SDSU Aztecs open NCAA basketball season with win over UCSD

• SDSU revealed the team's 2024 NCAA Sweet 16 banner before tip off.

Between the lines: The unranked, reconstructed Aztec team has something to prove after earning its lowest Mountain West preseason ranking in a decade.

• Key players transferred or graduated, leaving the younger roster stacked with mostly newcomers.

What they're saying: "Now we have to see how these new pieces all fit together," coach Brian Dutcher told the U-T.

• "But they're here because they all wanted to be here, you know? A lot of them obviously settled for less NIL money to be here because they wanted to win, they wanted to develop. That says a lot for their character. These guys aren't chasing money. They're chasing their dreams."

State of play: The Aztecs have a tough schedule early on, playing two ranked — No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 15 Creighton — in its first five games.

Fun fact: This is the first time SDSU will play both the Tritons and the University of San Diego Toreros (Dec. 7) in the same season.

• Both are one-off "buy" games where SDSU pays the other schools to play at Viejas Arena without a return game.

What's next: SDSU hosts Occidental College on Nov. 12 in the annual N7 game to celebrate Native American Heritage Month before welcoming Gonzaga on Nov. 18 at 7pm.