Key returners: Trey Kell (12.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg); Jeremy Hemsley (12.0 ppg); Zylan Cheatham (7.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg); Malik Pope (7.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
Key departures: Winston Shepard (11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.1 apg); Skylar Spencer (3.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg)
Comment: The loss of Shepard and Spencer will hurt the Aztecs' defense but if there's one thing SDSU always does it's defend. The loss of defense, if there is any, should be offset with some offensive improvement. Pope, once thought to be a lottery pick, has taken some time to develop but he should blossom as a junior.