Gonzaga coach Mark Few was asked a few weeks ago how he would prepare for an early season matchup against a San Diego State team that has five new starters, eight new players and a new assistant coach who is helping install a new offensive system.

He talked about the difficulties of identifying player tendencies with so little game film. But then he stopped himself mid-sentence.

“It’s San Diego State,” he said. “You know they’re going to play defense.”

And they still do.

With all the newness on display Wednesday night at Viejas Arena for the Aztecs’ 80-39 exhibition beatdown of Division II Cal State San Marcos, the program staple remains the same: You can’t spell SDSU without a D.

The Cougars’ first possession: blocked shot.

Second possession: blocked shot.

Third: turnover.

Fourth: turnover.

Fifth and sixth: miss, miss.

Seventh and eight: turnover, turnover.

It took 12 possessions and nearly six minutes before the Cougars finally erased the goose egg on the Viejas Arena scoreboard, and nine minutes before someone other than backup guard Kyelin King scored. It wasn’t until midway through the second half that they cracked 25 points, by which time 7-foot Aztecs freshman Magoon Gwath already had four blocks.

The only mystery was whether they’d surpass last year’s output in an 81-50 loss in an exhibition here that was tied after 10 minutes.

They didn’t come close, shooting 26.1 percent with 22 turnovers (14 of them in the first half).

Those kind of gaudy defensive numbers made for a happy 65th birthday for coach Brian Dutcher, who was serenaded by the pep band during a first-half timeout. So did two different players diving for a loose ball with seven minutes left in a 39-point game.

That’s comforting, with the season opener next Wednesday against a UC San Diego team that would have beat them last year had it not been for a Jaedon LeDee put-back at the buzzer.

“We take pride in our defense,” Dutcher said. “We work at it every day. It’s what we rely on. These guys are good students because they’ve learned their lessons watching a Lamont (Butler) and Darrion (Trammell) who came before them, picking up things from them and then putting them to use when it’s their turn. And it’s their turn now.”

The offensive display wasn’t bad, either, especially from the player Dutcher admittedly was watching the closest. That’s Florida Atlantic transfer guard Nick Boyd, who spent most of the summer with his left foot in a protective boot and only last week was cleared for live action.

Boyd delivered, missing his first shot attempt before making his next seven and finishing with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal in just 13 minutes. He made 3s. He drove the lane for easy baskets. He (twice) had put-backs off offensive rebounds. He ran the offense and was a willing passer.

It’s the kind of offensive production the Aztecs often lacked at the point last season, instead getting the ball to LeDee and getting out of the way.

By halftime, Dutcher had already played 11 guys and seven had scored, including all three freshmen. By the final buzzer, 14 had played and 10 had scored.

Miles Byrd (12) and freshman Pharoah Compton (10) also both hit double figures. BJ Davis and Wayne McKinney III added nine each. Gwath and fellow freshman Taj DeGourville had seven each.

“It’s always easy to have energy when the ball goes in,” said Dutcher, who team had 46 points by halftime and shot 49.2 percent (although only 7 of 25 from 3) despite not having top returning scorer Reese Waters. “We made a lot of shots and got out on the break. The offense was easy tonight. That energy has to be there when the offense isn’t good, and then I’ll know what kind of team we have.”

King, who spent three years at Lincoln High before playing for a South Carolina prep academy as a senior, came off the bench to lead the Cougars with 14 points. El Camino High alum Keavie Love added nine, but no one else had more than three.

“We have 13 new players right now, and you can see it, with a lot of young ones who are learning what college basketball is all about,” Cougars coach Nick Booker said. “There’s a big jump from high school and junior college, and this level. We just played two tough games. UC Riverside is one of the better teams in the Big West, and San Diego State is one of the better teams in the nation, and it showed.

“They have some guys there who are going to play for a lot of money one day.”

Notable

Freshman 7-footer Thokbor Majak played the last few minutes, finishing with four points and four rebounds. He’s considered a redshirt candidate given the Aztecs’ depth inside, but playing in a preseason exhibition doesn’t affect that. Dutcher typically doesn’t finalize redshirt decisions until a week or two into the regular season … Everyone was healthy and available except Waters, who will miss at least the first month of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot … The announced crowd was 12,164, which is based on tickets distributed (and most seats are claimed by season-ticket holders). Viejas Arena was about two-thirds full … Byrd and Brown grad transfer Kimo Ferrari each had four steals. Middle Tennessee transfer Jared Coleman-Jones and Miles Heide were the rebound leaders with five each but neither scored.