SDSU at Grand Canyon
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: GCU Arena, Phoenix
On the air: Fox Sports 1; 760-AM
Records: SDSU is 13-4, 7-0; GCU is 11-6, 4-2
Series history: Grand Canyon leads 4-1 overall and 3-1 since both programs have been Division I. The Antelopes are 2-0 against SDSU at GCU Arena, winning 76-72 in 2016 and 79-73 in 2023.
Aztecs update: They head to a venue where they’ve never won without Magoon Gwath, who was ruled out for Wednesday night with what is believed to be a hip problem. That makes an already tough task against a big, physical, athletic team even tougher. But the Aztecs are playing their best basketball of the season, winning seven straight and 10 of 11. Their lone loss since November is against No. 1 Arizona in Phoenix, making this their second trip to the Valley of the Sun in a month. Miles Byrd is coming off his best game of the season: 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and four blocks. It was the sixth 20-point game of his career. However, in the next game after four of the other five, he failed to hit double figures – scoring zero, seven, eight and five points. The Aztecs now rank second in the Mountain West in scoring at 82.0 points (Utah State is first at 85.3) and third in margin of victory at 9.8. Despite losing, New Mexico actually jumped ahead of them in the Kenpom metric (45 to 46). SDSU’s other metrics continue to climb, as high as 32 in KPI and 39 in T-Rank. Kenpom projects a 72-71 Aztecs win.
Antelopes update: Do not be fooled by their WAC roots. This is a growing powerhouse, reaching the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons (and winning a game in 2024). The season has had its shaky moments, with a pair of rare home losses against Youngstown State and Colorado State. But they’ve hit their stride recently, winning by 17 at Boise State and beating then-No. 23 Utah State at home Saturday. They have struggled to score (ranked 152nd in Kenpom offensive efficiency) but the defense has been solid (35th), keeping opponents off the offensive boards and shot blockers Nana Owusu-Anane and 7-1 Efe Demirel. Jaden Henley, a 6-7 UNLV transfer, is fifth in the conference in scoring at 16.9 points. Owusu-Anane, a 6-8, 240-pound transfer from Brown, is fifth in rebounding at 8.9. The other starters are 6-2 Brian Moore Jr. and 6-6 Caleb Shaw. Makiah Williams averages 12.8 points off the bench. There also are transfers from Gonzaga (6-6 Dusty Stromer), Louisville (7-2 Dennis Evans) and Washington (6-10 William Breidenbach).
Next up: Saturday at UNLV (1 p.m., CBS)
