Photo Credit: CEO David Frerker

The No. 17/15 San Diego State Aztecs will host UC Santa Barbra at a sold-out Viejas Arena (12,414) on the campus of San Diego State. If you have tickets for this game you need to show up and support the Aztecs. Games against UCSB have been externally close in the past and the Aztecs will need all of the support they can get! The Aztecs will enter Thursday night’s game as favorites against UCSB. The players to watch in Thursday’s game are Jamaal Franklin and Chase Tapley. Jamaal Franklin enters the game against UCSB averaging 19.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3 assists in seven games this season. Chase Tapley enters the game against UCSB averaging 12 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in six games this season.

Photo Credit: CEO David Frerker. San Diego State’s DeShawn Stephens controlling the opening tipoff

The Aztecs are still trying to improve with shooting from the floor and behind the arc. The Aztecs are shooting 41.3% from the floor and 31.2% from behind the arc. This team has a plethora of shooters and can blow out teams when they are shooting their best as they did against Arkansas Pine Bluff and UCLA.The Aztecs need major improvement in the free throw game but have improved their free throw shooting average to 64.8%. The Aztecs have also been working harder this season on offensive and defensive rebounds. The Aztecs have shown how much work pays off in the rebounding game as the Aztecs are out rebounding their opponents 293 to 257.

The San Diego State Aztecs are ranked 17th by the AP Top 25 and 15th in the USA Today coaches poll. This is perhaps the most hyped team in SDSU history even more so than the 34-3 team two years ago. The Aztecs starting five for Thursday’s game will be Xavier Thames, Chase Tapley. Jamaal Franklin, JJ ‘O Brien and DeShawn Stephens. Once again the only San Diego State freshman who is red-shirting this season is Matt Shrigley. Look for Skylar Spencer, Winston Shepard and Dwayne Polee II to receive a lot of minutes in the upcoming game.

The Gauchos have some height on their team with Keegan Hornbuckle (6-7), Allan Williams (6-7), Lewis Thomas (6-7), Mitch Brewe (6-8), Taran Brown (6-8), Drew Dickey (6-8) and Sam Beeler (6-10). The smallest player on the UCSB team is T.J. Taylor (5-9). The Gauchos also have a good sized squad that will match up well with the Aztecs and we are expecting to see a battle on the boards. The Gauchos did lose their two top guards from last season that caused issues for the Aztecs. The last time the Aztecs and Gauchos met last season the Aztecs escaped UCSB with a 76 to 75 win in overtime. Below we have the highlight video from that matchup between UCSB and SDSU.

Game Day Information

Game information: Tipoff 7:00 p.m. PT Viejas Arena in San Diego California, California.

Radio: KOGO 600 – for link to internet radio please Click Here

TV: Time Warner Cable Sports Net – HD Channel #403 if you need to find out what Time Warner Cable Sports Net channels you receive please Click Here

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