KenPom Rankings update: San Diego State sits at No. 49
Following Saturday’s loss at Colorado State, San Diego State comes in at No. 49 in the updated KenPom College Basketball Ratings.
The Aztecs are one spot ahead of nearby UC San Diego, who are in their fifth season as an NCAA Division 1 program and their first season eligible for postseason play. The Tritons won at UC Irvine on Saturday, ending what was the nation’s longest home winning streak at 22 games.
KenPom ranks the Aztecs at No. 12 nationally in defense and No. 116 nationally in offense. Their strength of schedule sits at No. 57 while their non-conference strength of schedule sits at No. 12. That figures to go a long way in helping decide their fate come selection Sunday.
San Diego State sits in fifth place in the Mountain West Conference standings with eight games left to play in the regular season before they head to Las Vegas for the annual conference tournament.
Senior forward Jared Coleman-Jones came off the bench on Saturday night and finished with eight points and three rebounds, connecting on both of his three-point attempts. He was asked after the game about San Diego State’s at-large tournament chances.
“Personally, I don't feel like it's slipping away,” Coleman-Jones said. “Like Dutch said, we get better every game, and we learn something new… We want to grow. That's what we have to do. That time is coming, and we're approaching the end of conference play, but I have
no doubt that we will make the NCAA tournament. I have no doubt, and it never crossed my mind that we wouldn't.”
The Aztecs have qualified for four consecutive NCAA tournaments since the cancellation of the 2020 tournament. The 2019-20 San Diego State team finished the year at 30-2, ranked No. 6 in the final Associated Press poll.
San Diego State remains on the road and will take on San Jose State on Tuesday night at the Provident Credit Union Event Center. The Aztecs and Spartans played on January 28 at Viejas Arena. San Diego State trailed 33-12 in that game, mounting a comeback to win 71-68. It was the Aztecs’ largest comeback at home since at least the 1996-97 season. In that game, the Aztecs also allowed 15 three-pointers, doing so for the first time since 2007.
The Aztecs will return home later in the week for a two-game stretch at Viejas Arena. They’ll host Boise State on Saturday night before welcoming in Fresno State a week from Tuesday.
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-770033d1c5c4820fdbde4ecf2452e810.jpg "Bodie De Silva")
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.