{"id":405736,"date":"2026-07-20T22:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T22:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/405736\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T22:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T22:00:09","slug":"san-diego-state-and-byu-renew-rivalry-with-neutral-site-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/405736\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego State and BYU renew rivalry with neutral-site showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three months after reports first surfaced that former conference rivals\u00a0San Diego State\u00a0<\/a>and BYU would play a neutral-site game, the schools have finally confirmed the details.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Aztecs and Cougars will face off on Saturday, Dec. 19, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to BYU\u2019s website, the deal includes a game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake during the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n

The 11,000-seat Acrisure Arena opened in 2022 and has become a popular site for games and concerts. It hosts the Acrisure Series during Thanksgiving week. The Cougars-Aztecs game and a game earlier that day between Michigan State and Gonzaga<\/a> are considered to be under the Acrisure Series umbrella, as is a game on Nov. 21 between Washington State and Duke.<\/p>\n

Tickets for the Aztecs-Cougars game will go on sale on Wednesday on\u00a0Ticketmaster.com<\/a>. They will not include admission to the Michigan State-Gonzaga game.<\/p>\n

Why this game matters<\/p>\n

Although the intense Kawhi Leonard-Jimmer Fredette showdowns from the Mountain West era are more than a decade in the rearview mirror, this will be an important test for the Aztecs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

BYU has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of its first three seasons in the Big 12. The Cougars lost to Texas in the first round of March Madness last spring and finished 23-12.<\/p>\n

The Aztecs are coming off perhaps the most disappointing season in program history. Their high preseason expectations melted away down the stretch. After\u00a0losing the Mountain West title game to Utah State, they were snubbed on Selection Sunday and missed March Madness for the first time in six seasons. They finished 22-11 after passing on the NIT and The Crown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking forward to renewing our series against Brigham Young, one of the most storied rivalries in West Coast basketball, at this year’s Acrisure Series,” Dutcher told the Palm Springs Desert Sun. “Some of the most memorable and exciting games in San Diego State history have come against the Cougars, and it’s been three years since our last meeting.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Series history<\/p>\n

BYU is 51-26 overall in the series that dates to the 1940-41 season, although SDSU is 7-3 in the 10 non-conference games in the series and 4-1 in neutral-site games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SDSU won the last three neutral-site games against the Cougars, including a thrilling 92-87 double-overtime victory in the Maui Invitational quarterfinals in 2014.<\/p>\n

BYU won the most recent showdown in the series, 74-65 in Provo on Nov. 10, 2023. The previous season, the Aztecs beat the Cougars 82-75 at Viejas Arena.<\/p>\n

The Cougars and Aztecs were decades-long rivals in the Western Athletic Conference and the Mountain West. BYU spent 12 seasons in the West Coast Conference before hitching a ride with the Big 12 starting with the 2023-24 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The height of the rivalry was the 2010-11 season, when Fredette and Leonard were national stars and the teams were in the Top 10. BYU prevailed 71-58 at Provo and again 80-67 in one of the biggest games ever at Viejas Arena.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fittingly, the teams collided in the MWC championship game in Las Vegas, with SDSU winning 72-54.<\/p>\n

Both teams reached the Sweet 16, with the Aztecs losing a 74-67 heartbreaker to UConn up the freeway in Anaheim and BYU losing to Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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