Aztecs head to 11-3 Nevada in the glow of memorable triple-OT win

by Mark Zeigler

RENO, Nev. — The San Diego State men’s basketball team continues its Mountain West farewell tour Tuesday night, this time to face the Nevada Wolf Pack at the Lawlor Events Center.

It’s another venue that coach Brian Dutcher says he won’t miss and “definitely” won’t schedule in the nonconference once the Aztecs move to the Pac-12 next season, largely because it’s at 4,597 feet of elevation and they aren’t about to gasp for breath if they don’t have to.

But at least the Aztecs (9-4, 3-0) travel to the self-proclaimed “Biggest Little City in the World” with the biggest little smile in the world, the byproduct of Saturday night’s dramatic 110-107 win against Boise State at Viejas Arena that they should have won easily and would have lost had a 15-foot jumper not rolled around the rim and out at the regulation buzzer or had they not overcome a six-point deficit in the final 11 seconds of the first OT to force a second.

“I can’t imagine how disappointed we’d be, putting in all the work we did and losing the game,” Dutcher said.

At practice Monday, the Aztecs showed a perceptible “pep in their step,” as former coach Steve Fisher is fond of saying, emerging from a season-long funk exacerbated by their previous experience in multiple overtimes, a 108-107 loss at Viejas Arena against unfancied Troy from the Sun Belt Conference.

The next game after that, in Las Vegas against Michigan in the Players Era Festival, they lost by 40.

The question now becomes whether a team with such lofty preseason hype has turned a corner, or at least is approaching the corner.

Dutcher would love to say yes, but he’s also wary of what he’s witnessed over the past two months.

“We’re still seeking a level of consistency,” he said. “And it has to come in practice first. We have to practice better, consistently.

“We have moments, we have sessions of practice where it’s really good, then we fall off like we did in the second half (against Bose State) and lose concentration and don’t execute and allow teams to come back. That’s on us. That’s on the other team, too; they’re good. But we have to be more consistent with how we approach every day and how we play every game.”

And now they’re playing an 11-3 team that 2½ weeks ago beat Boise State 81-66 after leading by 24.

And is also 3-0 atop the Mountain West.

And has won seven straight after a shaky 4-3 start, including four against top 100 teams in the Kenpom metric.

This is not Steve Alford’s most talented team in his seven seasons at Nevada, but it might be his most connected. The Wolf Pack rank among the national leaders in two key areas: taking care of the ball (No. 5 in turnover rate) and getting to the line (No. 3 in the percentage of points coming on free throws).

“This is a good group,” Dutcher said. “I know they have to be fun to coach because they play hard as heck. They’re tough-minded.”

Added SDSU forward Pharaoh Compton: “They’re playing really together on the defensive side. They’re trying to bully everybody. In my opinion, it looks like they’re trying to copy what we’re doing. I think it will be a physical game.”

Miles Byrd #21 of San Diego State drives to the basket against Andrew Meadow #13 of Boise State during their game at Viejas Arena on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

On paper, this Aztecs team is better equipped to handle the scorched lungs of high altitude given its roster depth and what on many nights has been an 11-man rotation. Dutcher thinned that considerably late in the second half and the overtimes against Boise State, with Elzie Harrington, Miles Byrd, Reese Dixon-Waters, Miles Heide, Jeremiah Oden and Mountain West Player of the Week BJ Davis getting the bulk of the minutes.

One notable name not on that list is 7-foot forward Magoon Gwath, who didn’t play the final eight minutes of regulation and all 15 minutes of overtime.

He also didn’t start, although Dutcher explained later that the two were not related. Not starting was a function of discipline for not fulfilling “some responsibilities he’s got to live up to,” which typically is code for missing a weightlifting session or showing up late to a team meeting.

Not playing down the stretch was a function of stiffness.

“His last stretch on the floor, he was visibly limping,” Dutcher said of Gwath, who had offseason knee surgery. “He had a hitch in his gait. It wasn’t the (knee) injury, it was just getting his body back. I didn’t feel he was at 100%, and it’s hard to play this game not at 100% no matter who you are. I think he tightens up as the game goes on. It’s taxing on him.”

Magoon Gwath #0 of San Diego State goes up for a shot against Boise State during their game at Viejas Arena on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Dutcher said he expects Gwath to reclaim his starting spot, possibly as soon as Tuesday night’s 8 p.m. tip on Fox Sports 1. But managing Gwath’s minutes, particularly in the second half, is a tricky proposition.

Gwath didn’t play the final 11 minutes on Tuesday in a tight game against San Jose State, either.

“It’ll be week to week, how he’s feeling, where I can get him rest and not sub him out where all of a sudden everything seizes up on him,” Dutcher said. “It’s to be determined, but knowing that at some point this year he’s going to get back. Obviously, it’s never soon enough, but it is what it is. He has to listen to his body, and I have to listen to the trainers.”

Gwath didn’t miss a rep in Monday’s practice, the team’s only full workout since Saturday’s thriller. Sunday’s practice amounted to watching film, stretching, treatment and walking through a few concepts on the floor in the glow of the first triple-overtime victory in school history.

“It’s definitely a memorable game,” Compton said. “When we’re not here anymore, we’ll definitely go back and think about this one, talk about this one.”