Colorado State at SDSU

Records:

Series history: SDSU leads 45-42 but Saturday’s 70-67 win by CSU was only its second in its last 17 trips to Viejas Arena.

Rams update: They’re playing with house money after a rare win at Viejas Arena, the first for Niko Medved in eight trips as an assistant or head coach. Fatigue could be an issue, though, being their fourth game in eight days after this series was shoe-horned into the schedule when the original dates (Dec. 3 and 5) were postponed by COVID-19 positives. Four starters played 33-plus minutes, and G Isaiah Stevens was on the floor for all but four seconds. One of the keys to Saturday’s game came midway through the first half, with 6-5 David Roddy on the bench with two fouls and the Rams trailing 25-4. Medved put him back in at center and went small, and the unorthodox lineup helped trigger the historic comeback. Starting post Dischon Thomas played only 7½ minutes. The other unexpected contribution came from backup guard John Tonje, who scored six of his 11 points in the final minute. Tonje missed Friday’s practice and flew separately to San Diego because he was attending a family wedding.

Aztecs update: After 11 days between games, the Aztecs are in the midst of four in eight days. The Rams pose a considerable challenge, but the biggest obstacle for the Aztecs might be their own psyches and how quickly they can overcome the indignity of becoming the first Mountain West team in history to lose after leading by 26. “It doesn’t feel good,” senior Jordan Schakel said. After making 13 of their first 18 attempts, the Aztecs shot 25.6 percent (10 of 39) over the final 28 minutes. Aguek Arop and Keshad Johnson are both listed as “day-to-day.” Arop was sent home before the game with intestinal issues. Johnson didn’t play in the second half after being fouled while trying to dunk and landing hard on his right arm. That reduced the rotation to essentially seven players, forcing Matt Mitchell and Trey Pulliam to each log a season-high 34 minutes. The Aztecs have gone 44 straight home games without losing back-to-back, the fourth longest active streak in the nation.

Next up:

CSU 6-1, 3-0; SDSU 6-2, 0-1

vs. Nevada on Thursday (7 p.m., CBSSN)