San Diego St. @ Fresno St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 1, 2020 ) Fresno St. 52, San Diego St. 61

One of only two unbeaten teams in the nation, No. 7 San Diego State enters as heavy favorites for Tuesday’s road matchup against struggling Fresno State. However, the Aztecs have lost four of their last five visits to the Save Mart Center and will need to be careful not to overlook the upset-minded Bulldogs.

San Diego State extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 17 games with a dominant effort in last Saturday’s 83-65 win over Boise State as sixth man KJ Feagin broke out of a shooting slump with a season-high 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. The Aztecs have outscored their first six Mountain West opponents by an average of 13.3 points behind the play of Washington State transfer Malachi Flynn, who leads the team in scoring (16.3), assists (5.1) and steals (1.7). “Malachi Flynn is a really, really good basketball player,” Wyoming coach Allen Edwards told reporters. “He’s the best player in our league, from what I’ve seen so far. He’s very unselfish and an extremely smart basketball player. And I think he’s a really good leader.” San Diego State defeated shorthanded Fresno State 61-52 on New Year’s Day, but the Bulldogs will be at full strength for Tuesday’s rematch.

TV: 11 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (17-0, 6-0 Mountain West): The Aztecs had three players finish with 19-plus points in the same game for the first time since 2006 last Saturday with Feagin joining forward Yanni Wetzell (20) and Flynn (19). The Aztecs are playing without 6-10 forward Nathan Mensah (respiratory issue) but have received a spark from junior Matt Mitchell, who has scored in double figures in three of his four games since moving into the starting lineup. Coach Brian Dutcher’s squad is allowing 57 points per game and boasts a deep lineup with 10 players averaging at least 9.4 minutes per contest.

ABOUT FRESNO STATE (5-11, 1-4): Seniors Noah Blackwell and Nate Grimes missed the first matchup against the Aztecs with injuries along with Oregon State transfer Jordan Campbell, who made his season debut in last Tuesday’s 78-64 loss to New Mexico and finished with eight points on 2-of-14 shooting. The Bulldogs’ young roster is led by a pair of freshmen in guard Jarred Hyder and forward Orlando Robinson, who averages a team-high 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds. Grimes averages 12.4 points and 9.6 rebounds and will need to avoid foul trouble against San Diego State’s imposing frontline.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. San Diego State owns a 63-56 lead in the all-time series against Fresno State, but the Bulldogs have won seven of the last 10 meetings.

2. Fresno State is 81-26 at home since the start of the 2013-14 season - including 17-7 under coach Justin Hutson.

3. The Aztecs are 117-16 in their last 133 games when leading at the half – including 17 straight victories.

PREDICTION: San Diego State 79, Fresno State 64