January 13th, 2024
The #19 San Diego State Aztecs and the Sons of Montezuma “Kiss the Rings” podcast crew ventured into the Lobo Lair known as ‘The Pit’ to take on the New Mexico Lobos.
For most of the 1st half, the Aztecs silenced the 15,437 mostly Lobo fans after jumping out to a 35-23 lead with 5:38 left. All the hopes of gloating an SDSU blowout win on the next episode seemed like a real possibility.
Then the wheels came off and it got loud. Really loud.
New Mexico closed the half on a 17-2 run and never looked back pounding the Aztecs 88-70. Confidence turned to stunned silence for us as we plotted our revenge for a rematch at Viejas Arena a month later.
So goes the San Diego State vs New Mexico series: a back and forth of revenge game victories.
2023: New Mexico upset victory at Viejas Arena followed by a Lamont Butler buzzer beater at The Pit.
2024: Lobos crush the Aztecs at home. Aztecs return the favor to the Lobos in San Diego. Lobos beat the Aztecs 68-61 in a thrilling conference tournament title game in Las Vegas.
2025: The time is now and SDSU is back at The Pit on Saturday. The stinging memory of losing a conference championship to New Mexico and humbling defeat in Albuquerque last season still lingers on in the minds of Aztec Nation.
Brian Dutcher’s staff will have revenge on their mind as they face the Lobos for another early 10am tip. Once again the rivalry game will be broadcast nationally on CBS television and New Mexico has dubbed it a “Stripe Out” game again where the home fans will wear white or red according to their section in the sold-out arena.
The Matchup
It appears that both teams in their midweek games were looking ahead to playing each other on Saturday. Each looked unprepared and unfocused against their opponents in the first half as heavy favorites.
New Mexico was down 32-18 at halftime on the road at Wyoming before putting the Cowboys to bed in the 2nd half and winning 61-53. The Lobos are one of the fastest tempo teams in the country who struggled against Wyoming’s sluggish pace that took New Mexico out of their offensive rhythm.
San Diego State was down 20-8 at home against a 3 win Air Force team before guard Kimo Ferrari came off the bench to jumpstart a 40-4 run as the Aztecs cruised to a 67-38 win over the Falcons.
Jared Coleman-Jones was a standout in the absence of Miles Heide and Demarshay who were sick with the flu. JCJ had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Aztecs who dominated on the boards. They will need that same determination this weekend.
The Lobos are led by junior Donovan Dent averaging 19.3 points per game. They also get solid contributions from sharp shooting forward Mustapha Amzil, center Nelly Junior Joseph and lock down defender Tru Washington.
The Air Up There
For most of this Aztecs team it will be the first time playing in some sort of significant altitude. The conversation makes for quirky questions about beet juice each season, but Miles Byrd who had success last year in the Pit for his first game there knows just how important a factor it is.
“I just say you got to prepare for it days before the game. You’ve got to keep hydrated.” said the redshirt sophomore wing at the practice day presser on Thursday. “But at the end of the day something Dutch always says too is that it’s the mental aspect. If you can block it out mentally then you’re playing a normal basketball game in a great environment that every person would love to play in.”
One of the biggest strengths the Aztecs have admittedly leaned into this season is their depth all around. On Wednesday they needed all of that depth to dominate a lowly Air Force. On the road in the Pit is a different energy.
Though there may be an abundance of options for Dutcher & crew to work from on paper, when the rubber hits the road it will be up to each individual to be able to dig deep and keep not only their focus on the environment but also the elements.
For Byrd his confidence in his guys is higher than the Albuquerque elevation, “As much as it might tire you out if you’re out there giving it your all, we’ve got enough guys on our bench to where you can go hard for 3 minutes, ask for a sub, and come right back in.”
What’s At Stake
New Mexico (13-3) is undefeated in conference play at 5-0 and trails right behind Utah State in the standings. Other than wins over UCLA and VCU however, they lack a quality resume that will stand out to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee in March. Beating SDSU helps change that narrative while keeping the Lobos in the lead for regular season conference champion.
After a loss at home to Utah State, SDSU needs to stack wins on the road if they want to contend for a conference title. The Aztecs would also pick up a quality Quad 1 victory if they take down the Lobos at The Pit. New Mexico currently sits at 67th in the NET rankings.
Maybe more importantly is bragging rights. New Mexico fans are vocal on social media about their team being the best in the Mountain West and a title last year only feeds their belief—despite not having a tournament victory in over a decade.
Titles talk and the Aztecs’ record while in the Mountain West speaks for itself. No current Mountain West program has more conference titles than the Aztecs. Neither team or fanbase wants the other side to have the upper hand on them in this rivalry series.
This game should be the street fight we have come to expect, respect, and enjoy in the SDSU vs New Mexico rivalry.
San Diego State vs New Mexico tips off at 10am PST and will be aired nationally on CBS. If you are local in the San Diego area the Sons of Montezuma invite you to come watch the big game down at Fairplay in North Park with other San Diego State fans.
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