# 2021–22 San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team

The 2021–22 San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team represented San Diego State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Aztecs, led by fifth-year head coach Brian Dutcher, played their home games at Viejas Arena as members in the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 23–9, 13–4 in Mountain West Play to finish in third place. As the No. 3 seed 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.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Aztecs finished the 2020–21 season 23–5, 14–3 in Mountain West play to win the regular season championship. In the Mountain West tournament, they defeated Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah State to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the Midwest region. There they lost in the first round to Syracuse.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Terrell Gomez | 3 | G | 5'8" | 165 | Senior | Los Angeles, CA | Graduated |
| Matt Mitchell | 11 | F | 6'6" | 235 | Senior | Riverside, CA | Graduated |
| Jordan Schakel | 20 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Senior | Torrance, CA | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Matt Bradley | 3 | G | 6'4" | 220 | Senior | San Bernardino, CA | California |
| Jaedon LeDee | 13 | F | 6'9" | 240 | Senior | Houston, TX | TCU |
| Chad Baker-Mazara | 20 | F | 6'7" | 190 | Sophomore | Santo Domingo, DR | Duquesne |
| Tahirou Diabate | 22 | F | 6'9" | 225 | RS Senior | Bamako, Mali | Portland |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Demarshay Johnson, Jr. C | Richmond, CA | Salesian High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Nov 10, 2020 |
| 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: "2021 San Diego St. Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. "2020 San Diego St. Player Commits". ESPN.com. "2021 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 3, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | Saint Katherine | W 65–44 | | 15 – Bradley | 11 – Mensah | 3 – Seiko | Viejas Arena (10,464) San Diego, CA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., YurView | | UC Riverside | W 66–53 | 1–0 | 23 – Bradley | 10 – Mensah | 2 – Mensah | Viejas Arena (11,729) San Diego, CA |
| November 12, 2021* 6:00 p.m., BYUtv | | at BYU Rivalry | L 60–66 | 1–1 | 18 – Mensah | 8 – Mensah | 4 – Pulliam | Marriott Center (16,470) Provo, UT |
| November 18, 2021* 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | | Arizona State | W 65–63 | 2–1 | 14 – Butler | 9 – Mensah | 4 – Pulliam | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| November 20, 2021* 7:00 p.m., YurView | | UT Arlington | W 68–62 | 3–1 | 15 – Bradley | 6 – Bradley | 3 – Bradley | Viejas Arena (11,903) San Diego, CA |
| November 25, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Georgetown Wooden Legacy Semifinals | W 73–56 | 4–1 | 18 – Bradley | 7 – Bradley | 8 – Pulliam | Anaheim Convention Center (1,402) Anaheim, CA |
| November 26, 2021* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 24 USC Wooden Legacy Championship | L 43–58 | 4–2 | 11 – Pulliam | 7 – Mensah | 2 – Bradley | Anaheim Convention Center (2,890) Anaheim, CA |
| November 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., Stadium | | Long Beach State | W 72–47 | 5–2 | 16 – Pulliam | 11 – Mensah | 5 – Pulliam | Viejas Arena (11,917) San Diego, CA |
| December 4, 2021* 10:00 a.m., CBS | | at No. 24 Michigan | L 58–72 | 5–3 | 22 – Bradley | 7 – Johnson | 2 – Tied | Crisler Center (12,523) Ann Arbor, MI |
| December 8, 2021* 7:00 p.m., YurView | | Cal State Fullerton | W 66–56 | 6–3 | 22 – Bradley | 9 – Mensah | 3 – Tied | Viejas Arena (11,823) San Diego, CA |
| December 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FloSports | | vs. Saint Mary's Jerry Colangelo Classic | W 63–53 | 7–3 | 15 – Pulliam | 13 – Mensah | 6 – Pulliam | Footprint Center (1,500) Phoenix, AZ |
| December 22, 2021* 6:00 p.m., Stadium | | UC San Diego | W 78–57 | 8–3 | 19 – Mensah | 9 – Mensah | 7 – Pulliam | Viejas Arena (10,912) San Diego, CA |
| December 28, 2021* 6:00 p.m., YurView | | San Diego Christian | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Viejas Arena San Diego, CA |
| Mountain West regular season |||||||||
| January 1, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS | | at UNLV Rivalry | W 62–55 | 9–3 (1–0) | 17 – Bradley | 11 – Johnson | 3 – Seiko | Thomas & Mack Center (5,082) Paradise, NV |
| January 8, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS | | No. 20 Colorado State | W 79–49 | 10–3 (2–0) | 26 – Bradley | 8 – Arop | 4 – Pulliam | Viejas Arena (10,323) San Diego, CA |
| January 15, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at New Mexico | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | The Pit Albuquerque, NM |
| January 22, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Boise State | L 37–42 | 10–4 (2–1) | 10 – Tied | 9 – Mensah | 3 – Butler | Viejas Arena (11,357) San Diego, CA |
| January 24, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | UNLV Rivalry/Originally scheduled for Jan. 18 | W 80–55 | 11–4 (3–1) | 27 – Bradley | 7 – Johnson | 4 – Bradley | Viejas Arena (10,528) San Diego, CA |
| January 26, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Utah State | L 57–75 | 11–5 (3–2) | 19 – Bradley | 6 – Bradley | 5 – Bradley | Smith Spectrum (7,312) Logan, UT |
| January 31, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | New Mexico | W 72–47 | 12–5 (4–2) | 14 – Tied | 10 – Johnson | 6 – Pulliam | Viejas Arena (10,951) San Diego, CA |
| February 4, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Colorado State | L 57–58 | 12–6 (4–3) | 27 – Bradley | 8 – Arop | 3 – Pulliam | Moby Arena (8,063) Fort Collins, CO |
| February 6, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Nevada | W 65–63 | 13–6 (5–3) | 26 – Bradley | 7 – Bradley | 3 – Tied | Viejas Arena (10,330) San Diego, CA |
| February 9, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at San José State | W 72–62 | 14–6 (6–3) | 28 – Bradley | 8 – Tomaic | 3 – Tied | Provident Credit Union Event Center (2,541) San Jose, CA |
| February 12, 2022 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Air Force | W 76–64 | 15–6 (7–3) | 14 – Mensah | 6 – Mensah | 5 – Bradley | Viejas Arena (10,784) San Diego, CA |
| February 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Utah State | W 75–56 | 16–6 (8–3) | 22 – Bradley | 8 – Mensah | 5 – Bradley | Viejas Arena (10,516) San Diego, CA |
| February 19, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Fresno State | W 61–44 | 17–6 (9–3) | 20 – Baker-Mazara | 7 – Bradley | 8 – Pulliam | Save Mart Center (7,261) Fresno, CA |
| February 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Boise State | L 57–58 | 17–7 (9–4) | 13 – Mensah | 11 – Mensah | 5 – Bradley | ExtraMile Arena (9,193) Boise, ID |
| February 25, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | San José State | W 77–52 | 18–7 (10–4) | 16 – Baker-Mazara | 13 – Mensah | 3 – Tied | Viejas Arena (12,071) San Diego, CA |
| February 28, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Wyoming | W 73–66 | 19–7 (11–4) | 30 – Bradley | 9 – Mensah | 4 – Bradley | Arena-Auditorium (5,438) Laramie, WY |
| March 3, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Fresno State | W 65–64 $^{2OT}$ | 20–7 (12–4) | 26 – Bradley | 10 – Bradley | 4 – Pulliam | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| March 5, 2022 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | | at Nevada | W 79–78 | 21–7 (13–4) | 24 – Bradley | 6 – Tied | 4 – Pulliam | Lawlor Events Center (8,173) Reno, NV |
| Mountain West tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 8:30 p.m., CBSSN | (3) | vs. (6) Fresno State Quarterfinals | W 53–46 | 22–7 | 11 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 4 – Butler | Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, NV |
| March 11, 2022 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | (3) | vs. (2) No. 23 Colorado State Semifinals | W 63–58 | 23–7 | 11 – Pulliam | 6 – Tied | 6 – Pulliam | Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, NV |
| March 12, 2022 3:00 p.m., CBS/Paramount+ | (3) | vs. (1) Boise State Championship | L 52–53 | 23–8 | 17 – Bradley | 10 – Mensah | 3 – Pulliam | Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022 4:27 p.m., TruTV | (8 MW) | vs. (9 MW) Creighton First Round | L 69–72 $^{OT}$ | 23–9 | 17 – Baker-Mazara | 8 – Bradley | 3 – Tied | Dickies Arena (10,560) Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked 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 | RV | RV | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | — | * | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings. No coaches poll for Week 1.