SDSU vs UC San Diego
Records: SDSU is 8-3, UCSD is 5-6
Series history: SDSU leads 11-0, but only last year’s 78-57 win at Viejas Arena came against UCSD since it elevated to Division I.
Aztecs update: A year ago, they were nearly without a point guard. Lamont Butler was out with a broken wrist, and Trey Pulliam almost was too sick to play, ultimately receiving two IV bags and playing 33 minutes in the 78-57 win. Now the Aztecs could be in a similar bind with Nathan Mensah, who had a career-high 19 points (9 of 12 shooting), nine rebounds and two blocks. Mensah is listed as questionable after missing several practices with an illness. Otherwise, the Aztecs are healthier than they’ve been in weeks, thanks to eight days between games for final exams. They took two days off, spent two working on themselves, had an individual skills practice, then two prepping for UCSD. “We’re just trying to get better at everything,” coach Brian Dutcher said. “It’s not one thing. We have a lot things we need to get better at, and I think we slowly have.” They have climbed in the metrics despite not playing, to 26 in Kenpom and 39 (from 55) in the NCAA’s NET. Last year against UCSD, they never trailed, leading 13-2 and growing the margin to 27 in the second half behind 54.1 percent shooting overall and 9 of 19 behind the arc. Players will go home Wednesday, returning Christmas Day for a late afternoon practice to begin preparations for the Dec. 28 Mountain West opener against Air Force.
Tritons update: They have been wildly inconsistent for a program that prides itself on consistency, going from back-to-back road wins against George Washington and Eastern Michigan to barely beating Bethesda of Anaheim (which plays in the National Christian College Athletic Association and is 2-13) and trailing USD by 34 before losing 84-58. But they showed promise last Wednesday, leading Nevada by five in the second half before losing 64-56. On Saturday, they beat Div. III Occidental 91-55, allowing two fewer points than SDSU did against the Tigers earlier this month. Starting center J’Raan Brooks is out for several weeks after knee surgery, but 7-foot, 270-pound UC Irvine transfer Emmanuel Tshimanga has been a capable replacement (10.0 rebounds in his three starts). Torrey Pines High alum Bryce Pope is third in the Big West in scoring at 18.6 points and had a 31 at George Washington, the most in UCSD’s Div. I era. Sophomore forward Francis Nwaokorie averages 9.1 points and 7.1 rebounds. The other starters are freshman point guard Roddie Anderson III and junior Jace Roquemore. Jake Kosakowski, who comes off the bench, led the nation in 3-point accuracy last season (47.3 percent) and had 18 points against SDSU. On paper, the Aztecs are the best team on UCSD’s schedule, which has no one else in the Kenpom top 75.
Next up: Dec. 28 vs. Air Force (8 p.m., FS1)