There was no monumental upset Tuesday night in Viejas Arena despite a sluggish start by San Diego State against a team 234 spots below it in the NET metric.

Undermanned San Jose State nearly did the unthinkable against the underwhelming Aztecs before the nation’s No. 20-ranked team avoided what would have ranked among the worst losses in program history, prevailing 72-64 to remain in third place in the Mountain West with two games to play.

It required 27 points, 11 rebounds (six offensive), 11 fouls drawn and two steals from Jaedon LeDee after not making a basket for the opening eight minutes, the latest reason why, coach Brian Dutcher said, “he’s a first team all-American to me.”

It required the Aztecs committing only six fouls (just two in the first 33 minutes), their fewest in a Division I game since at least 1996-97 and perhaps ever.

It also required the Aztecs to go 6 of 6 from the line after the last-place Spartans closed to within four inside a minute to go and Viejas Arena had that uneasy, anxious vibe of unrealized expectations.

Even so, it was just the fourth most exciting game of the night in the Mountain West. UNLV won in overtime at Wyoming after nearly blowing it in regulation. Utah State won in overtime at Fresno State after banking in a 3 at the regulation buzzer when the Bulldogs decided not to foul. And the only reason a third game didn’t go to OT was Nevada’s Jarod Lucas banked in a 3 from halfcourt.

“We’re fortunate it didn’t happen to us,” Dutcher said. “Most people will say: ‘You should have won by more than you did.’ We’re just happy we won.”

It was the third miraculous conference win by first-place Utah State (11-4) and the second time they won in OT after tying it at the regulation buzzer. They also got a five-point play to win at UNLV after trailing by four in the closing seconds.

What it means for the Aztecs (22-7, 11-5): In all likelihood, they won’t get the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament in Las Vegas in two weeks.

Even if the Aztecs win out (at UNLV, home against Boise State) and finish 13-5, and Utah State slips at home in its regular-season finale against New Mexico to also finish 13-5, the Aggies will hold the tiebreaker as things stand now and claim the top seed (and avoid the 9 p.m. semifinal with a 3 o’clock final the following afternoon).

The dramatics in Fresno were happening at roughly the same time as Dutcher was meeting with his team at halftime and reminding it that disaster is never far away in the Mountain West, as New Mexico learned in a home loss against Air Force last week.

“It’s incredible,” said Dutcher, whose team needed a last-second block to preserve a one-possession win at San Jose State last month. “Every game is really close. You’re not safe against any opponent in this league. … We know how good San Jose State is. We don’t worry about their record.”

Added LeDee: “We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. Everyone gears up and gives us their best effort. They came in gunning and gave us a great game.”

On Saturday at Fresno State, the Aztecs led 12-3 and ended a seven-game streak of trailing after five minutes en route to a 30-point lead in the first half and 32-point win.

It was back to old habits Tuesday, trailing 8-5 after another uninspiring start and still trailing 20-19 inside four minutes to go in the first half. Missed shots. Missed free throws. Turnovers. More missed free throws. Sloppy possessions.

An example: Reese Waters lost the ball, got it back, LeDee lost it, got it back, Waters drove the lane and chucked up a left-handed shot in traffic that missed, LeDee grabbed the offensive rebound, was fouled and went to the line. And missed.

The Aztecs finally perked up, put together a 10-2 run and led 29-22. Then they opened the second half with a pair of LeDee baskets and led by 11.

Over?

Nope.

The Spartans quickly trimmed it to four with 15 minutes left.

A 17-3 Aztecs run pushed the margin to 17.

With five minutes left, it was down to five after Myron “MJ” Amey Jr. drained a deep, contested 3 at the shot clock buzzer and Mater Dei Catholic High alum Trey Anderson tipped in an Amey miss.

The Spartans had a possession to pull closer, but LeDee reached in and picked Amey, raced to the other end, dunked, was fouled and completed the three-point play for a 62-55 lead … only for an Alvaro Cardenas 3 made it a four-point game with just over three minutes left.

That the Spartans (9-20, 2-14) were even that close was a minor miracle, having just eight scholarship players in uniform. The eight scratches included two players who got minutes in the first meeting last month (among them 7-foot center Adrame Diongue).

Amey, who is trained by former Kearny High standout Mark Jeffries, led the Spartans with 17 points. Anderson, the local kid who transferred to San Jose State from South Carolina, had 14. Two other teammates also hit double figures.

LeDee had 27 points on 9 of 16 shooting. The rest of the starters combined for 19 points on 7 of 23 shooting.

“I had to look at the stats to see how many he had,” Dutcher said. “It was a quiet 27. He did it every way he could. He rebounded the ball and got some put-backs. He ran the floor and got some baskets. He scored a lot of different ways, which good players do. It’s not just one-dimensional player. He’s a dangerous player. To his credit, everybody knows it, and he still ends up with another double-double.

“I mean, that’s a first-team all-American to me.”

The only other Aztecs player in double figures was Elijah Saunders with 10 points off the bench. The Spartans coaxed the Aztecs into launching 3s with a mixture of man and several zone defenses, and the Aztecs obliged by shooting just 5 of 20 beyond the arc.

The Aztecs compensated on the boards (40-31), the break (10-2), in the paint (40-30) and bench scoring (26-13). And the biggie: 22 attempted free throws to just two.

“We got it done,” LeDee said. “We found a way.”

Notable

Next up: A bye this weekend, then at UNLV on Tuesday (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network) … The Aztecs have now won 20 straight home games, the second longest active streak in the nation. Win against Boise State on March 8, and they’ll complete their first undefeated home season in the Division I era … The officiating crew included Mike Littlewood, the former BYU baseball coach. It was the fourth SDSU game he has worked this season … Both teams had only 10 turnovers … The Aztecs were plus-18 points in Miles Byrd’s 16 minutes. Byrd finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals … Freshman Miles Heide had a productive six minutes: five points, one rebounds and two blocks.