Kelly Calligan, Photo Editor

No matter how you phrased the question, the message was always the same.

Could San Diego State replace the production of former forward Marcus Slaughter?

Would SDSU play tough enough defense to match its explosive offense?

How would junior center Jerome Habel play coming off his suspension?

The Aztecs fixed their predicament in the paint with an 86-79 win on Saturday at Cox Arena against Cal. The only remaining question: How good can they be?

“How good can we be? We have a ways to go,” said head coach Steve Fisher, whose team is 5-0 and plays UC Riverside at 7 p.m. today at Cox Arena. “I do think a month from now, we should be better than we are right now.”

The SDSU defense instantly became much tougher with the addition of the 6-foot-8 Habel. His debut provided reassurance that the Aztecs are still the favorite to repeat as champions in the Mountain West Conference. SDSU lacked depth and an inside presence in its first four games, but the problem looks to be solved with the addition of Habel. He played 30 minutes, registering seven rebounds and three blocks.

“When the guards get by, we have a big guy back there throwing it to the crowd or starting the fast break,” senior guard Brandon Heath said. “He’s a great addition to our team that makes us that much deeper and that much better.”

Habel, with his nonstop motor, long arms and explosive leaping ability, was a cinch to make an impact on defense, where the Aztecs lacked a player with his skill set. His contributions on offense came as a bit of a surprise.

Habel finished with 23 points on 10-for-11 shooting from the floor. More crucial than the number of points was how and when he got them. Habel scored nine of the final 17 points for SDSU, igniting the crowd with several spectacular dunks.

While the crowd may not be at quite the capacity of Saturday’s game, expect them to remain on their feet tonight. The Highlanders are the type of team the Aztecs should walk all over. UCR started out the season 3-2 but have yet to play any team of SDSU’s caliber.

The Highlanders defeated Hope International 75-55 on Saturday.