What Miles Byrd, Kwame Evans Jr., Magoon Gwath and BJ Davis Showed in San Diego State vs. Oregon
See the incoming Big East transfers in a Players Era Festival matchup in November.
No one knew it at the time, but an early-season matchup between San Diego State and Oregon at the Players Era Festival was an opportunity to see four players who figure to be key cogs for Big East teams in 2026-27.
San Diego State featured three potential Big East starters in wing Miles Byrd (Providence), guard BJ Davis (Creighton), and center Magoon Gwath (DePaul), while Oregon’s Kwame Evans Jr. looks to be a central piece at Villanova.
This one turned out to be one-sided, with the Aztecs taking a 94-80 victory behind blistering shooting (80% from two, 47% beyond the 3-point arc) against an Oregon team that was ranked 21st in Defensive Efficiency the year prior. The Ducks looked defensively disinterested in this matchup, however.
A +10 advantage at the free throw line for the Ducks was the only thing that kept the game from getting out of hand in the second half.
San Diego State got contributions up and down the roster, with nine players seeing at least 14 minutes. Reese Dixon-Waters was on a heater, scoring 22 points, while Davis (who figures to start alongside USF transfer Wes Enis at Creighton) added 21.
Here’s an extended look at all four Big East transfers with details on each of their nights below:
BJ Davis, San Diego State: Davis enjoyed his third-highest scoring game of the season in this November showdown, finishing with 21 points on 6-7 shooting from the field, to go along with four assists in just 21 minutes played. His season-high 30 came in a late-season battle with UNLV, while he went for 22 points in a triple overtime win over Boise State. His highly efficient game against Oregon came on a variety of jumpers, and was capped with a steal and big dunk in transition late.
Miles Byrd, San Diego State: A headliner of Providence’s portal haul, Byrd did a bit of everything in this one — two loud blocks at the rim, leading the break and finding bigs at the rim, pulling up in transition, and knocking down a three when the Ducks went zone. In 26 minutes, Byrd scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds, and had three assists.
Magoon Gwath, San Diego State: In just his third game back following an injury that cost him most of the offseason, the DePaul transfer was a force at the rim defensively (4 blocks), and flashed offensive versatility — hitting from beyond the arc, finishing a finger roll in transition, and making 6-8 from the field in scoring 13 points in just 22 minutes. Gwath added two steals and six boards.
Kwame Evans Jr., Oregon: The former McDonald’s All-American finished with a hefty stat line (16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), and finished a few and-1s and tough finishes. This is a case where the stat line is a bit misleading, as Evans certainly put up numbers across the board, but no one on Oregon was capable of slowing the Aztecs’ momentum once it got rolling. Still, it’s easy to see what makes him intriguing. Evans takes defenders from the arc to the rim off the bounce, and he’s a willing passer out of the post who can rack up assists when playing alongside shooters.
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