San Diego State is doing its best to stay on Utah State’s heels in the race for the Mountain West’s regular-season championship, but the Aztecs have a date with an unexpected title contender this weekend.
The Aztecs (17-6, 11-2 MWC) host Nevada on Saturday. San Diego State was picked to win the conference in its final season before joining the Pac-12. The Wolf Pack was picked No. 7 in the preseason poll, but Nevada (17-7, 9-4) is currently sitting in fourth place, and it’s just two games behind league-leading Utah State.
Nevada has won three of its past four games, including a 66-60 overtime victory over Mountain West newcomer Grand Canyon. The Wolf Pack’s only loss in that span was a 91-87 overtime setback at Boise State.
The Wolf Pack have had a week off since UTEP transfer Corey Camper Jr. and Vaughn Weems, a transfer from North Idaho College, both finished with 15 points in a 69-59 win over visiting Fresno State. It was Nevada’s fifth-straight win at the Lawlor Events Center, where it’s 12-2 this season.
Camper hasn’t wasted any time making an impact at Nevada. He leads the team and ranks No. 4 in the Mountain West with 17.7 points a game. The 6-foot-5 graduate student has scored more than 30 points in two of the Wolf Pack’s past three games, including a season-high 35 against Boise State. He has three 30-point efforts on his resume this season, including 34 in a win over UNLV.
San Diego State has won two games in a row since its 71-66 loss at Utah State. The Aztecs are still playing without 7-foot sophomore Magoon Gwath (hip) and talented freshman Elzie Harrington (leg), but veteran guards BJ Davis, Reese Dixon-Waters, and Miles Byrd have powered the team to 11 wins in its past 13 games.
Six-foot-9 junior Miles Heide and 6-foot-8 senior Jeremiah Oden have replaced Gwath in the starting lineup. Heidi posted 13 points and five rebounds in an 88-54 win over Air Force last Saturday. Davis went 7-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-2 from 3-point range to lead the team with 16 points.
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Nevada at San Diego State Odds
San Diego State is an 8.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 139.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -425 for San Diego State and +320 for Nevada.
San Diego State leads the all-time series 29-7, and it’s 13-0 against Nevada at Viejas Arena.
Nevada at San Diego State on TV
The Mountain West game featuring Nevada and San Diego State will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
Nevada at San Diego State Prediction
I predict San Diego State wins, 78-70.
Nevada has certainly shattered expectations this season. That’s what pairing a talented scorer with a veteran head coach like Steve Alford can do for a team. The Wolf Pack is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the Mountain West, and they’re solid at the free-throw line. But they’re facing one of the best defenses in the country in one of the toughest venues the conference has to offer.
San Diego State has held nine opponents to fewer than 60 points this season. The Aztecs are giving up 69.9 points a game, which ranks No. 4 in the Mountain West. They’re No. 2 in the conference with 103 blocked shots, and they have a +3.0 turnover margin.
Davis, Dixon-Waters, and Byrd give the Aztecs plenty of talent and experience to lean on. If they can get Gwath and Harrington back on the court in the next few weeks, they’re going to be a nightmare to face in the Mountain West and NCAA Tournaments.
They’re already a nightmare at Viejas Arena, where they’re 120-15 since head coach Brian Dutcher was hired in 2017. They’re 11-1 at home this season. Their lone home loss was a 108-107 double overtime setback against Troy on Nov. 18, 2025.
