Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Insider: SDSU road tilt added
8/28/2019 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Lopes return to site of 2015 win; Aztecs to visit GCU too
When Grand Canyon last visited San Diego State in 2015, it came away with a win that remains one of the program's best triumphs in the Lopes' Division I era.
The Lopes will take a crack at repeating the feat in November, when GCU returns to Viejas Arena to face the Aztecs for a game that finalizes a 30-game schedule for 2019-20. San Diego State will return to GCU Arena during the 2020-21 season.
GCU already assembled a challenging schedule that features a home game against Illinois, a game at New Mexico, a neutral-site game against Liberty and entry in the Paradise Jam tournament field. A Nov. 13 game at San Diego State brings more quality to the Lopes' slate with the Aztecs being one of nine teams in the nation to have won 19 or more games in each of the past 14 seasons. SDSU is among nine teams to reach the NCAA tournament seven times in the past 10 years.
"We've played San Diego State in a home-and-home and to have them do it again is another opportunity for us to play a really good program," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said. "We'll play in a really good environment there against an accomplished Mountain West Conference team and them have them come back here to be a marquee game at home, along with playing New Mexico here that same year. To have two Mountain West teams on our floor is big for us. Playing those two teams in a great environment on the road will be good for our guys so I'm excited."
The Lopes are 3-0 in their history against the Aztecs, starting with a 1980 win before the teams met for another home-and-home series during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. GCU won 52-45 at SDSU in 2015 with Keonta Vernon posting 16 points and 11 rebounds and the Lopes holding the Aztecs to 31.5 percent shooting. SDSU reached the NIT Final Four that season. That game marks one of only 31 home losses the Aztecs have suffered over the past 14 seasons.
When SDSU came to GCU Arena in 2016, the Lopes won 76-72 with 21 points and 9 assists from DeWayne Russell and 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals from Oscar Frayer, a senior on this season's Lopes team.
SDSU is returning six of its top nine scorers from last season and is replacing its backcourt with talented transfers -- junior Malachi Flynn, who sat out last season after moving from Washington State, and K.J. Feagin, a graduate transfer who was selected to the All-West Coast Conference first team for Santa Clara last season.
The Aztecs are in their third year under head coach Brian Dutcher, who was officially labeled "head coach in waiting" as an assistant coach for former head coach Steve Fisher. With Fisher raising the program, SDSU has finished in the top four of the Mountain West for 14 years and won or shared first place in the conference six times during that stretch. The Aztecs are 348-136 (.719) since 2005-06 with Sweet 16 trips in 2011 and 2014.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
The Lopes will take a crack at repeating the feat in November, when GCU returns to Viejas Arena to face the Aztecs for a game that finalizes a 30-game schedule for 2019-20. San Diego State will return to GCU Arena during the 2020-21 season.
GCU already assembled a challenging schedule that features a home game against Illinois, a game at New Mexico, a neutral-site game against Liberty and entry in the Paradise Jam tournament field. A Nov. 13 game at San Diego State brings more quality to the Lopes' slate with the Aztecs being one of nine teams in the nation to have won 19 or more games in each of the past 14 seasons. SDSU is among nine teams to reach the NCAA tournament seven times in the past 10 years.
"We've played San Diego State in a home-and-home and to have them do it again is another opportunity for us to play a really good program," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said. "We'll play in a really good environment there against an accomplished Mountain West Conference team and them have them come back here to be a marquee game at home, along with playing New Mexico here that same year. To have two Mountain West teams on our floor is big for us. Playing those two teams in a great environment on the road will be good for our guys so I'm excited."
The Lopes are 3-0 in their history against the Aztecs, starting with a 1980 win before the teams met for another home-and-home series during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. GCU won 52-45 at SDSU in 2015 with Keonta Vernon posting 16 points and 11 rebounds and the Lopes holding the Aztecs to 31.5 percent shooting. SDSU reached the NIT Final Four that season. That game marks one of only 31 home losses the Aztecs have suffered over the past 14 seasons.
When SDSU came to GCU Arena in 2016, the Lopes won 76-72 with 21 points and 9 assists from DeWayne Russell and 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals from Oscar Frayer, a senior on this season's Lopes team.
SDSU is returning six of its top nine scorers from last season and is replacing its backcourt with talented transfers -- junior Malachi Flynn, who sat out last season after moving from Washington State, and K.J. Feagin, a graduate transfer who was selected to the All-West Coast Conference first team for Santa Clara last season.
The Aztecs are in their third year under head coach Brian Dutcher, who was officially labeled "head coach in waiting" as an assistant coach for former head coach Steve Fisher. With Fisher raising the program, SDSU has finished in the top four of the Mountain West for 14 years and won or shared first place in the conference six times during that stretch. The Aztecs are 348-136 (.719) since 2005-06 with Sweet 16 trips in 2011 and 2014.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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