What San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher and the players said ahead of their home game against Boise State

Brian Dutcher’s San Diego State Aztecs know they have no margin for error in Mountain West play, especially against a team like Boise State.

The Aztecs (8-4, 2-0 MW) are back in action on Saturday night when they host the Broncos (9-4, 1-1) at Viejas Arena.

The Aztecs know their ticket to the NCAA Tournament pretty much rests with gaining the automatic berth that comes with winning the MW tournament in March. While that’s still a ways off, they also know they need to get the highest seed possible to help their chances, which means doing well in the regular season.

“No disrespect to Air Force or San Jose State but we are going to have to raise our level of play for our next opponent, Boise State, for our next Mountain West home game,” Dutcher said. “Leon Rice has a very good team. They have great depth, like we do, so it'll be fun to challenge ourselves with a really competitive Mountain West game.”

Boise State knocked the Aztecs out of last year’s MW tournament in the quarterfinals. The Aztecs were then sent to the NCAA Tournament’s First Four, where they were routed by North Carolina.

Here are the highlights of Dutcher and the players’ news conference:

Dutcher on what the team has been focusing on

“We have to continue to rebound, and that will be important leading into the Boise State game after what they did to us in the conference tournament last year on the offensive side. We have to continue to work on rebounding, which we do every day, and we have to see better translation into the game.”

Dutcher on Boise State

“They're wide, they're strong. They have a physical team. There's not a lot of skinny guys running around out there for them. We're going to have to do a good job putting body on body and finding ways to keep them off the glass, and finding ways to get around them, to get on the glass. They've done a great job rebounding over the years, and that will be a real key to the game tomorrow.”

Dutcher on the overall series between San Diego State and Boise State

“Both teams have great cultures. Leon's been at Boise State for 16 years. This is year 26 for me here with obviously most of those years with Coach Fisher, but great cultures, and knowing what it takes to win this league and that makes a big difference. If you have a good culture and you have a lot of tradition and both teams know each other really well, it's a competitive series. It's not chippy or anything like that. Both teams play super hard and have great respect for each other.”

Senior forward Jeremiah Oden on having experience playing in the Mountain West

“There's nothing that we're going to see that I haven't seen before from them. The schemes, play styles, coaching, leveling games.”

Oden on what he tells his teammates about playing in the Mountain West

“I just tell them to be ready for a battle every day. No matter who we're playing, it's different experiencing everybody's best game.”

Oden on facing physical teams

“I think we're well equipped to defend any offense. I think early on we were just getting used to certain defensive teams, and I think that we've had more time to practice those now. I think that we'll be ready for Boise State. I think we'll also be ready for the next team. Boise State is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the league and we'll be ready for that.”

Oden on his playing time

“I think for me, just trying to be outside of myself. It's not just me, it's not just one dude, we’re all playing as a team. I don't really think of playing time. We're all trying to go towards a common goal.”

Senior guard Reese Dixon-Waters on the win at San Jose State

“I think it definitely helps with our record. During the second half of the season, we’re worried about what we have to do to win all our games and win a championship. I think it helped with our team and our confidence.”

Dixon-Waters on what the team is focusing on ahead of playing Boise State

“I think rebounding, not allowing them to get in the paint. They draw a lot of fouls. We need to take that away and take away the rebounds.”

Dixon-Waters on Boise State’s physical play

“They are great at offensive rebounding and get up a lot of shots, so we have to stay locked in on the small details to win.”

Dixon-Waters on the rebounding focus

“It's a game-changer if you get second-chance points throughout the game. I think we're doing a very good job in practice, just focusing on winning games. We're maturing as a team, slowly but surely.”