UNLV @ San Diego St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 26, 2020 ) San Diego St. 71, UNLV 67

Fourth-ranked San Diego State already has clinched the seventh regular-season Mountain West championship in school history. But the Aztecs, the nation's lone undefeated team, still have plenty riding on the line when they host UNLV on Saturday afternoon.

San Diego State's 26-game win streak is the longest active win streak in the nation and is the best start to a season by any Division I team since Gonzaga went 29-0 in 2016-17. Perhaps more important is the fact the NCAA Committee listed the Aztecs fourth overall in its preliminary NCAA Tournament rankings and as a potential No. 1 seed in the East Region behind No. 1 Baylor, Kansas and Gonzaga. Only three games stand between San Diego State becoming the first team to post an undefeated season in the Mountain West's 21-year history beginning with the contest with the Runnin' Rebels who are tied for fifth place with Colorado State but took the Aztecs down to the wire in their first meeting Jan. 26 in Las Vegas before losing, 71-67. "I just think we have that dog in us, we just have that dog," Aztecs forward Matt Mitchell told the San Diego Union Tribune after Tuesday's 72-55 victory at Boise State. "I'm really a true believer in that. Every guy on this team, one through 15, we're just all dogs and we want to go get it."

TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT UNLV (14-14, 9-6 MW): The Runnin' Rebels have won three of their last four games, including a 80-56 smackdown of visiting Colorado State on Tuesday as sophomore guard Bryce Hamilton posted his third double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds while senior guard Elijah Mitrou-Long added 16 points and six assists. UNLV shot 50 percent for the game (33-of-66), including 10-of-24 from 3-point range, and outrebounded the Rams, 46-26. Hamilton leads the team in scoring (15.6) and is averaging 21.7 points in Mountain West play while guards Amauri Hardy (14.0) and Mitrou-Long (11.6) and forward Donnie Tillman (10.1) also are averaging double figures.

ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (26-0, 15-0): Junior guard Malachi Flynn is the frontrunner for conference player of the year honors and leads the team in scoring (16.7), assists (5.1) and steals (1.9) while also shooting 37.7 percent from 3-point range. Mitchell is second in scoring (12.4) while also shooting 40.7 percent beyond the arc. Yanni Wetzell, a 6-10 senior forward who is a grad transfer from Vanderbilt, has been one of the big surprises in the league averaging 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds while junior guard Jordan Schakel is also averaging double digits (10.1 points) and leads the team in 3-point shooting, connecting on 56-of-129 attempts (43.4 percent).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. San Diego State leads the series with UNLV, 37-36, but has won 16 of the last 17 meetings.

2. The Aztecs are 13-0 at home this season with an average winning margin of 18.8 points.

3. Flynn, who has scored in double figures in 25 of 26 games, is the only player in the nation averaging 16 points and five assists and also has an assist-to-turnover ratio of at least three-to-one.

PREDICTION: San Diego State 81, UNLV 63