San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball

For information on all San Diego State University sports, see San Diego State Aztecs

The San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team is the men's college basketball program that represents San Diego State University (SDSU). The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Viejas Arena.

The Aztecs have been to seventeen NCAA Division I tournaments since joining NCAA Division I in 1969, last appearing in the tournament in 2025. In the 2023 NCAA tournament, they reached the Final Four for the first time in program history, losing to UConn in the championship game. The Aztecs have won seven Mountain West Conference tournaments and nine regular season titles.

Notable alumni include 2-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tony Gwynn, who played both basketball and baseball for the Aztecs. Gwynn was drafted by both the San Diego Padres and the then-San Diego Clippers on the same day, June 9, 1981 (1981 Major League Baseball draft and 1981 NBA draft, respectively).

Team history

The Aztecs first began play during the 1921–22 basketball season. The team played that season, as well as the next three, as part of the Southern California Junior College Conference due to proximity to other schools, despite the fact that SDSU (then known as San Diego Normal School) was not a junior college itself.Fontius, David Howard A History of Basketball at San Diego State University From 1921 to 1971 San Diego, 1976 The Aztecs joined the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in 1926 following a season as an independent, and competed in the NAIA until 1956, when they transitioned to the newly founded NCAA Division II. They competed in six NAIA Men's Basketball Championships. Finishing as runners up in 1939 and in 1940, the Aztecs finally prevailed and won the 1941 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament. After competing in NCAA Division II from 1956 until 1969 they became an NCAA Division I school in the fall of 1969. The Aztecs moved from the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), which is now known as the Big West Conference, to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 1978.SDSU add may herald better days Long Beach Press-Telegram Wednesday, December 21, 2011 In 1999, the Aztecs left the WAC and became a charter member of the Mountain West Conference. Prior to entering the Mountain West, the team had been to three NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments. During their time in the MWC, the Aztecs have won several conference championships and have been to nine NCAA tournaments and four NIT tournaments. In the 2010–11 season, the Aztecs were ranked as high as 4th in the nation and won their first ever games in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Sweet Sixteen. Following the 2013–14 season, the team reached its second Sweet Sixteen. In the 2019–20 season, the Aztecs finished with a 30–2 record for their best winning percentage in team history. The team spent seven straight weeks in the top 5 of both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll, finishing the season at #6 in both polls. The 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was cancelled at the end of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2022–2023 season, the Aztecs reached their third Sweet Sixteen, first Elite Eight with a win over #1 Alabama, and first Final Four. The win over Creighton on March 26 in the South Region Final gave them their first Region championship in program history. On April 1, they became the first team from the Mountain West Conference to reach the National Championship after defeating FAU 72–71 on a buzzer-beating shot by point guard Lamont Butler. In the 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game, the Aztecs were defeated by the University of Connecticut Huskies by a score of 59–76.

Rivalries The Aztecs have three rivalries, the UNLV Rebels, the USD Toreros, and the BYU Cougars. The rivalry with the Rebels was especially fierce between the years 2010–2013, however the rivalry has cooled down significantly due to the one-sided nature of the affair. San Diego State has won 22 of 24 games against UNLV from 2014 to 2024. The USD Toreros are the Aztecs' crosstown rivals and play them near-annually in the City Championship. The Aztecs' rivalry with the BYU Cougars has been partially dormant since 2011, when the Cougars left the MWC for the WCC. The teams still play occasionally in non-conference games.

Facilities Viejas Arena Viejas Arena (officially Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl) is a multi-purpose arena located in San Diego, California on the campus of San Diego State University. The arena opened in 1997 and seats 12,414 for basketball and up to 12,845 for concerts.

Viejas Arena is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs men's and women's basketball teams. The arena also hosts the San Diego Mojo of the Pro Volleyball Federation. The arena features an "open-air" concourse design that allows fans to experience breaks, concessions, and event activities for games, concerts, and other events outdoors.

Prior to the opening of the arena, men's basketball played its home games primarily at Peterson Gymnasium (located across the street from Viejas Arena and the current home to the Aztec women's volleyball team), and, for more than 30 years, played on-and-off at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Jeff Jacobs JAM Center In 2015, the San Diego State Athletics Department opened an on-campus state-of-the-art practice facility, The Jeff Jacobs JAM Center, for the Aztec men's basketball and women's basketball teams.

Head coaches C.E. Peterson 1922–1926 70–30 .700 Tom McMullen 1927–1929 23–17 .575 Morris Gross 1929–1942 190–85–1 .690 Don DeLauer and Dick Mitchell 1943 14–9 .609 Alex Alexander 1944–1945 17–26 .395 Charlie Smith 1946–1948 45–36 .563 George Ziegenfuss 1949–1969 316–229 .580 Dick Davis 1970–1974 65–67 .492 Tim Vezie 1975–1979 77–62 .554 Smokey Gaines 1980–1987 112–117 .489 Jim Brandenburg 1988–1992 52–87 .356 Jim Harrick Jr. (interim) 1992 0–7 .000 Tony Fuller 1993–1994 20–37 .351 Fred Trenkle 1995–1999 55–83 .399 Steve Fisher 2000–2017 386–209 .649 Brian Dutcher 2018–present 177–58 .753 As of the 2024 Media Guide

Postseason

NCAA Division I tournament results The Aztecs have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament 17 times, with a combined record of 13–17. They have reached the Sweet Sixteen four times, in 2011, 2014, 2023, and 2024; in 2023 they reached the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and the National Championship, all for the first time. Additionally, at 30–2 and ranked in the Top 10 they were considered a virtual lock for the 2020 NCAA Tournament, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. 1975 N/A Round of 32 L 80–90 1976 N/A Round of 32 UCLA L 64–74 1985 13 Round of 64 (4) UNLV L 80–85 2002 13 First Round (4) Illinois L 64–93 2006 11 First Round (6) Indiana L 83–87 2010 11 First Round (6) Tennessee L 59–62 2011 2 First RoundRound of 32Sweet Sixteen (15) Northern Colorado(7) Temple(3) Connecticut W 68–50W 71–64 2OTL 67–74 2012 6 First Round (11) NC State L 65–79 2013 7 First RoundRound of 32 (10) Oklahoma(15) Florida Gulf Coast W 70–55L 71–81 2014 4 First RoundRound of 32Sweet Sixteen (13) New Mexico State(12) North Dakota State(1) Arizona W 73–69 OTW 63–44L 64–70 2015 8 First RoundRound of 32 (9) St. John's(1) Duke W 76–64L 49–68 2018 11 First Round (6) Houston L 65–67 2021 6 First Round (11) Syracuse L 62–78 2022 8 First Round (9) Creighton L 69–72 OT 2023 5 First RoundSecond RoundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourNational Championship (12) Charleston (13) Furman (1) Alabama(6) Creighton(9) Florida Atlantic (4) UConn W 63–57 W 75–52 W 71–64 W 57–56 W 72–71 L 59–76 2024 5 First RoundSecond RoundSweet Sixteen (12) UAB (13) Yale (1) UConn W 69–65W 85–57 L 52–82 2025 11 First Four (11) North Carolina L 68–95

NCAA Tournament seeding history The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1978 edition with the present seeding format beginning the following year.

Years →'85'02'06'10'11'12'13'14'15'18'21'22'23'24'25Seeds →131311112674811685511

NIT results The Aztecs have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) six times, with a combined record of 8–6. 1982 First round UC Irvine L 69–70 2003 First roundSecond Round Texas Tech W 67–62L 57–48 2007 First roundSecond Round Syracuse W 74–70L 64–80 2008 First round Florida L 49–73 2009 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinals Kansas StateBaylor W 65–49W 70–52W 70–66L 62–76 2016 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinals IPFWWashingtonGeorgia TechGeorge Washington W 79–55W 93–78W 72–56L 46–65

NCAA Division II tournament results The Aztecs appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament three times, with a combined record of 5–3. 1957 Regional semifinalsRegional FinalsElite Eight W 75–56W 81–78L 55–57 1967 Regional semifinalsRegional FinalsElite Eight W 101–73W 88–71L 76–77 3OT 1968 Regional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game UC Irvine L 69–78W 79–72

NAIA tournament results The Aztecs have appeared in the NAIA tournament five times. Their combined record is 15–4. They were NAIA national champions in 1941. 1939 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship W 49–25W 41–36W 49–41W 49–39L 31–32 1940 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship W 36–35W 48–46W 32–30W 30–28L 42–52 1941 First roundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship W 46–29W 46–41 OTW 44–42W 43–40W 36–34 1942 First roundSecond Round W 36–29L 32–41 1956 First roundSecond Round W 77–64L 60–69

Retired numbers

On January 16, 2020, the Aztecs announced that they would be retiring former small forward Kawhi Leonard's number 15 jersey on February 1, 2020. Following Leonard's jersey retirement, some confusion circulated regarding statements that Leonard was the first player in Aztecs history to have his jersey retired, as the school ceremoniously retired former power forward and center Michael Cage's number 44 jersey in 1984.

On December 29, 2023, the Aztecs announced that they would be retiring three more jerseys in a "Return to the Rafters" ceremony on January 17, 2024. The players honored were Milton "Milky" Phelps, Judy Porter, and Michael Cage. This ceremony resolved the prior confusion regarding Cage's jersey retirement.

San Diego State Aztecs retired numbers No.PlayerPos.CareerYear ret.Ref.15 Kawhi Leonard SF 2009–2011 2020 22Milton PhelpsC/PF1937-1941202444Michael CageC/PF1980–19842024

Team records

All-time record vs. current MWC teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current MWC opponents as of the completion of the 2022–2023 season: Opponent Games played Won Lost Percentage Streak First MeetingAir Force 88 64 24 Won 8 1973–74Boise State29 18 11 Lost 1 1976–77Colorado State94 51 43 Won 4 1961–62Fresno State126 70 56 Won 81939–40Nevada32 25 7 Lost 1 1956–57New Mexico93 44 49 Won 1 1975–76San Jose State82 47 35 Won 11 1936–37UNLV80 43 37 Won 6 1965–66Utah State26 18 9 Won 4 1962–63Wyoming91 50 41 Won 101978–79Totals741430311 Through March 14th, 2023.

2016–17 San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team

Career leaders (DI era)

As of the 2022-23 Media Guide Career Scoring LeadersSeasonsPlayerPoints 2004–07 Brandon Heath 2,189 1981–84 Michael Cage 1,846 1983–86 Anthony Watson 1,735 2009–13 Chase Tapley 1,526 2017-21 Matt Mitchell 1,471 2015–18 Trey Kell 1,403 2012–16 Winston Shepard 1,403 2016–19 Jeremy Hemsley 1,392 1973–76 Steve Copp 1,307 2008–11 Billy White 1,294 Career Rebound LeadersSeasonsPlayerRebounds 1981–84 Michael Cage 1317 2018-23 Nathan Mensah 899 2004–06 Marcus Slaughter 775 1973–76 Steve Copp 737 1982–85 Leonard Allen 724 2009–11 Kawhi Leonard 716 1974, 1976–79 Joel Kramer 711 2012–16 Winston Shepard 708 2000–04 Aerick Sanders 686 2013–16 Skylar Spencer 652