Led by an army of returning players, San Diego State basketball is hoping that defense wins championships.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: San Diego State basketball.
Two years removed from making the NCAA Tournament final, San Diego State basketball had a down year for their standards, winning 21 games and losing in the first four. They dealt with a couple of important injuries and didn’t have the depth to back it up.
It seemed like Magoon Gwath was a lock to leave San Diego State and received heavy rumors that he would join Kentucky. However, the freshman who finished 8th in the country in blocks per game announced he was returning, a huge boost for this team. They are also getting back Reese Dixon-Waters, who was second on the team in scoring two seasons ago after missing all of last year with an injury.
San Diego State picks up Sean Newman Jr. from Louisiana Tech, who finished third in the country in assists per game, behind Ryan Nembhard and Braden Smith.
The forgotten freshman returner is Pharoah Compton, who made the most out of his limited minutes last year. They also add Elzie Harrington, the 3rd-highest recruit in program history per 247Sports.
The big piece, though, is Miles Byrd, an elite two-way player. With the chemistry and the defense on this team, San Diego State should be the clear favorite to win the Mountain West. Heck, they might even be the best mid-major team in the country.
We’ll get a good idea of just how good they are when they play in the Player’s Era, taking on at least Michigan and Oregon. No team will want to face this defense, and as long as they stay healthy, all is well in San Diego.
Head coach: Brian Dutcher (9th season overall, all at San Diego State)
2024-25 record: 21-10 (14-6)
2025 postseason finish: Lost to UNC (95-68) in First Four of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Nick Boyd (13.4 PPG, 3.9 APG, 3.9 RPG)
- Jared Coleman-Jones (7.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.0 APG)
- Wayne McKinney III (6.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.6 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Michigan (Nov. 24) – Players Era Festival
- vs. Oregon (Nov. 25) – Players Era Festival
- Players Era Festival (Nov. 26-27)
- at Arizona (Dec 20) – Phoenix, AZ
Projected Rotation
PG: BJ Davis (6-2, 175, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 9.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 42.4 FG%, 35.9 3P%, 78.2 FT%
SG: Reese Dixon-Waters (6-5, 217, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 9.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 40.1 FG%, 34.3 3P%, 90.3 FT%
*Missed 2024-25 season
SF: Miles Byrd (6-6, 190, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 12.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 38.1 FG%, 30.1 3P%, 83.2 FT%
PF: Jeremiah Oden (6-8, 210, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 7.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 34.7 FG%, 31.3 3P%, 81.4 FT% (DePaul)
*Missed 2024-25 season
C: Magoon Gwath (7-0, 212, So.)
2024-25 stats: 8.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.6 BPG, 50.6 FG%, 37.8 3P%, 63.0 FT%
6: Sean Newman Jr. (6-1, 174, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 9.9 PPG, 7.9 APG, 2.3 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 38.6 FG%, 30.7 3P%, 83.8 FT% (Louisiana Tech)
7: Pharaoh Compton (6-7, 230, So.)
2024-25 stats: 5.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 64.5 FG%
8: Miles Heide (6-9, 235, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 4.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.5 APG, 73.7 FG%, 33.3 3P%
9: Taj DeGourville (6-5, 211, So.)
2024-25 stats: 5.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 36.7 FG%, 30.4 3P%, 71.4 FT%
10: Elzie Harrington (6-5, 188, Fr.)
2025 247Sports Composite #81-ranked recruit
San Diego State Basketball team MVP: Miles Byrd
According to EvanMiya, Miles Byrd is the best player in the Mountain West for the upcoming season. Offensively, he averaged 12.3 PPG, second most on the team. He grabbed 4.5 rebounds a game and shot 83.2% from the line.
What makes him special, though, is his defensive ability. Byrd was All-Defense in the Mountain West last year, and EvanMiya ranks him as the 8th best defender in the entire country next year, and arguably the best non-big defender in the country. He averaged 2.1 steals per game and 1.1 blocks per game, making him the only player in the country to average over 2 steals and over one block.
As he enters year four with the program, he knows what he needs to do to win, and he has a lot more help to let him succeed. Don’t be surprised to see his name mentioned on tons of awards this year.
San Diego State Basketball make-or-break player: Magoon Gwath
As mentioned earlier, getting Gwath back was a huge boost for this program, considering how great he was as a freshman. It seemed like something clicked during the Nevada game on January 25th. In this game, plus the six games after, Gwath averaged 13.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 3.1 BPG. He did that on 64% shooting. Then, he got hurt in the Utah State game, and they limped to the end.
Now, he’s healthy and should be a force down low. As mentioned earlier, he finished 8th in the country in blocks per game and should finish in that range once again. Offensively, they’ll rely on him to get second-chance points and to allow the talented wings to thrive. Gwath will be great, but how much he develops will be the difference between this team being great and this team being a legitimate contender.
Key analytic: Defensive Efficiency
You already know this if you watch college basketball, but year in and year out, Brian Dutcher is going to have an elite defense. Since the 2020 season, when they went 30-2 before the tournament was canceled, San Diego State has finished top 21 in defensive efficiency on KenPom every single year. That includes two top 5 finishes.
This year, KenPom has them ranked as the 9th best defense preseason, and don’t be surprised if they end much higher. We know that Byrd and Gwath are elite defenders, and Pharaoh Compton, BJ Davis, and Reese Dixon-Waters are all great defenders as well. As we said at the top of the article, if defense wins championships, this is a team that can certainly hold that title.
San Diego State Basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish: 1st in the Mountain West
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 exit