Kelly Calligan, Photo Editor

So far this season, one word has floated around the San Diego State men’s basketball team, consistently finding its way in explaining a year that could be a program-best.

Expectations. Expectations. Expectations.

After a 7-0 start, SDSU can now take the first step in showing that those high expectations are justified against cross-town rival USD at 7 p.m. today in Cox Arena.

The reason? With a win against the struggling Toreros (2-3), the Aztecs would reach 8-0 and tie for the best start in 86 years of SDSU basketball.

None the less, tonight’s game is being considered by the Aztecs as business as usual.

“We are far from a team that you say, ‘Boy are they good,'” head coach Steve Fisher said. “I think you look at spots and say, ‘Boy, they have the potential to be pretty good,’ but I like it, and I hope we can keep winning.”

Added senior guard Brandon Heath: “We don’t think about that too much. We just take it one game at a time and focus on ourselves.”

And that focus has shown.

SDSU has won four games this season by four points or fewer – all on the road – including last week’s 76-72 victory over UCSB after being down by as many as eight points.

Too close for comfort, perhaps. But considering the Aztecs have beaten all three of their home opponents this season by an average of 25.6 points per game, USD – a team whose losses include games against Texas-San Antonio and Stephen F. Austin – will have its hands full in trying to even make it close.

“We were far from world beaters, but we won all those (road) games,” Fisher said. “When you win close games, you grow in your confidence that you’re going to be able to win.”

Last time against the Toreros, however, that wasn’t the case.

One year ago on Nov. 30, 2005, USD scored 55 second-half points in the Toreros’ 90-80 victory at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

“We haven’t forgot about it,” Heath said. “But we’re not going to take any of our opponents lightly because we’re playing this game on the college level; you can be beat on any given night.

“Nothing’s going to be given to us; we got to go out there and do what we know to do, and we should come out on top.”