What San Diego State basketball coach Brian Dutcher said after the Aztecs released their schedule

“Obviously, it’s full of challenges, but the goal is to make the NCAA tournament.”

San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

San Diego State would like to make a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament this season than it did last season, and coach Brian Dutcher feels a challenging schedule will allow his talented roster to fight for a high seed. 

SDSU’s roster includes at least 13 opponents that played in the NCAA Tournament last year. The marquee games will be against Michigan and Oregon in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week, with a third opponent to be determined by the results of the first two games. The Aztecs also play Arizona in Phoenix on Dec. 20. Additionally, they’ll host UCLA in an exhibition game on Oct. 17. 

“We schedule super hard in November to give us a chance to make the NCAA Tournament,” Dutcher said. “If we falter, then we have the conference season to make up ground and try to make it in that regard. We've challenged ourselves again this year, and we’re excited about it.

“Any non-conference that involves Michigan, Oregon and Arizona is going to be a challenge. The extra game that we get in the Players Era event is going to be a good one.”

The Aztecs played in the NCAA Final Four last year, where they were routed by North Carolina.

Mar 18, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) reacts in the second half against the San Diego State Aztecs at UD Arena. Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Guard Miles Byrd and 7-footer Magoon Gwath withdrew from the NBA Draft to return to Montezuma Mesa for another go-round. Guard Reese Dixon-Waters returns after missing last season with a foot injury, and the Aztecs have several other talented players. 

Here are the highlights of Dutcher’s news conference.

Dutcher on hosting UCLA

“I like the fact that we're playing UCLA in the exhibition game here. Obviously it's not on the season package, but part of that is that NIL is a part of what we're doing now. It gives us an opportunity to raise some money for both programs’ NIL, and we just feel the fan base will embrace that game even though it's not on their season ticket package.”

Dutch on hosting San Diego

“We're playing San Diego in another exhibition. Those used to be closed-door scrimmages, but the rules have changed, and obviously there were some neutral sites that wanted the UCLA game, but I just felt it was important that we try to play it here on campus.”

Dutcher on how the UCLA game will benefit the program

“I think our move to the Pac-12 is going to be a great thing for us, and I think it will create more revenue. Right now, as we transition, that revenue is not there. We're in transition to updating production facilities and logos, and there's a lot that goes into this conference move. All the revenue I'm sharing is the revenue I'm raising right now. I'm out there still raising money. 

“We're not the Big 10 where every school is splitting $80 million and the revenue sharing is easy, so we're still out there raising money daily to try to be competitive and stay competitive at the highest level. Raising money in this UCLA exhibition is important to us. Every dollar counts, and so we’re trying to sell tickets, put a crowd in there and produce money for our revenue sharing with our men's basketball team.” 

Dutcher on SDSU’s final season in the Mountain West

“It’s our last trip to Laramie, last trip to Albuquerque, last trip to Air Force. I don't think I'm going to miss any of those sites. They're hard to play at, and they're hard to play at that altitude, but we'll go through one more time.

“It's exciting to add Grand Canyon to the conference. Obviously, they've had a program that's done really good things, and I think that allows us two more quality games on our schedule, which I think is important. I think with the recruiting they've done this year, they'll be picked in the top three or four of the Mountain West, and that will give us two more good opportunities to build a resume.”

Dutcher on the Aztecs’ roster depth

“We're very deep, and I don't like being this deep because it's not fair to the players. It's great for the coaches, but it's unfair to the players. When Magoon goes in the portal and Byrd goes in the draft, I can't sit there for three and four and five weeks to see if they're coming back. I have to find players to replace them that I feel I can win with if they don't come back. 

“We've added some really good pieces, and then when you get Byrd and Gwath to come back, now you're deep and you're talented. There'll be guys that probably won't get the minutes they deserve, or should have, based on the depth of this roster. I also know that injuries can happen, and a year ago, we were rolling along, and then we lose Magoon for seven games. Injuries are part of it, and so you have to be prepared for every scenario. We're deep, we're talented and we have a chance to be pretty good.”