San Diego State will honor five seniors before Friday night’s home finale against UNLV: Reese Dixon-Waters, Miles Byrd, Jeremiah Oden, Sean Newman Jr. and walk-on Cam Lawin.

Maybe they should hand out framed red jerseys to four or five more players, since it likely will be their last game at Viejas Arena, too.

Coach Brian Dutcher had his most revealing comments yet about what could come next for a program that has largely been immune from the disruptive, transient forces of college athletics.

He didn’t outright say his roster is headed for a major overhaul when the transfer portal opens April 7. He certainly hinted at it, though, noting that even players who might want to return might not be afforded the opportunity.

“We talk about it every day,” Dutcher said. “Who wants to come back? Who do we want back? That’s part of it. You have a budget now, you have a payroll, and you’re making decisions like GMs make. Who can help us win and at what price are we willing to pay for that player to come back?

“Not who wants to come back. It’s a double-edged sword: Who do we want to come back? It’s the new nature of it.”

The annual postseason banquet?

Canceled.

“People have stopped having basketball banquets,” Dutcher said. “You look up, and half your team is gone into the portal at the end of the year. … We’ve always had one. I don’t think we’re having one this year. They’ve kind of run their course.

“That’s the new normal. I know people don’t like it, but we’re dealing with a new normal in college athletics and flipping rosters is a part of that.”

Byrd has one season of eligibility remaining after being granted a medical waiver for his first season. This is his fourth year at SDSU and he’s on track to graduate in May, and his decision to participate in Senior Night — and the program’s decision to allow him — speaks to his future.

At this time a year ago, Byrd went public with his intention to return to SDSU and not pursue the transfer portal if he didn’t go pro. Asked if he was willing to make a similar commitment last week, Byrd declined and said, “I haven’t decided anything yet.”

BJ Davis, Taj DeGourville, Pharaoh Compton, Miles Heide … they all could be playing their final game in Viejas Arena as well on Friday night. All indications are that SDSU would decline an invitation to the NIT, which is played on campus sites for the first three rounds, if it doesn’t make the NCAA Tournament.

What on Tuesday night looked like a largely meaningless game with only minor seeding implications at the conference tournament suddenly took on greater importance 24 hours later.

That’s because Utah State lost by 27 at UNLV and Colorado State held on to win at New Mexico after leading by 19, dropping the first-place Aggies to 14-5 and the Lobos into a second-place tie with SDSU at 13-6 with one game to play.

Which means: If the Aztecs win Friday and New Mexico wins at Utah State on Saturday night, the final year of the current Mountain West finishes in a three-way tie for first and, incredible as it might sound, another banner hung in Viejas Arena.

“Despite losing four of our last five games,” Dutcher said Thursday, “we’re a game out of first with one game to play. We need some help, obviously, but we have to help ourselves first.”

Added Dixon-Waters: “I don’t really like the idea that we have to tie. But I’d rather take that over second or third. … I still think we’re the best team in the Mountain West. Our record may not say so, but I believe that.”

It provides yet another lifeline for the unanimous preseason pick in the Mountain West, a chance to salvage something tangible from an otherwise disappointing season.

“Every season your goal is to win (the) conference,” Byrd said. “Despite how we feel about how we played so far this year, we can’t let that take away from the fact that we have the opportunity to be conference champions. That’s what you start working in July for.”

The first step is beating a UNLV team that swept Utah State this season, most recently 95-67 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, and is seeking revenge for an 82-71 Aztecs win at the Thomas & Mack Center on Jan. 24 that got chippy toward the end.

And the Rebels (16-14, 11-8) have been playing well, winning six of their last eight. And the Aztecs (19-10) have not, losing four of five.

“It’s definitely been rough,” Dixon-Waters said.

The most disconcerting part of Tuesday’s 86-77 loss at Boise State was the rebounding column: 37-15 in favor of the Broncos. The Aztecs finished with only two offensive boards, one from freshman Tae Simmons and one that was logged as a team rebound because the ball went out of bounds or a foul was called.

Second-chance points: 21-3.

“Whenever we talk about San Diego State, we don’t just say defense,” Byrd said. “We say defense and rebounding. It’s hard when you get a stop and give up an offensive rebound, and now they have more time on the clock and you’ve got to get another stop.

“We haven’t been doing a great job. We’ve been doing an awful job of it, to be honest. It’s up to us at this point. It’s not the coaches out there going to get rebounds. It’s us that’s got to box out and hit and get physical down in the paint. We have to take more pride in that area.”

But just when you think a team is down or another is flying in this conference, crazy stuff happens. Utah State has lost three of four. New Mexico has lost two of three. SDSU has lost four of five.

That’s your top three teams in the standings.

“Any bettor would be an idiot to bet on the Mountain West,” Byrd said. “You never know what’s going to happen in this league.”

San Diego State (19-10, 13-6) vs. UNLV (16-14, 11-8)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Viejas Arena

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: 760-AM