# 2022–23 San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team

The 2022–23 San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team represented San Diego State University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Aztecs were led by sixth-year head coach Brian Dutcher and played their home games at Viejas Arena as members in the Mountain West Conference.
The Aztecs finished the season 32–7, 15–3 in Mountain West play to win the Mountain West regular season championship. They defeated Colorado State, San Jose State, and Utah State to win the Mountain West tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South region, the school's third straight trip to the tournament. They defeated Charleston and Furman to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2014. They defeated overall No. 1 seed Alabama and Creighton to advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history. In the national semifinal, they defeated Florida Atlantic to advance to the national championship game where they lost to UConn.

## Previous season

The Aztecs finished the 2021–22 season 23–9, 13–4 in Mountain West play to finish in third place. In the Mountain West tournament, they defeated Fresno State and Colorado State to advance to the championship game, where they lost to Boise State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region, where they lost in the first round to Creighton.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Trey Pulliam | 4 | G | 6'3" | 180 | RS Senior | Bryan, TX | Graduated |
| Keith Dinwiddie Jr. | 10 | G | 6'0" | 185 | Sophomore | Los Angeles, CA | Transferred to Weber State |
| Chad Baker-Mazara | 20 | F | 6'7" | 190 | Sophomore | Santo Domingo, DR | Transferred to Northwest Florida State College |
| Tahirou Diabate | 22 | F | 6'9" | 225 | RS Senior | Bamako, Mali | Graduated |
| Joshua Tomaić | 23 | F | 6'9" | 230 | RS Senior | Lanzarote, Spain | Graduated |
| Max Wilson | 25 | G | 6'6" | 190 | Freshman | Reston, VA | Walk-on; not on roster |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Micah Parrish | 3 | F | 6'6" | 194 | Junior | Detroit, MI | Oakland |
| Darrion Trammell | 12 | G | 5'10" | 165 | Senior | Marin City, CA | Seattle |

### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Elijah Saunders #28 PF | Phoenix, AZ | Sunnyslope High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Sep 24, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Miles Byrd SG | Stockton, CA | Lincoln High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jan 20, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 San Diego St. Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. "2022 San Diego St. Player Commits". ESPN.com. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2022* 7:00 p.m. | No. 19 | San Diego Christian | W 102–52 | | 13 – Tied | 9 – LeDee | 6 – Butler | Viejas Arena (11,697) San Diego, CA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., YurView | No. 19 | Cal State Fullerton | W 80–57 | 1–0 | 18 – Trammell | 6 – Mensah | 6 – Bradley | Viejas Arena (11,934) San Diego, CA |
| November 11, 2022* 7:30 p.m., YurView | No. 19 | BYU Rivalry | W 82–75 | 2–0 | 23 – LeDee | 10 – Mensah | 4 – Trammell | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| November 15, 2022* 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 17 | at Stanford | W 74–62 | 3–0 | 14 – LeDee | 6 – Mensah | 6 – Tied | Maples Pavilion (3,945) Stanford, CA |
| November 21, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 17 | vs. Ohio State Maui Invitational Tournament Quarterfinals | W 88–77 | 4–0 | 18 – Bradley | 5 – Tied | 4 – Trammell | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 22, 2022* 7:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 17 | vs. No. 14 Arizona Maui Invitational Tournament Semifinals | L 70–87 | 4–1 | 21 – Trammell | 7 – Mensah | 2 – Trammell | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 23, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 17 | vs. No. 9 Arkansas Maui Invitational Tournament – 3rd Place | L 74–78 $^{OT}$ | 4–2 | 23 – Bradley | 8 – Bradley | 2 – Trammell | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 29, 2022* 7:00 p.m., YurView | No. 24 | UC Irvine | W 72–69 | 5–2 | 18 – Mensah | 6 – Tied | 5 – Trammell | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| December 2, 2022* 7:00 p.m., YurView | No. 24 | Occidental | W 95–57 | 6–2 | 20 – Seiko | 8 – Saunders | 8 – Bradley | Viejas Arena (12,115) San Diego, CA |
| December 5, 2022* 7:00 p.m., YurView | No. 22 | Troy | W 60–55 | 7–2 | 19 – Bradley | 9 – Mensah | 4 – Trammell | Viejas Arena (12,038) San Diego, CA |
| December 10, 2022* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 22 | vs. Saint Mary's Jerry Colangelo Classic | L 61–68 | 7–3 | 13 – Bradley | 8 – LeDee | 4 – Tied | Footprint Center Phoenix, AZ |
| December 12, 2022* 7:00 p.m., YurView | | Kennesaw State | W 88–54 | 8–3 | 19 – Parrish | 9 – Mensah | 4 – Tied | Viejas Arena (11,532) San Diego, CA |
| December 20, 2022* 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | UC–San Diego | W 62–46 | 9–3 | 18 – Trammell | 12 – LeDee | 4 – Trammell | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| Mountain West regular season |||||||||
| December 28, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Air Force | W 71–55 | 10–3 (1–0) | 27 – Bradley | 7 – Mensah | 5 – Trammell | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| December 31, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS | | at UNLV Rivalry | W 76–67 | 11–3 (2–0) | 23 – Bradley | 11 – Mensah | 5 – Trammell | Thomas & Mack Center (7,249) Paradise, NV |
| January 7, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBS | | at Wyoming | W 80–75 | 12–3 (3–0) | 23 – Butler | 9 – LeDee | 3 – Tied | Arena-Auditorium (4,346) Laramie, WY |
| January 10, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 23 | Nevada | W 74–65 | 13–3 (4–0) | 17 – Bradley | 10 – Bradley | 4 – Tied | Viejas Arena (12,183) San Diego, CA |
| January 14, 2023 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 23 | New Mexico | L 67–76 | 13–4 (4–1) | 14 – Bradley | 7 – Johnson | 5 – Bradley | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| January 18, 2023 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Colorado State | W 82–76 $^{OT}$ | 14–4 (5–1) | 19 – Butler | 7 – Johnson | 7 – Bradley | Moby Arena (6,008) Fort Collins, CO |
| January 21, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Air Force | W 70–60 | 15–4 (6–1) | 13 – Tied | 10 – Johnson | 2 – Tied | Clune Arena (1,489) Colorado Springs, CO |
| January 25, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Utah State | W 85–75 | 16–4 (7–1) | 25 – Seiko | 10 – Johnson | 4 – Tied | Viejas Arena (12,239) San Diego, CA |
| January 28, 2023 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | San José State | W 72–51 | 17–4 (8–1) | 16 – Johnson | 8 – Tied | 5 – Butler | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| January 31, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | at Nevada | L 66–75 | 17–5 (8–2) | 16 – Bradley | 5 – LeDee | 5 – Butler | Lawlor Events Center (9,357) Reno, NV |
| February 3, 2023 6:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 22 | Boise State | W 72–52 | 18–5 (9–2) | 17 – Mensah | 6 – Mensah | 7 – Trammell | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| February 8, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 25 | at Utah State | W 63–61 | 19–5 (10–2) | 18 – Bradley | 10 – LeDee | 5 – Butler | Smith Spectrum (8,765) Logan, UT |
| February 11, 2023 1:00 p.m., FOX | No. 25 | UNLV Rivalry | W 82–71 | 20–5 (11–2) | 18 – Seiko | 11 – Mensah | 7 – Butler | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| February 15, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 21 | at Fresno State | W 45–43 | 21–5 (12–2) | 10 – Bradley | 9 – Johnson | 3 – Bradley | Save Mart Center (7,012) Fresno, CA |
| February 21, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | Colorado State | W 77–58 | 22–5 (13–2) | 14 – LeDee | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| February 25, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | at New Mexico | W 73–71 | 23–5 (14–2) | 18 – Trammell | 10 – Johnson | 7 – Bradley | The Pit (15,431) Albuquerque, NM |
| February 28, 2023 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 18 | at Boise State | L 60–66 | 23–6 (14–3) | 16 – Bradley | 6 – Bradley | 2 – Tied | ExtraMile Arena (12,208) Boise, ID |
| March 4, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 18 | Wyoming | W 67–50 | 24–6 (15–3) | 21 – LeDee | 8 – LeDee | 6 – Butler | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| Mountain West tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 12:00 p.m., CBSSN | (1) No. 20 | vs. (8) Colorado State Quarterfinals | W 64–61 | 25–6 | 16 – Butler | 8 – Tied | 3 – LeDee | Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, NV |
| March 10, 2023 6:30 p.m., CBSSN | (1) No. 20 | vs. (5) San Jose State Semifinals | W 64–49 | 26–6 | 15 – Tied | 8 – Mensah | 4 – Butler | Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, NV |
| March 11, 2023 3:00 p.m., CBS/Paramount+ | (1) No. 20 | vs. (3) Utah State Championship | W 62–57 | 27–6 | 16 – Bradley | 10 – LeDee | 3 – Butler | Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 16, 2023* 12:25 p.m., TruTV | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (12 S) Charleston First Round | W 63–57 | 28–6 | 17 – Bradley | 10 – LeDee | 5 – Butler | Amway Center (15,650) Orlando, FL |
| March 18, 2023* 9:10 a.m., CBS | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (13 S) Furman Second Round | W 75–52 | 29–6 | 16 – Parrish | 9 – Mensah | 6 – Butler | Amway Center (17,298) Orlando, FL |
| March 24, 2023* 3:30 p.m., TBS | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (1 S) No. 1 Alabama Sweet Sixteen | W 71–64 | 30–6 | 21 – Trammell | 8 – Tied | 4 – Butler | KFC Yum! Center (20,289) Louisville, KY |
| March 26, 2023* 11:20 a.m., CBS | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (6 S) Creighton Elite Eight | W 57–56 | 31–6 | 18 – Butler | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center (20,051) Louisville, KY |
| April 1, 2023* 3:09 p.m., CBS | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (9 E) No. 25 Florida Atlantic Final Four | W 72–71 | 32–6 | 21 – Bradley | 6 – Tied | 3 – Butler | NRG Stadium (73,860) Houston, TX |
| April 3, 2023* 6:20 p.m., CBS | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (4 W) No. 10 UConn National Championship | L 59–76 | 32–7 | 14 – Johnson | 6 – Mensah | 2 – Butler | NRG Stadium (72,423) Houston, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. E=East. W=West. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final |
| AP | 19 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 22 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | RV | 22 | 25 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 18 | Not released |
| Coaches | 20 | 19 | 19 | 24 | 22 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | 23 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 2 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.