The last time San Diego State hosted UCLA in men’s basketball in front of fans, at what was then called the Sports Arena on Dec. 14, 1991, the Aztecs were in the midst of a 2-26 season that coach Jim Brandenburg would not survive. The team’s two tallest players quit before the season. One of the top returnees shut it down after six games with a knee injury.
Third-ranked UCLA won 84-64 despite missing two starters.
Oh, how times have changed.
They have met several times since in Viejas Arena, in closed-door scrimmages and in 2020 during a pandemic tournament without spectators. Friday’s 7 p.m. exhibition game at Viejas, though, is fully open to the public and a crowd of about 7,000 is expected.
UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., left, is called for charging on San Diego State guard Terrell Gomez (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
The Bruins are still ranked — No. 12 in the Associated Press preseason poll — and the Aztecs are not. But SDSU is no longer a doormat (and laughingstock) of college basketball, reaching more NCAA Tournaments over the last 15 seasons (11), ahem, than the sport’s most storied program (10).
That UCLA coach Mick Cronin agreed to a game in Viejas with spectators raised some eyebrows — it’s been decades since the Bruins have played an out-of-conference road game in Southern California — but it makes sense on several levels, starting with the $90,000 that they’ll receive. It also provides a valuable progress report against quality opposition midway through the six-week slog of preseason practice.
And, perhaps more important, a progress report against quality opposition in front of a live crowd.
In the past, the NCAA allowed Division I teams to face each other in October only as closed-door scrimmages, the particulars of which only sometimes leaked out. That changed in recent years with the advent of charity exhibitions. The difference this year is that the charity is the players, with proceeds going to the revenue-sharing kitties of each athletic department.
“It adds the element of extra emotion when the crowd is into the game,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said. “As much as coaches want to keep it business on the court, there is an emotional component to it when you play in front of fans. I’m sure Coach Cronin is excited to see how his team will respond in what will be a difficult environment.
“We’ll see how our team responds, whether I start seeing things outside of what I see in practice, where they don’t get caught up in emotions and get out of character with how they play. That’s the beauty of playing a game like this in front of fans. Not only do you get to see your team, but you get to see how they perform in an environment that we always have in Viejas.”
San Diego State’s Miles Byrd celebrates after making a three pointer against Boise State during the quarterfinal of the Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Dutcher will have 12 of 13 scholarship players available, although junior guard Miles Byrd is not expected to start after missing more than a week with an abdominal strain. The lone absentee will be 7-foot sophomore Magoon Gwath: the Mountain West Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year underwent knee surgery in April and hasn’t returned to full practice.
Gwath, though, took a big step closer after a Thursday morning check-up with his surgeon. He was cleared for “5-on-0” drills in practice, with the goal of progressing to live contact in a few weeks.
“It was good news,” Dutcher said. “He’s right on track. The plan is to have him ready to go (in games) sometime in November. Whether it’s early November or late November, that I don’t know. That date will be determined by how he progresses through this return to play.
“There will be a level of frustration, because whatever we all remember him being, it’s going to take him a while to get back there just because he’s played only one game (March 18 against North Carolina) since he got hurt in late February. The timing and everything to get him back to where he was when he got hurt, I can’t rush that process.”
Dutcher indicated his starters against UCLA might not be the same as his starters for the Oct. 29 exhibition against USD, which might not be the same as for the Nov. 4 season opener against Long Beach State. The position battles are that close, particularly at point guard and center.
Once the Aztecs are fully healthy, you figure, Byrd and Gwath both will start. Neither will Friday.
All 12 available bodies are expected to get time, including redshirt freshman Thokbor Majak and true freshmen Elzie Harrington and Tae Simmons.
“If we were playing for the conference title, I’d have him out there (starting),” Dutcher said of Byrd, who returned to practice only on Wednesday. “I’m looking to reward some guys, too, who haven’t missed a day of practice since we started, guys who have been out here every day.
“We all know what Byrd is. He’s a magnificent player. I don’t need to see him in this situation. I know what he’ll be like. I’ll play him some, but the result is irrelevant and I’m trying to get a look at bodies.”
UCLA coach Mick Cronin yells towards his players during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Tennessee, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
UCLA will provide a stern test. The Bruins return four key pieces from a 23-11 team that won a game in the NCAA Tournament, most notably seniors Tyler Bilodeau and Skyy Clark. To that, they added several impact transfers headlined by point guard Donovan Dent, who averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game at New Mexico on the way to Mountain West Player of the Year honors last season.
They also got 6-11 Xavier Booker, a former five-star recruit, from Michigan State; 6-5 sharpshooter Jamar Brown from Missouri-Kansas City; and 6-10 post Steven Jamerson III from USD.
To see California’s best two programs over the past decade, you’ll have to buy tickets, which were sold outside the season-ticket package. (Plenty of seats are available starting at $47.15, including fees.)
There is no TV, and the only radio coverage is UCLA’s.
“I think both teams will compete hard, but I don’t think either one of us will be upset with the outcome of the game,” Dutcher said. “We’ll get a feel for our teams. As much as we think we know our teams, we’ll have more answers after this exhibition — good, bad and in between.”
San Diego State vs. No. 12 UCLA (exhibition)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Viejas Arena
TV/radio: None
Originally Published: October 16, 2025 at 7:07 PM PDT