One of the powerhouses of the Mid-Majors, San Diego State basketball, looks to make a statement in year one in the Pac-12.
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.
One of the most successful teams in all of college basketball in the last decade resides in none other than San Diego. The Aztecs have had one season where they went 30-2, and another season where they made it all the way to the National Championship. A big reason why is Brian Dutcher. In his nine seasons at San Diego State, he’s won at least 21 games every time and has made the tournament in all but two seasons.
Last year was one of those, however, finishing on the wrong side of the bubble despite a very talented roster. At one point, they were 6-4, and with the Mountain West not being as strong as usual, a second-place finish in the Mountain West wasn’t good enough. They will look very different this year, with the top four scorers and five of the top six all exiting.
They retooled with some high-level mid-major additions, like Chance Gladden, who averaged 14 at Boston, and Nick Anderson, not the former Orlando Magic star, but the 16 PPG scorer from Rice. All five of their mid-major additions averaged double-digit scoring, showing their capability to score, and for the most part efficiently.
What’s more important than the portal additions are the returners. Elzie Harrington and Tae Simmons are two guys who are more than capable of breaking out this year after solid freshman years. They also add several European transfers for depth.
While the Pac-12 won’t be completely new, with some of their Mountain West foes joining the conference as well, it’s certainly not going to be a cakewalk. From a talent standpoint, this might be their worst roster in a long time, but Brian Dutcher has proven time and time again that he is not one to doubt.
Head coach: Brian Dutcher (10th season overall, all at San Diego State)
2025-26 record: 22-11 (14-6)
2026 postseason finish: No tournament
Notable departures:
- Reese Dixon-Waters (13.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.3 APG)
- BJ Davis (10.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.2 APG)
- Miles Byrd (10.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.6 APG)
- Magoon Gwath (8.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.3 APG)
- Pharaoh Compton (7.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.3 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Colorado (Nov. 7)
- vs. Iowa State (Nov. 24)
Projected Rotation
PG: Chance Gladden (6-4, 185, So.)
2025-26 stats: 14.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 47.6 FG%, 34.7 3P%, 86.7 FT% (Boston U)
SG: Elzie Harrington (6-5, 188, So.)
2025-26 stats: 8.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 47.9 FG%, 81.3 FT%
SF: Isaiah Sy (6-7, 200, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 34.1 FG%, 35.4 3P%, 87.1 FT% (Oregon State)
PF: Tae Simmons (6-6, 230, So.)
2025-26 stats: 5.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.4 SPG, 64.7 FG%, 63.1 FT%
C: Bear Cherry (6-11, 250, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 15.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 48.1 FG%, 69.2 FT%, 6 GP (Sacramento State)
6: Nick Anderson (6-3, 195, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 15.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 43.8 FG%, 40.0 3P%, 81.2 FT% (Rice)
7: Latrell Davis (6-3, 212, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 11.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 45.3 FG%, 38.3 3P%, 68.5 FT% (San Jose State)
*Redshirted last season
8: David Torresani (6-2, 185, Fr.)
2025-26 stats: 3.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 1.1 APG (Italy)
9: Luka Skoric (6-9, 195, Fr.)
2025-26 stats: 6.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 51.0 FG%, 36.2 3P% (Croatia)
10: Thokbor Majak (7-1, 215, So.)
2025-26 stats: 0.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.0 APG, 8 games played
San Diego State basketball team MVP: Elzie Harrington
Harrington is the third-highest-rated recruit in San Diego State history, one spot ahead of… Kawhi Leonard. Freshman year, he started 17 of 23 games and averaged 8 a game. He’s good at getting downhill and looked extremely comfortable out there, even during games where he struggled from the floor.
One of the biggest questions is going to be his three-point shot. In the first six games of the season, he shot 10-11 from deep, which is insane. The rest of the season (17 games), he shot 7-for-28. If he can find a middle ground, that adds a new dimension to his game and makes him a breakout candidate for this San Diego State basketball team.
San Diego State basketball make-or-break player: Bear Cherry
Bear Cherry played just six games at Sacramento State last year, and he was terrific, averaging 15.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 2.3 blocks per game. Then, you look at who those numbers are against. The teams are listed below:
- Dominican (CA)
- Jessup
- UC Santa Barbara
- UC Davis
- Presbyterian
- UCLA
In the UCLA game, who scored just two points in 12 minutes, then suffered his season-ending injury. So, can he be a game-changing player, or is the combination of a knee injury plus lack of big performances going to show? The good news is he played at UNLV the season before, where he still managed to put up decent stats. So, we know he can play at this level, but his ceiling will play a big part in San Diego State basketball as well.
Key statistic: Opponent two-point percentage
Want to know how to win a lot of games? Don’t let your opponents score inside. San Diego State basketball is one of the best at accomplishing that, finishing 16th last year. This is their fourth time in six years finishing top 20 in that category, and not allowing any easy buckets and forcing both difficult mid-range and threes has led to a lot of success.
With Magoon Gwath, their defensive anchor, gone, they’ll look to Cherry to fill the void. Thokbor Majak is extremely lanky as well, and can earn himself extended minutes in the lineup due to that. No matter what, if a team is going to beat San Diego State, they’re going to do it by making a lot of jumpers.
San Diego State basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 2nd in the Pac-12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament first-round exit