College Basketball Watchability Rankings: 5 games to watch in Week 7

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NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 05: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs looks on during the Jimmy V Classic college basketball game against the Villanova Wildcats at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. The Wildcats won 88-72. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Gonzaga vs. San Diego State, Thursday 10:00 p.m. ET

This isn’t the best San Diego State team we’ve seen in recent years, but the Aztecs can still provide an interesting road test for Gonzaga on Thursday night.

Longtime assistant Brian Dutcher took over for the retired Steve Fisher during the offseason and has led the Aztecs to a 7-3 mark so far. San Diego State will be playing its first game in 12 days when Gonzaga visits Viejas Arena and needs to bounce back from a puzzling 63-62 loss to a bad Cal team last time out.

Despite losing a lot of talent from the team that reached the National Final last year, the Bulldogs own a record of 9-2 and are currently ranked 12th in the AP Poll. Gonzaga has a number of solid wins including Creighton and Texas, while its only losses are an epic double-overtime defeat to Florida and blowout loss against top-ranked Villanova.

The Aztecs remain stingy on the defensive end with opponents just shooting 38.6 percent from the field, although the offense has struggled mightily to score from the perimeter. Gonzaga has strong balance with five players averaging double figures in scoring, with dynamic senior forward Jonathan Williams leading the way.

San Diego State really needs a marquee nonconference win, as the Aztecs look to be behind Nevada and Boise State in a much-improved Mountain West. Thursday night will also be the last chance for Gonzaga to boost its resume ahead of WCC play, where only Saint Mary’s figures to provide much of a challenge.