San Diego State men’s basketball writes off the Whittier Poets in anticipated mismatch

Aztecs blow out Division III Poets 121-59 in final non-conference game

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

The only real drama on Monday afternoon at Viejas Arena was what the final score would be when the San Diego State Aztecs renewed their series with the Division III Whittier Poets.

The Aztecs won 121-59 in the mismatch, which completed SDSU’s non-conference schedule before they resume play in their final season in the Mountain West.

The game was an exhibition for the Poets but counted for the Aztecs (7-4), although the victory won’t do anything to help the Aztecs’ battered resume. 

It might as well have been an exhibition for the Aztecs, too. Coach Brian Dutcher was able to empty his bench and use players who normally wouldn’t even take off their sweats. He got 15 players into the game, with all but Sean Newman Jr. scoring at least two points. 

Six Aztecs scored in double figures, led by Pharaoh Compton with 21. Miles Byrd, the MW preseason player of the year, had just six points in 19 minutes and BJ Davis, who has become SDSU’s leading scorer despite not starting any games, had five points in 16 minutes. 

Take flight, @PharaohCompton! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/BuGqN5o6hn

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 22, 2025

SDSU outrebounded the Poets 60-21 and shot 59.5% from the field.

There were plenty of poster-worthy slam dunks during the matinee feature, which started at the rare time of 1 p.m. so the Poets could get back up the freeway to begin their holiday break.

The teams met for the first time since Jan. 31, 1969. SDSU now leads 51-30 in a series that dates to 1923.

The big picture

The Aztecs, who haven’t lived up to the preseason hype, were coming off another loss to a marquee school, a 68-45 defeat to No. 1 Arizona at Phoenix on Saturday night. The Aztecs shot just 26.3% and were outrebounded 52-38.

Coach Brian Dutcher spoke that night about how the Aztecs now need to win the Mountain West tournament in order to claim the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Wrapping up our non-conference slate with a W! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/jcL2HD9w1q

— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 22, 2025

The Aztecs began the day at No. 87 in the NCAA NET Rankings, which are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the NCAA tournament. They are 0-3 in Quad 1 games, 1-0 in Quad 2, 2-1 in Quad 3 and 3-0 in Quad 4.

Up next

The Aztecs get three days off for Christmas and then return to practice to prepare for their return to Mountain West action on Dec. 30 at San Jose State. They’ll be back at Viejas Arena on Jan. 3 when they host Boise State. 

SDSU was the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW. The Aztecs won their opener 81-58 against Air Force last week.

San Jose State finished 10th in the MW preseason poll while the Broncos were third.