San Diego State men's basketball routed 68-45 by No. 1 Arizona

Aztecs shoot just 26.3%, have no players in double figures

Dec 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) controls the ball against San Diego State Aztecs guard BJ Davis (10) during the Hall of Fame Series at Mortgage Matchup Center. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

San Diego State got another shot at another marquee opponent and wilted again. 

The Aztecs put up a strong fight for the first 18 minutes against No. 1 Arizona on Saturday night — they even had an eight-point lead — but then it all fell apart in the second half in an ugly 68-45 loss to the undefeated Wildcats at PHX Arena.

SDSU (6-4) shot an unfathomably bad 26.3% from the field (15 0f 57) and had no player reach double digits in scoring. The Aztecs made only 1 of 14 3-point shots.

After trailing 28-27 at halftime, the Aztecs were outscored 40-18 in the second half by the Wildcats (11-0), who have won each of their last six games by at least 20 points.

Five players scored in double digits for the Wildcats, who shot only 37.9% overall but still had no trouble putting away the Aztecs in the second half. 

San Diego State’s leading scorer was Reese Dixon-Waters with eight points. 

Tough going against big teams

This was the second time the Aztecs were blown out by a Top 10 team. At least it wasn’t as bad as the 94-54 shellacking they took at the hands of then-No. 7 Michigan on Nov. 27 in their opening game at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. The Wolverines have since jumped to No. 2. After rebounding to beat Oregon 97-80 the next night, the Aztecs lost 91-81 to Baylor. 

The first half 

The Aztecs took a 19-11 lead on a jumper by Magoon Gwath 10 minutes into the game, but they weren’t able to hold it. They were up 27-23 lead with 1:18 left in the half when coach Brian Dutcher was whistled for a technical foul.

The Wildcats made both free throws and then Anthony Dell’Orso hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to finish an 8-0 run that gave them a 28-27 halftime lead. 

Arizona then took control early in the second half and never let up.

The Wildcats improved to 26-7 overall against SDSU and 6-0 when they’re ranked in the Top 5. They also won their sixth straight against the Aztecs. 

Up next

The Aztecs have a quick turnaround as they return to Viejas Arena to host the Whittier Poets on Tuesday afternoon. The game will have a rare 1 p.m. tipoff and will be shown locally on KUSI-TV. After a break for Christmas, the Aztecs will resume Mountain West play at San Jose State on Dec. 30.

The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW in their final season before jumping to the new-look Pac-12. They won their opener against Air Force, 81-58, on Wednesday night.