The days are getting shorter, the air is getting crisper, and the sports scene is heading indoors—but that’s not a bad thing. For a city famous for its weather and beaches, San Diego has one of the best basketball scenes in the country. The SDSU and UC San Diego men’s college teams, the new San Diego Clippers, and the third annual Rady’s Children Invitational all get their chance to prove that this month. November will also determine if the Gulls hockey team can turn around their frustrating season and whether coach Sean Lewis can lead the Aztec football team to a bowl game in his first season at the helm.
SDSU Men’s Basketball vs. UC San Diego
Wednesday, November 6 | 7:00 p.m. | Viejas Arena
Quick—since 2018, what men’s college basketball program has three conference championships, five NCAA tournament bids, two Sweet Sixteen appearances, and a Final Four victory? It’s not powerhouse Kentucky, which hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2015, or Duke, which has only two conference titles in that span.
The answer is the San Diego State Aztecs. Head coach Brian Dutcher has built one of the best programs in the country, and he’s looking to hang even more banners at Viejas Arena this year after recruiting star guard Nick Boyd from Florida Atlantic University. But the Aztecs have a new rival to contend with.
In 2020, UC San Diego moved up to Division I, and, after a four-year “reclassification period,” the school is eligible for postseason play. San Diego could have two teams regularly competing in March Madness, and those teams kick off the 2024–25 season with their matchup on November 6. It could also be the start of a new era in San Diego sports, one where crosstown competition receives national attention. “The respect that we’re getting now at UC San Diego, they recognize that we’re forced to be reckoned with,” UCSD athletic director Earl Edwards told San Diego Magazine.
San Diego Clippers vs. Rip City Remix
Friday, November 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Frontwave Arena
The wait is over. San Diego once again plays host to professional basketball after 40 long years, and that’s thanks to Oceanside’s brand-new Frontwave Arena. Before the venue’s opening in September, the team behind Frontwave Arena announced that the Los Angeles Clippers’ G League affiliate, the erstwhile Ontario Clippers, would be moving to North County. The now-San Diego Clippers are making their home opener even more special by dedicating it to Bill Walton.
One of San Diego’s favorite sons, Walton died in May at the age of 71. After starting at La Mesa’s Helix High, then playing for UCLA, he had a hall-of-fame career in the NBA and spent six years with the original San Diego Clippers. The game against Portland’s Rip City Remix will include a ceremony honoring Walton’s career and contributions, and the first 3,000 fans will receive a tie-dye t-shirt—Walton was well-known for his Grateful Dead fandom. Fittingly, the Electric Waste Band, a Grateful Dead tribute act, will perform at the pregame Fan Fest.
San Diego Gulls vs. Bakersfield Condors
Saturday, November 16 | 6:00 p.m. | Pechanga Arena
Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey
It’s been a tough few years for the Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ minor-league affiliate. They’ve missed the AHL playoffs the last two seasons, and so far this year, they’re last in the Pacific Division. It’s early in the season, though, and the Gulls have an opportunity to turn things around against the Bakersfield Condors when the team hosts Military Appreciation Night at Pechanga Arena. The first 8,000 fans in attendance will receive a Gulls Navy Hat sponsored by Indian Motorcycle of San Diego, and the players will wear special jerseys that honor the armed forces.
Rady’s Children Invitational
Nov 28-29 | 7:30 p.m. | LionTree Arena
Watch: Fox / FS1
Hours of football and pounds of turkey aren’t the only things you can consume on Thanksgiving. In its few years of existence, the Rady’s Children Invitational (hosted by UC San Diego) has become a premier showcase in college basketball. Staged over the holiday weekend, this year’s edition features Purdue and NC State in a rematch of the 2024 Final Four semifinal, as well as March Madness regulars in BYU and Ole Miss.
But you’ll have to catch the mini-tournament from the comforts of your couch if you don’t already have tickets. “Selling out the event months before tipoff is spectacular!” Jackie Reed, 2024 president of Sports San Diego, said in a statement. “We are grateful the basketball community and our local San Diego community are supporting this event with so much enthusiasm in our third year.”
SDSU Football vs. Air Force
Saturday, November 30 | Time: TBA | Snapdragon Stadium
Watch: Fox Sports Networks
It’s been a roller coaster season for first-year head coach Sean Lewis. After a blowout win in the opener, the Aztecs football team lost the next three games, then they emerged victorious in two straight match-ups, only to face defeat in the two games following that. At 3-5, the Aztecs will need to go 3-1 the rest of the way to qualify for a postseason bowl game, which would be a huge feat for the rookie coach and his team led by freshman quarterback Danny O’Neil. That’s not out of the question. Three of those games are against opponents with losing records, including Air Force, who the Aztecs will take on at Snapdragon Stadium in the regular season’s final game. “I think we’re really meshing together well right now and getting to know each other better every single week,” Lewis recently said about his team.
