

As it’s done in the past, San Diego State will simply have to play its way into the Top 25, all while navigating a challenging pre-Mountain West Conference schedule. 

Big barometer ahead

The Aztecs have been without 7-foot rim protector Magoon Gwath, who earlier this month was cleared for contact in practice while working his way back from knee surgery in late April. He’s expected to make his season debut against Troy on Tuesday night, the final of a three-game, season-opening homestand at Viejas Arena.

The Aztecs then have a big Thanksgiving week in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. SDSU will face No. 7 Michigan on Nov. 24 and then Oregon the next night. The Aztecs’ third opponent will be determined by the results of the first two games. 

Michigan dipped one spot in the poll Oregon had been just ahead of SDSU in the preseason poll, but dropped behind the Aztecs last week and remains behind them in this week’s poll, with 28 points at No. 29. 

After the Players Era Festival, the Aztecs will return to Viejas Arena for games against Utah Valley, Lamar and the Mountain West opener against Air Force. 

The Tecs will then have another big test when they head to Phoenix for a neutral-site showdown with Arizona, which jumped one spot to No. 4.

After a home game against Whittier, the Aztecs will settle into their final season in the Mountain West. Also moving into the new Pac-12 is Gonzaga, which is up six spots to No. 13.