San Diego State men’s basketball is set for tip-off for the 2025-26 season, as the Aztecs take on Long Beach State in the season opener at home in Viejas Arena. 

SDSU finished last season with a 21-10 (14-6 Mountain West) record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, where the team lost to the University of North Carolina in the first four. The Aztecs come into this season restocked and loaded with talent from top to bottom. 

“I’ve got a really good and talented group,” head coach Brian Dutcher said in a press conference on Monday. “The journey begins now.”

The Aztecs will start the season without one of their star players as sophomore big man Magoon Gwath has yet to be cleared from a knee injury that he suffered last season. 

“Nov. 6 has been the target for final clearance, so then he can start practicing with full contact,” coach Dutcher said. “I know he’s ready to go mentally; he wants to be out there.”

Gwath played in 26 games for the Aztecs last season, posting 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Outside of his offensive game, Gwath brings the Aztecs an elite rim protector and shot blocker in the paint. 

With Gwath’s timeline still unknown, the team will likely be platooning sophomore Pharaoh Compton and junior Miles Heide at the center position until Gwath is healthy and back on the court. The two will split time starting and coming off the bench, depending on the matchups and who’s playing well at that time. 

“Yeah, this might be a rotating thing all season, as one starts for a couple games and the other one plays as well,” Dutcher said. “They both have to be mentally tough enough to play either role, whether they’re starting or coming off the bench and I think both of them have a maturity about them.”

Outside of the center spot, coach Dutcher has yet to make any decisions on rotations and starting lineups ahead of the season opener, as he and his staff still need more time and data to see who plays well together and what groups are better than others out on the floor. 

Junior forward Miles Byrd returns to The Mesa for his final season as an Aztec. After testing the NBA Draft waters in the spring, Byrd decided to return to SDSU and take care of unfinished business. Byrd started in all 30 games he played last season, averaging 12.3 points per game.

“It’s exciting, you know we’ve worked three to four months this summer to get to this point,” Byrd said. “I’m just excited to play in front of the fans at Viejas.”

Alongside Byrd, senior Reese Dixon-Waters returns this season after missing all of last season with an injury. 

“It was pretty frustrating finding out last year about my foot, and then coming back three months into me being the healthiest I’ve ever been and felt I rolled my ankle again,” Dixon-Waters said. “I was always overcoming a battle, but I think that’s what life and basketball is about, just overcoming adversity.”

Dixon-Waters adds more dimension to the Aztecs’ offense. Coach Dutcher says that he brings exactly what you want in a college basketball player: a veteran presence who’s played a lot of basketball and someone who can be a dynamic scorer. 

Long Beach State travels south to Viejas Arena Tuesday night in what will be a return to a former home for Long Beach State head coach Chris Acker, who spent five seasons at SDSU as an assistant coach. 

“I watched them on tape, and they looked like an Aztec team. They guard at a high level. They’re fundamentally sound, but he’s got a lot of new pieces together,” Dutcher said.

Long Beach State vs. San Diego State tips off tonight at 7:00 p.m. from Viejas Arena.