What San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher said before matchup against Nevada
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San Diego State will return to the floor at Viejas Arena on Saturday night, host Nevada in the 2024-25 regular season finale.
The Aztecs (20-8, 13-6) will honor their seniors prior to the game against the Wolfpack before looking to end the regular season on a high note before traveling to Las Vegas for the Mountain West Conference tournament. San Diego State has locked in their place to the quarterfinal round of the tournament while jockeying for seeding with the top five teams in the conference.
The Aztecs traveled to Reno in late January and physically dominated Nevada, emerging with a 69-50 victory. Following a four-game winning streak to open February, Nevada has struggled down the stretch having lost four of their past five games going into Saturday.
Here’s what Dutcher said on Thursday.
Opening statement:
“Where did the season go? One home game left at Viejas. Sometimes it seems like it lasts forever, and then you look up and you’re having senior night and honoring six seniors. We’re excited to do that and play one more home game in hopefully a full Viejas Arena. We try to play our best basketball down the stretch. Part of that down the stretch is Nevada on Saturday night at 7:30, so we're excited for the opportunity.”
On how senior night is different because of the ways college basketball has changed:
“We’re honoring guys that have been in the program for four or five years, and we're honoring guys that have been in the program for one year. It's the new normal. Everybody that's put an Aztec jersey on, whether it's for four or five years, or one year, has poured their hearts out for this program. I take great pride and honor in each and every one of them out at mid court with me on Saturday night.”
On the team’s sense of urgency to get to March Madness:
“We're urgent every game. We had to be urgent in December, then we had to be urgent in January, and we had to be urgent in February. Now we have to be urgent in March. Every game matters, whether it's a November game or a March game. We approach it that way and we play that way. We will be at our best tomorrow night, and hopefully that will equate to a win for the Aztecs.”
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Bodie DeSilva has been covering sports in San Diego for more than a decade. He previously covered San Diego State athletics for Scout/Fox Sports.