San Diego State injury report: Key player might miss Gonzaga game

Sophomore guard Myles Bird is a 'game-time decision' with an ankle injury

San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher. / James Snook-Imagn Images

Prior to Tuesday’s game, San Diego State men’s basketball coach Brian Dutcher promised his team that if the Aztecs crossed the 100-point threshold, he’d go up to the scorer’s table and check himself into the ballgame. 

Dutcher’s players lived up to their end of their bargain, putting up exactly 100 points on non-Division-I Occidental. It marked the first time the Aztecs finished a non-overtime game in triple-digits since November 2018. Still, Dutcher (obviously) didn’t join his team on the court for the final 25 or so seconds — in fact, he might regret making the promise in the first place as he looks ahead to the Aztecs’ next opponent.

“I wish we could’ve saved some of those 3s,” Dutcher said after the game. “Put them in the bank and brought them back out for Gonzaga.” 

San Diego State drilled 18 3-pointers against Occidental, one shy of the program record of 19 that was set against Occidental in 2022. Dutcher hopes his squad can keep up the momentum on the offensive end of the floor, as the Aztecs face the No. 1 offense in the country according to KenPom on Monday. 

“We’re getting better, but the question is are we getting better fast enough to deal with this next level of competition we’re gonna face,” Dutcher said.

“We scored 100 points and everyone’s like, ‘that’s fantastic’ — I think Gonzaga in their first [two] games is averaging 95. How is that possible?”

The answer to Dutcher’s question isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. The Bulldogs (2-0) are off to a hot start to the 2024-25 season after bringing back six of their top seven scorers from last season’s Sweet 16 squad. In addition to continuity, Mark Few and the coaching staff brought two impactful transfers to the mix in Khalif Battle (Arkansas) and Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine). Battle is second on the team in scoring through two games, while Ajayi is leading the way in the rebounding department. 

Just like this time last season, redshirt sophomore Braden Huff is leading the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game off the bench. Ryan Nembhard has shared the wealth at an extremely high rate, as his 11.0 assists per game is tied for No. 1 in the country with Buffalo’s Tyson Dunn. As a team, the Zags average 94.5 points and make 10.5 3-pointers per game.

Monday’s nonconference matchup at the Viejas Arena will indeed be a matchup of strength vs. strength. While Gonzaga boasts the top-ranked offense, San Diego State is 13th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. However, Dutcher could be without one of his best defenders for the all-important nonconference matchup, as 6-foot-7 sophomore Miles Byrd (ankle) is listed as a game-time decision for Monday.

“At the very end of practice, I think it was two days ago, he came down and landed on a foot and turned his ankle,” Dutcher said of Byrd. “The hope is he’ll be back by Monday. Now whether that happens or not — he’s in a boot. It’s bothering him right now. So we’ll just treat him and hope and pray that he’ll be available Monday.” 

“Now whether he is or not, that depends on how quick of a healer he is; we won’t throw him out there injured, obviously, it’s a November game and we have a big season to play for. But if he’s healthy and ready to go, that will be a huge plus for us cause obviously Myles is a dynamic player and this is going to be an important game.”

In addition to his stout defense, Byrd knocked down shots consistently in San Diego State’s season-opening win over UC San Diego. He finished with 20 points and made four 3-pointers to lead the Aztecs to a 63-58 win.

“We’ll try to get him healed up as quickly as we can,” Dutcher said. “It probably truly will be a game-time decision depending on how quickly the rehab goes.”

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