San Diego State basketball could not have asked for much more momentum heading into a new era. 

The Aztecs finished the 2025-26 season 27-6, tying a program record for wins, while going 19-1 in Mountain West play to capture the conference’s regular season title. Their postseason run continued into the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) quarterfinals, where SDSU pushed Kansas before falling 85-78 at Allen Fieldhouse. 

Now comes the next challenge. 

SDSU officially entered the Pac-12 for their 2026-27 season, leaving behind a Mountain West in which the Aztecs had become one of the conference’s premier programs. Head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson has led SDSU to four consecutive 20-win seasons, including back-to-back seasons with at least 25 victories. 

“Last season showed our resiliency and two examples stand out to me. When we lost at Grand Canyon we were 11-0 in conference and we didn’t play well, but then we put together another win streak,” Terry-Hutson said. “Then obviously the conference tournament didn’t go as planned and we were able to come back after that disappointment and play two really good games in the WBIT and then take Kansas down to the wire in the quarterfinals.”

But the team entering the Pac-12 won’t look exactly like the one that dominated the Mountain West. 

Mountain West Player of the Year Nala Williams has graduated. Sixth Player of the Year Kaelyn Hamilton transferred to Houston, while guard CJ Latta transferred to Boise State (her third school in as many years). And Naomi Panganiban, SDSU’s leading scorer last season, suffered an injury during a summer practice that the team announced “will sideline her indefinitely.” 

At the same time, Terry-Hutson has replenished the roster with proven scorers from the transfer portal, a familiar local star from Point Loma Nazarene, and international talent. She has also added size in the frontcourt.

For an SDSU team entering a challenging conference, that depth may prove important sooner than expected. 

Before looking ahead, it is worth understanding exactly what SDSU is trying to build upon. 

The Aztecs’ 27 victories last season tied a school record, while their 19 conference wins set a Mountain West record. SDSU won the regular-season conference championship outright one year after winning the Mountain West Tournament and earning a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs have now reached the postseason in three of the past four seasons. 

SDSU was also one of the Mountain West’s most efficient teams on both sides of the ball. 

Entering its WBIT quarterfinal against Kansas, SDSU was averaging 69.9 points per game while shooting 36% from beyond the arc. The Aztecs committed just 12.7 turnovers per game, while in conference play they held opponents to 58.4 points per game on 37.6% shooting. 

That success didn’t disappear against a Power Four opponent in the postseason, either. 

SDSU shot a season-high 54.5% against Kansas and entered the fourth quarter with a two-point lead. The Aztecs eventually fell 85-78, but the performance offered one final glimpse of a team capable of competing outside of the Mountain West and against Big 12 opponents. 

The challenge now is translating that success over an entire season in the Pac-12. 

And SDSU will have to do it without some of the players who helped establish last year’s standard. 

The most obvious departure is Williams, who graduated in May. 

After arriving at SDSU from Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills, Williams became an integral piece of Terry-Hutson’s backcourt. With the Aztecs, she averaged 10 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals while posting a 2.51 assist-to-turnover ratio, the best by an Aztec during the Mountain West era and seventh-best nationally. 

Williams was named Mountain West Player of the Year and earned a spot on the conference’s All-Defensive Team. She led SDSU in assists in 23 of its 33 games and in steals 14 times. 

Her graduation leaves SDSU searching for more than 10 points per game. It leaves a hole in the Aztecs’ ball handling, facilitation and perimeter defense. 

She isn’t the only guard gone. 

Hamilton came off the bench and averaged 7.7 points on 50.8% shooting. She became increasingly productive late in the season, scoring in double figures in nine of SDSU’s final 15 games. 

Latta appeared in all 33 games for the Aztecs. She averaged 2.8 points in 15.8 minutes per game, but provided another threat from the perimeter, connecting on 37.1% of her 3-point attempts for the season and 41.2% during conference play. 

Those departures mean Terry-Hutson must reconstruct portions of a backcourt that helped SDSU produce one of the best seasons in program history. 

Fortunately for the Aztecs, they spent the offseason adding options. 

One of those options will already be a familiar face to San Diego women’s basketball fans. 

Izzy Navarro is making the short move from Point Loma Nazarene to San Diego State after putting together one of the best individual seasons in DII basketball. 

Navarro averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 assists and 4.2 steals per game for the Sea Lions last season. She was third nationally in Division II for steals, ranked second in assists and earned WBCA Honorable Mention All-American recognition while helping Point Loma reach the NCAA West Regional. 

To Her Sports San Diego readers, Navarro’s arrival is particularly notable. The Tijuana native attended Cathedral Catholic and has spent her collegiate career in Southern California. Now, she will get an opportunity to make the jump from Division II to the Pac-12 without leaving San Diego. 

There is also an obvious precedent sitting in SDSU’s recent history. 

Williams herself arrived on The Mesa after starring at the Division II level. She eventually developed into the Mountain West Player of the Year and one of SDSU’s most important two-way players. 

SDSU has acknowledged the parallel between the two players. When the Aztecs announced Navarro’s addition, the program noted that she is the second consecutive player SDSU has signed after that player led Division II in steals, following Williams. 

“It’s always great to add a local kid to the program,” Terry-Hutson said in SDSU’s announcement. “Izzy is a proven scorer and facilitator and adds depth to our guard rotation. She is a fantastic passer, wants to learn. … She wants to be great. She wants to do it right.”

That doesn’t mean Navarro should be expected to become Williams immediately. 

The jump from Division II to Pac-12 basketball will bring different challenges, and Navarro will be entering a backcourt filled with both returning players and experienced transfers. However, her ability to facilitate and create turnovers makes her one of SDSU’s most intriguing additions, especially because those are two areas in which Williams excelled. 

Terry-Hutson found an impact player from the DII ranks once. Navarro gives her an opportunity to do it again. 

Perhaps no offseason development creates more uncertainty for SDSU than Panganiban's injury.

The San Diego native broke out during her sophomore season, leading the Aztecs with 14.6 points per game while earning All-Mountain West honors. She started all 33 games, shot 42.9% from the field and 39.3% from three, and made a team-high 64 3-pointers.

More importantly, Panganiban appeared to be reaching another level as the season ended.

She averaged 20.8 points over SDSU's final six games and scored at least 20 four times during that stretch. She finished the season with 20 points in the WBIT quarterfinal loss to Kansas.

SDSU initially entered the offseason expecting Panganiban to be at the center of its returning core. In April, the program announced that all four eligible starters would return and that SDSU retained 80% of its eligible scoring and 86% of its rebounding.

That outlook became less certain over the summer.

SDSU announced on social media that Panganiban suffered an injury during a summer practice that will sideline her indefinitely.

“Though this injury hasn’t been easy, I thank God through both the highs and the lows and for blessing me with an incredible support system at SDSU,” Panganiban said in the Instagram post. “The comeback is always greater than the setback. I’m looking forward to returning stronger than ever.” 

Without a timetable for her return, there is no reason to assume how much basketball Panganiban will or will not miss. But until she returns, the Aztecs will need to account for the production of their leading scorer.

“Naomi has been fantastic on the sideline. She’s not only crushing her rehab, but she’s been vocal and trying to hold us together,” Terry-Hutson said. “She’s been very involved in all team activities and has matured and showed a lot of leadership. Her absence will be felt on the court, but there definitely has not been a lapse in anything she does off the court.”

Terry-Hutson then mentioned that several more players have stepped up or are playing outside of their roles. While the team is reimagining how they’re going to play without Panganiban, the squad is bringing back three starters and newcomers which lets the Aztecs play through the post more.

The good news for SDSU is that Terry-Hutson has assembled perhaps more scoring options than she had when last season ended.

Navarro isn't SDSU's only experienced addition.

Terry-Hutson added three guards through the transfer portal in May: Alayna Kraus from Southern Illinois, Eva DeChent from New Hampshire and Nayli Padilla from New Mexico. All three arrive with significant Division I experience.

Kraus gives the Aztecs another established scorer after averaging 15.8 points per game at Southern Illinois. She started all 30 games and earned All-Missouri Valley Third Team honors while shooting 88.1% from the free-throw line.

DeChent brings even more scoring production. The 6-foot guard averaged 18.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals last season and has averaged more than 17 points in each of the past two years. Terry-Hutson described her as a guard with “incredible shot-making ability” who can score throughout the floor.

Padilla gives SDSU another player familiar with the Mountain West. She averaged eight points, three rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals for New Mexico last season while knocking down 52 3-pointers.

Those additions give SDSU several potential ways to redistribute the scoring and playmaking lost from last year's backcourt — and potentially Panganiban's production for however long she remains unavailable.

Rather than asking one player to replace everything SDSU lost, Terry-Hutson may be able to spread those responsibilities throughout a deeper guard rotation.

For all the attention surrounding SDSU's newcomers, this isn't an entirely rebuilt roster.

Natalia Martinez returns after starting every game last season and averaging 9.6 points. Kennedy Lee also returns after averaging 9.3 points and leading SDSU in rebounding during her first season on The Mesa. Bailey Barnhard averaged 7.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while starting every game.

That continuity could become especially valuable as SDSU adjusts to a new conference.

Lee and Barnhard give the Aztecs experience in the frontcourt, while Martinez offers another proven option in the backcourt. Reserve posts Alyssa Jackson and Maria Konstantinidou also return after combining to average 6.5 points and 7.1 rebounds last season.

The difference is that those returners will now be surrounded by considerably more competition for minutes.

That may be exactly what SDSU needs.

For all of the attention surrounding SDSU's revamped backcourt, one of the Aztecs' biggest offseason changes may be happening closer to the basket.

SDSU frequently played relatively small in the frontcourt last season. Starting forwards Lee and Barnhard stand 6-foot and 6-foot-1, respectively, with SDSU itself describing Lee as an “undersized post” when she joined the program from Nevada.

That didn't prevent the duo from being productive. Lee led the Aztecs with 5.5 rebounds per game, while Barnhard averaged 5.3 rebounds and led the team in blocks. But as SDSU prepares for the move to the Pac-12, Terry-Hutson has added significantly more size around them.

SDSU added 6-foot-1 forward Dionne Madjo, who arrives with an unusual level of international experience for a college newcomer. Madjo played last season for Flammes Carolo in France's top professional division and has represented Luxembourg internationally. At the 2025 U18 EuroBasket Championships, she averaged 16.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.7 steals, 2.7 assists and two blocks per game. 

Freshmen Mayenabasi Akpan and Mairead Hearty both enter at 6-foot-3, marking the first time in Terry-Hutson's tenure that SDSU has signed multiple high school players at least 6-foot-3 in the same recruiting class. 

Altogether, SDSU will have six players standing 6 feet or taller for the first time in program history. 

Akpan may be particularly intriguing when it comes to addressing SDSU's size on the glass. She averaged 15.8 points and 11.6 rebounds as a high school senior and previously broke the Oregon 6A state tournament rebounding record with 51 rebounds over three games, a mark previously held by WNBA player Cameron Brink. Terry-Hutson has called Akpan an “elite rebounder” who can defend the post.

Hearty brings a different skill set at the same height. She averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior while shooting 64% from the field, and Terry-Hutson has praised her footwork and touch around the basket. 

How quickly those freshmen adjust to the college game remains an open question, especially as SDSU enters a new conference. But their additions give Terry-Hutson something last year's team didn't regularly have on the floor: multiple bigger post options she can turn to without sacrificing the established frontcourt of Lee and Barnhard, especially during foul trouble. 

There is an important distinction between the SDSU team entering the Pac-12 and a program simply moving up and hoping to find its footing.

The Aztecs have already been winning.

SDSU has won at least 20 games in four consecutive seasons. It won the Mountain West Tournament in 2025, followed that with an outright regular-season championship in 2026 and has made three postseason appearances in four years.

The players are excited about the new conference. “It's a great opportunity. Just a bigger conference name, more commonly known,” said Barnhard. “It's definitely a great opportunity to really show who we are, transitioning from Mountain West to the Pac-12, and we're really just excited to make a name for ourselves at a bigger conference level.”

The Pac-12 represents a new challenge, but SDSU isn't entering it from the beginning of a rebuild.

Instead, Terry-Hutson has constructed a roster that mixes players responsible for last season's success with newcomers who have already carried significant roles elsewhere.

“We needed to get a little taller because Oregon State is big, Gonzaga is athletic, Washington State has a little bit of everything, so we needed to improve in those areas,” said Terry-Hutson, speaking about the move to the Pac-12. “The roster construction was a conversation when we went in the portal, … we have a luxury of having quite a few good [post players] that are really, really good. I'm going to have a hard time figuring out how we're going to play them all, but I guess that's a good. problem to have.”

There are still substantial questions.

How long will Panganiban be unavailable? Who becomes SDSU's primary facilitator without Williams? Can Navarro translate her Division II dominance to the Pac-12? How will Terry-Hutson distribute minutes among a suddenly crowded collection of guards? And how quickly can SDSU's young frontcourt additions contribute?

Those questions may ultimately determine whether the success SDSU built in the Mountain West follows it into the Pac-12.

But after a 27-win season, the Aztecs aren't simply trying to introduce themselves to a new conference.

They are trying to prove that the dominant program they built in the Mountain West can travel with them.

“It’s a very challenging non-conference schedule. We have some top 50 teams and some top 100 teams, so it’s going to challenge us early and we’re going to see who we are," said Terry-Hutson. "I think that’s going to be an important part of our process to win a Pac-12 championship. The early test will show us what we need to focus on and what we need to change or improve.

Nov. 11 vs. Colorado: SDSU won't have to wait long for an early measuring stick. The Big 12's Colorado visits Viejas Arena just four games into the season, giving the Aztecs an opportunity to see how their reshaped roster matches up against a Power Four opponent before beginning Pac-12 play. 

Nov. 27-29, Rainbow Wahine Showdown: Three games in three days could provide one of the best tests of SDSU's newfound depth. The Aztecs open against host Hawai‘i before facing Stanford and Columbia on consecutive days. Stanford won 21 games and reached the WBIT quarterfinals last season, while Columbia finished 25-8. 

Dec. 29 vs. Point Loma: The non-conference finale comes with a distinctly San Diego storyline. Former Sea Lion Izzy Navarro will get her first opportunity to face Point Loma after transferring across town to SDSU. For an Aztecs team preparing to enter its first Pac-12 schedule, the game also provides one final opportunity to fine-tune the rotation before conference play begins. 

Jan. 6 vs. Utah State: SDSU’s new era officially begins at Viejas Arena against a familiar opponent. Utah State makes the move from the Mountain West alongside the Aztecs, meaning SDSU’s first Pac-12 game won’t necessarily feel like a completely new matchup. After winning the Mountain West regular-season title, SDSU will get its first opportunity to see how that success translates to the Pac-12. 

Jan.21 vs. Gonzaga: Gonzaga represents one of the biggest changes awaiting SDSU in its new conference. The Bulldogs join Oregon State, Washington State and Texas state as the conference opponents SDSU didn’t face in the Mountain West. The home matchup provides an early look at how the Aztecs match up with one of the programs that makes the new Pac-12 considerably different from the Mountain West they left behind. 

Jan.31 vs. Colorado State: Colorado State follows SDSU from the Mountain West to the Pac-12, but the Rams and Aztecs will first meet in Fort Collins on January 16 before the rematch at Viejas Arena two weeks later. The two programs were among the top teams in the Mountain West last season, making their continued matchup an important measuring stick as both adjust to their new conference.

Feb. 3 at Washington State and Feb. 6 at Gonzaga: Two games in four days in Pullman and Spokane could provide one of SDSU's biggest tests away from Viejas Arena. The Aztecs will first face Washington State on February 3 before traveling across the state to play Gonzaga three days later. Beyond the opponents themselves, the back-to-back road games will test SDSU's ability to handle travel and quick preparation against two programs it didn't regularly see during its Mountain West years.

Top photo: Credit to SDSU Athletics