Beating Boise State and Texas Christian in football would induce national headlines. However, the general reaction to the same feat in men’s basketball would be something along the lines of “whatever.’’ Not so in the case of San Diego State.

Victories against those two schools allowed the Aztecs to take the "Up" escalator in the polls. Ranked 17 in the Associated Press poll last week, SDSU has moved up four spots to 13 in the latest poll.

In the USA Today-ESPN side, the Aztecs climbed to the 14 spot after being 17 there last week. Highly-regarded Nevada-Las Vegas, which will receive a visit from San Diego State in the next few days, is ranked 14, still stinging from a loss at Wyoming.

Elsewhere in the AP poll, Murray State, the only undefeated Division I team in the nation is now ninth, one notch above hallowed Duke. The Blue Devils were shocked by a lukewarm Miami of Fla. outfit, losing at home in overtime in their last outing.

The Dookies have lost two of their last three home games, virtually unchartered territory down there. Elsewhere in the polls, Kentucky and Syracuse remained one-two in the AP and USA Today-ESPN. But the best feel-good news in the polls is Harvard, which is off to its best overall and Ivy League start of all time. The Crimson (20-2, 6-0) emerged to 25th in the AP poll, and a stunning No. 21 in USA Today-ESPN, putting it ahead of big-time brands Wisconsin, Louisville, Indiana and Michigan. Heady stuff.

Keep in mind that Harvard probably deserved and should have received a bid in the NCAA Tournament, but the selection committee and TV networks preferred seeing a bunch of third-rate Big East teams crammed into the Big Dance instead.

Back to the Aztecs. Even with the back-to-back home wins against BSU and TCU, it’s been rough sledding for San Diego State over the last couple of weeks. That’s why Coach Steve Fisher elected to give his team two days off following the win over the Horned Frogs.

“I think it’s good for us,’’ Fisher said. “I think we need to take a deep breath. We need to practice, obviously, to prepare. But we need to get our legs back with the stretch we had. What we’ve been doing, the travel and everything, it has affected us physically a little bit.’’

Guard James Rahon, who has been bothered by a lingering foot injury all year, welcomed some dead time. “It’s the first time (we’ve had) a couple of days off in a row,’’ the Torrey Pines High product said. “We’ve been feeling the first half of the conference season so we can be rejuvenated for this next half.’’

The Aztecs (20-3 and atop the Mountain West with a 6-1 mark) will need all the energy they can muster in the next three games. They travel to Vegas to face the Rebels on February 11.

Four days later New Mexico, always a worthy adversary, comes calling to Viejas Arena. After that, San Diego State goes up to Colorado Springs to face Air Force.

Granted, the Falcons are currently on a six-game conference losing streak, but they should never be underestimated. First, these are service members, so they’re smart, will never quit and will be tough to play against, as the Aztecs found out when they slogged out a 57-44 win over AFA at Viejas last month.

Plus, travel to the northern Mountain West schools is often a weather-fueled adventure this time of the year. San Diego State will be hoping to avoid the six-hour sojourn to Laramie of a couple of weeks back. Despite their share of uneven moments, the Aztecs are in pretty good shape.

They’ve notched their seventh straight 20-win season, are in first place in the conference and the remaining docket suggests 25 or 26 wins should happen. Of course, that’s on paper, which often isn’t the same as what happens on the court. “It’s nice to have a slight lead going into the second half,’’ Fisher said. “We know it will be hard.’’