No. 20 San Diego State resumes conference play Saturday at Viejas Arena – San Diego Union-Tribune

No. 20 San Diego State vs. Utah State

When: Saturday, 3 p.m

Where: Viejas Arena

On air: Fox; 760 p.m

Records: SDSU is 8-2 (1-0); Utah State is 11-1 (1-0)

Series history: SDSU leads 20-10 and is 10-1 at Viejas Arena. The last four home games averaged 17.5 points, including 86-67 last season.

Aztec update: This is the first of three Saturday games on network television, followed by Jan. 4 at Boise State and Jan. 11 at New Mexico, both on CBS. The Aztecs played six games in 16 days and played just one more in the next 16 days, with last Saturday’s 71-50 win over Cal in San Jose. They then receive a midweek bye and then play two games each week except one for the rest of the season. The Aztecs climbed three spots to No. 20 in the latest AP poll, but they are still not listed on 15 of the roughly 60 ballots. They have two voters at No. 13 and five in the top 15. The two keys against Utah State solve their matchup zone, something the Aztecs didn’t do well in the opener against UCSD; and rebounding, which they haven’t done well most of the season but did well against Cal. Still, the numbers are worrying. SDSU ranks 295th nationally in keeping opponents away from the offensive boards, and Utah State ranks ninth in blocking their misses (39.5%). “I’m proud of how we performed in the non-conference, especially without Reese Waters,” Miles Byrd said. “If you had told us that at the start of the season, it would have sounded crazy to say we would be the 20th-ranked team in the country without one of our top scorers.”

Aggies update: The playing teams were ranked fourth (SDSU) and sixth (Utah State) in the Mountain West preseason poll, but emerged as the conference’s best in November and December. SDSU has the conference’s best Kenpom ranking (36); Utah State is best in NET (29). Unlike the previous season, when new coach Danny Sprinkle had to build a squad with zero return points, new coach Jerrod Calhoun from Youngstown State had guards Mason Falslev (17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds) and Ian two key pieces from the regular season champions return Martinez (17.0 points) – one of only two Division I duos to average at least 17 points and 3.0 assists per game. “They know how to play and how to win,” SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said. “You don’t win a regular-season title without knowing how to win.” Isaac Johnson, a 7-0 center who began his career at Oregon, also returns, but the 6-8, 230-pound Karson Templin (10.3 points) played the most minutes. The 10-0 start, which included a neutral-site win over Iowa, was the best in program history before UCSD handed the Aggies their only loss, 75-73, on Dec. 17 in Logan. They bounced back from that with a 75-68 win at St. Mary’s last Sunday.

Next: Jan. 4 at Boise State (1 p.m. PST, CBS)

–MARK ZEIGLER