Players Era Festival: SDSU vs. No. 7 Michigan
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas
TV: truTV;
Radio: 760-AM
Records: SDSU is 2-1, Michigan is 4-0
Series history: Michigan won the only previous meeting, 72-58 in Ann Arbor on Dec. 4, 2021, when the Wolverines were ranked No. 24 in the country.
Aztecs update: This is their wheelhouse — a neutral-court event in Las Vegas. They are 16-11 on neutral floors in the nine-year Brian Dutcher era, third best in the nation over that period, trailing only Duke and Houston. In nonconference tournaments in Las Vegas, they’ve won four straight against ranked opposition. But this is also a team coming off an 108-107 double-overtime loss against Troy, their first in a home “buy” game since 2018 and their first ever wearing Nike N7 turquoise uniforms to honor the Native American community (they were 11-0 previously). Magoon Gwath made his season debut seven months after knee surgery, finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 28 minutes off the bench. He is expected to start at some point, possibly against Michigan, which would push Jeremiah Oden, Miles Heide or Pharaoh Compton — all of whom have starts this season — to the bench, depending on whether Gwath plays the 4 or 5. Miles Byrd had the index finger on his left (shooting) hand heavily wrapped against Troy, but it didn’t stop him from 24 points on 7 of 12 shooting (including the half-court 3 at the regulation buzzer). Reese Dixon-Waters had 16 points in a team-high 43 minutes while recovering from the flu.
Aztecs jump into the deep water with No. 7 Michigan in Las Vegas
Wolverines update: After opening the season with an impressive 121-78 win against Oakland, they have been less convincing since, nearly getting beat by Wake Forest and TCU. Coach Dusty May is still experimenting with lineups, trying to decide whether to play 7-foot-3 UCLA transfer Aday Maray (11.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 blocks), 6-9 Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr. (13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds) and 6-9 UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg (15.0 points, 7.8 rebounds) together or just two at a time. North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau and Nimari Burnett, who previously played at Alabama and Texas Tech, have started in the backcourt, with Roddy Gayle Jr. (who started his career at Ohio State) coming off the bench. SDSU fans will remember Lendeborg from their first-round NCAA Tournament game against UAB in 2024, when he had 11 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. Cadeau played against SDSU in the First Four last year, finishing with nine points and 12 assists. Said Dutcher: “For us to win the game, we’re going to have to keep them out of transition and rebound at a high level.” It would help if the Wolverines continue to be careless with the ball (they’re averaging 15 turnovers per game). The Kenpom metric projects a 77-72 Michigan win.
Next up: Tuesday vs. Oregon in Las Vegas (8 p.m., TNT)
–MARK ZEIGLER
