San Diego State vs. Utah State with NCAA Tournament stakes rising: TV channel, game time

Despite a bummer of a week, the San Diego State Aztecs can still reclaim a share of the Mountain West Conference lead if they beat Utah State at home on Wednesday night.

That’s because a few hours after the Aztecs (18-8, 12-4 MW) were stunned 83-74 at Colorado State on Saturday, the Aggies (23-4, 13-3) lost by three points at Nevada.

The loss at CSU followed a 10-point home loss to Grand Canyon. Put those losses together and the Aztecs’ resume for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament is on life support.

The Tecs are aiming to get back on their feet and avenge a 71-66 loss at Logan on Jan. 31 in the first meeting between the teams this season.

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and the game will air on FS1.

“This conference is incredible,” coach Brian Dutcher said. “We play again on Wednesday night with an opportunity to hopefully win a game and be back in first place with three more to go in the Mountain West. We have ourselves in a good position. Unfortunately, we're not playing really good basketball right now, so the task for the next two days is to get better in practice, to find a way to fight through a tough stretch and get a victory against a very good Utah State team at home on Wednesday night.”

SDSU’s struggles last week were mystifying, to say the least, for a team with high expectations coming into its final season in the MW before jumping to the new-look Pac-12 next season.

The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason favorites to win the regular-season title. Guard Miles Byrd and 7-footer Magoon Gwath withdrew from the NBA Draft for one more shot at March Madness after being routed by North Carolina in the First Four last season. Additionally, guard Reese Dixon-Waters returned after missing last season with a foot injury.

“We have to manage frustration and our emotions better in certain stretches of the game when things aren't going our way,” Dixon-Waters said.

Key facts

SDSU and USU will continue to be conference foes when they move into the new-look Pac-12 season, along with fellow MW schools Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.

The Aztecs and Aggies are meeting for the 34th time overall, with SDSU leading the series 20-13, including a big 10-2 edge at Viejas Arena.

However, when USU visited last season, they won 67-66 on a 3-pointer with seven seconds left after SDSU blew an 18-point, first-half lead. The loss knocked the Aztecs out of the AP Top 25 and they haven’t been back since.

Below is a look at how to watch Utah State at San Diego State:

How to watch Utah State at San Diego State

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 25

Game time: 8 p.m. PT

Where: Viejas Arena | San Diego

How to watch: FS1

How to listen: San Diego Sports 760 (local)