With Gonzaga on Deck, Aztecs Hope to Build Off 51-Point Win

Following a 51-point win over Occidental Tuesday where the San Diego State Aztecs saw three players score a game-high 16 points, SDSU men’s basketball team has begun preparation for a rematch against Gonzaga on Monday, whom they beat in Spokane last year.

Senior guard Wayne McKinney was one of three to score 16, where he shot 4 of 7 from 3-point range and 6 of 11 overall. 

McKinney knows that Gonzaga is coming into Viejas Arena ready to play on Monday, and although he did not play in last year’s matchup, McKinney knows the importance.

“This game definitely matters for me and it’s one of the important ones we marked on our schedule,” McKinney lll said in a press conference Thursday. “Getting this one, especially here at home, means everything to us. We have to get it done.”

SDSU handed Gonzaga their first non-conference loss in over eight years last year, when they beat the then 13th ranked Bulldogs 84-74.

This time around, Gonzaga is once again ranked near the top in college basketball. Gonzaga started their season beating Baylor, who was ranked eighth at the time, by 38 points They followed that up with a come-from-behind win over Arizona State 88-80.

Sophomore forward Miles Heide played in that game last December, and he acknowledged what that win did for the Aztecs at the time.

“It helped us prove that we’re a good team and that we could make a run,” Heide said.

The Aztecs have had ample time to prepare for Gonzaga, with five full days of practice to get ready for a team with a lot of returning players. Nolan Hickman, Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike all return from last year’s Bulldogs team, and those three players combined to score 42 of Gonzaga’s 74 points against the Aztecs a year ago.

Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said that while the two schools don’t play every year, it’s always a competitive game whenever they match up.

“They’re deep, talented, well coached, and they will present the ultimate challenge to our Aztecs here in Viejas Arena on Monday,” Dutcher said.