UC Irvine at SDSU
Records:
UCI 0-1, SDSU 1-0
Series history: SDSU leads 10-7 but this is the first meeting since a 69-66 Aztecs win in 1997 in Irvine.
Anteaters update: The Big West preseason favorite opened Wednesday with an 86-72 loss against Pepperdine at Viejas Arena. The Anteaters led by eight in the first half before collapsing and trailing by 23. Brad Greene, a 6-foot-11 senior center from Lone Pine, had 20 points and nine rebounds, but Big Wet preseason player of the year Collin Welp had only 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Thirteen players on the roster are freshmen or sophomores; 6-3 rookie Dawson Baker had 13 points and six assists off the bench. “Our team has a long way to go with our competitive level right now,” said coach Russell Turner, whose teams have finished first or second in the Big West for seven straight seasons. “That was the most distressing thing to me — that we didn’t compete.” It wasn’t all bad: The Anteaters forced 19 turnovers and held Pepperdine to 40.6 percent shooting in the first half. Jeron Artest, the son of former NBA star Metta World Peace, starts at guard.
Aztecs update: This is the annual N7 game, where the Aztecs wear turquoise Nike uniforms to commemorate Native American Heritage Month and then auction them for charity. The 73-58 opening win against No. 22 UCLA was their fourth straight against Top 25 opposition at Viejas Arena. SDSU had a 21-6 advantage in bench scoring and 24-12 in points in the paint. Another key: only six turnovers over the final 34½ minutes while forcing 15. Another: 12 offensive rebounds, including three by Aguek Arop. Maryland grad transfer Joshua Tomaic had an efficient game backing up Nathan Mensah at center, with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and two offensive boards in 14 minutes. The Aztecs were supposed to open the Mountain West season against Colorado State at home Dec. 3 and 5, but those games have been postponed after CSU paused the program for two weeks following positive COVID-19 tests. SDSU is looking for replacement games next week, likely against non-Div. I opponents.