How to watch Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. San Diego State Aztecs men's college basketball game

The Bulldogs (3-0) hit the road for the first time this season to face the Aztecs (2-0) at the Viejas Arena

Cole Forsman | Nov 18, 2024

Gonzaga senior guard Michael Ajayi. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

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The Gonzaga men's basketball team travels to San Diego State for its first true road game of the season on Monday night.

The Bulldogs (3-0) enter the matchup following a 113-54 victory over UMass-Lowell on Friday. Six players finished in double-figures for scoring, led by Khalif Battle's 21 points and four 3-pointers. Nolan Hickman added 14 points, while Ryan Nembhard had 13 points, eight assists and no turnovers. Gonzaga led by as many as 62 points following a 32-2 scoring run in the second half and scored 32 points off 25 turnovers from the River Hawks.

Nembhard's 10.0 assists per game ranks second in the country, as does his 15.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Through three games, the senior guard has dished out 30 assists to just two turnovers. With Nembhard at the helm, Gonzaga is sixth in the country with 22.3 assists per game.

The Aztecs (2-0) held off UC San Diego in the season opener, 63-58, before cruising to a 100-49 victory over Occidental. Wayne McKinney III, BJ Davis and Magoon Gwath each had 16 points to lead the way in the 51-point win. Taj DeGourville had 14 points and five assists in San Diego State's third 100-point game under head coach Brian Dutcher (since 2017-18).

Through Sunday, San Diego State ranks No. 1 in the country in 2-point field goal percentage allowed (28.6%), according to KenPom.com. Conversely, Gonzaga converts 61.8% of its attempts inside the arc (27th in the nation).

Sophomore guard Miles Byrd has been deemed a "game-time decision" due to an ankle injury that kept him out of the Occidental game. Byrd stuffed the stats heet in the season opener with 20 points (4-of-8 from 3), eight rebounds, five steals, four blocks and three assists. He became the only San Diego State player since the 2019-20 season to record at least 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals in the same game, according to San Diego State athletics.

Monday will mark the sixth all-time meeting between Gonzaga and San Diego State. The Aztecs lead the series 3-2 after handing the Zags a rare home loss at the McCarthey Athletic Center last season in an 84-74 final on Dec. 29.

"Just a bunch of tough, athletic dudes that kind of get you in a rock fight the way they play defense," Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said of the Aztecs. "They're going to absolutely pound the glass. They're going to be in those gaps, breaking us and making it hard. They're going to be really, really physical."