Game preview: SDSU vs. Idaho State

A look at a rare Sunday afternoon game between San Diego State and Idaho State:

Site/time: Viejas Arena; 2 p.m. Sunday

On the air: KUSI-TV (streamed on Mountain West Network); 760-AM

Records: SDSU is 1-0, Idaho State is 2-0

Series history: SDSU leads 3-2, but this is the first meeting since a 96-80 Aztecs win at Peterson Gym in 1980.

Bengals update: The two-game road trip marks the return of head coach Ryan Looney to San Diego, where he led Point Loma Nazarene to the Div. II national championship game in 2019. This is his seventh season in Pocatello, and while he hasn’t had a winning season he is coming off his best year – 15-15 overall and a fourth-place finish in the Big Sky at 10-8. Big Sky player of the year Dylan Darling (19.8 points, 5.7 assists) transferred to St. John’s, making forward Connor Hollenbeck and Big Sky freshman of the year Evan Otten the top returnees. The 71-68 win at USD on Friday night was the 400th of Looney’s career at all levels (he’s 330-132 at Div. II and NAIA). The Bengals went ahead by 17 before a furious rally by the Toreros made the final scorer respectable. Hollenbeck led with 18 points. NAIA transfer Gus Etchison had 15, and Australian forward Caleb Van De Griend had 13. UCSD transfer Quin Patterson made a free throw in the closing seconds. The Bengals were among the nation’s best rebounding teams last season, an area where SDSU struggled at times. They ranked fifth in offensive rebound percentage and 25th in defensive boards. The Bengals’ other win this season was 81-71 at home against NAIA Park University (Gilbert, Ariz.).

Aztecs update: Reese Dixon-Waters, a late scratch in last Tuesday’s 77-45 win against Long Beach State with a corneal abrasion in his eye, returned to practice Thursday and is expected to play, although probably wearing protective goggles (which he did in high school). Coach Brian Dutcher would not commit to whether his senior guard, who started and led the Aztecs in scoring in both exhibitions (19 and 17 points), would start or come off the bench. Forward Magoon Gwath has received medical clearance for full contact 6½ months after knee surgery. Dutcher said “Sunday might be a bit of a reach” for Gwath to make his season debut and the Nov. 18 game against Troy “might be more realistic.” Without Dixon-Waters, Dutcher inserted Sean Newman Jr. into a starting five that also included Taj DeGourville, Miles Byrd, Jeremiah Oden and Miles Heide. True freshmen Elzie Harrington (13 points, four assists) and Tae Simmons (10 points, seven rebounds) both were impressive, becoming the first Aztecs since 2015 to score in double figures in their first collegiate game. Dutcher is seeking his 200th career victory since becoming head coach in 2017. The Kenpom metric projects an 81-58 Aztecs win.

Next up: Nov. 18 vs. Troy (7 p.m., KUSI)