Aztecs at Tritons
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: LionTree Arena
Line: Aztecs by 14
Streaming: ESPN+; 760-AM (radio)
Records: SDSU is 6-1, UCSD is 4-3
Series history: SDSU leads 13-0, but only two have come since UCSD transitioned to Division I. SDSU won 78-57 in 2021 and 62-46 last year. Both games were at Viejas Arena.
Aztecs update: This is statistically the weakest Division I opponent on the schedule, and the Kenpom.com metric projects a 79-65 score with a 91 percent chance of an Aztecs victory. But that doesn’t account for the crosstown motivational factor of getting big brother on your home court. This is their first true road game in a Big West arena since playing at Long Beach State in 2015. The Aztecs remain unranked in both major polls but moved up to No. 18 in the Kenpom metric, ranking 32nd nationally in offensive efficiency and 21st in defense. They continue to get healthier, with Demarshay Johnson Jr. getting minutes in Monday’s 71-51 win against Div. II Point Loma Nazarene for the first time since dislocating a shoulder in the season opener. That gives coach Brian Dutcher another big off the bench, allowing Jaedon LeDee (24.0 points, 10.4 rebounds) to move to his more natural 4 spot. He slipped to third nationally in scoring average behind a pair of guards, Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas (25.0) and Denver’s Tommy Bruner (24.1). Darrion Trammell continues to regain game fitness after missing a month with a shoulder issue, recording 17 points, six assists and five steals in his last two games.
Tritons update: They started 4-0 at home, including a 69-63 win against USD, but went 0-3 on a three-game road trip to Seattle —losing in overtime to Idaho (355 in Kenpom), 79-67 against Seattle and then 83-56 at Washington. Bryce Pope, a redshirt senior from Torrey Pines High, is the leading scorer at 19.0 points and ranks 13th on the school’s all-time scoring list. Also averaging double figures are Francis Nwaokorie (14.7), Div. II transfer Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (13.1) and Hayden Gray (10.3). The fifth starter is 6-9 F J’Raan Brooks, but 7-0 Emmanuel Tshimanga is finally healthy and came off the bench for seven points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes against Washington. The Tritons have been known for their prowess behind the 3-point arc but have struggled this year, ranking 300th nationally at 28.7 percent against Div. I competition (and that’s with Pope at 37.5 percent). They climbed to 205 in the Kenpom computer rankings after the 4-0 start, then slipped to 247 after the 0-3 Seattle trip. They rank 290th in defensive efficiency, in part because of the defensive boards. Opponents are grabbing 36.7 percent of their missed shots, which puts the Tritons at 342th nationally in that category.
Next up: at Grand Canyon on Tuesday (6 p.m. PST, ESPNU).
