No. 25 Utah State is one of only two teams still undefeated in Mountain West Conference play, but it will be a challenge to maintain that unblemished record this weekend.
The Aggies (15-1, 5-0 Mountain West) put their unblemished league mark on the line when they host Boise State (12-4, 4-1) on Saturday night in Logan, Utah.
Utah State was reminded earlier this week, when it overcame a strong effort by San Jose State in an 85-78 road victory, that any team in the conference can put up a good fight on any given night.
“Every game is going to be a battle,” Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 15-1 or not, you’re going to get everybody’s best shot. I thought (Tuesday) we did that, and our guys were able to beat a very hot San Jose team. .”
Mason Falslev led a balanced attack for the Aggies, who were successful despite San Jose State hitting 14 of 33 3-pointers. Falslev collected 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
In typical Utah State fashion, different players contributed to the team’s fifth straight win, including Tucker Anderson (15 points), Ian Martinez (14 points), Deyton Albury (13 points, -six rebounds) and Karson Templin (10 points). , seven boards, two blocks).
The Aggies were promoted to the polls this week for the third season since 2019 with a first-year head coach. Utah State had to pick it up a bit, however, after San Jose State tied the game with about six minutes left before the Aggies improved to 78-25 all-time in the Associated Press rankings.
“Personally,” Albury said, “I can say it made me wake up in the morning about how blessed I am to be in this position to play for a ranked team, to be around guys who love the game and love the game. Selfless.”
Boise State had its own wake-up call this week, falling past UNLV 81-59 on Tuesday after falling at home to San Diego State last weekend.
Tyson Degenhart, who averaged 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds, helped the Broncos avoid a second straight loss with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
“I thought we played a really, really strong 37 minutes,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said after his team outscored UNLV 17-4 in the second half. “I was very proud of our guys’ response. That’s the mark of being a champion: how you react to adversity.”
The Broncos will have a recharged O’Mar Stanley available against Utah State. The senior forward, who Rice said was dealing with “personal issues” while being hit hard, had 12 points and four rebounds in a limited role against the Rebels.
“He looked like he was having fun out there. That’s the most important part,” Rice said. “You’re talking about a league player coming off the bench. Other teams are like, ‘Well, man, they’re playing well.’ Now, here’s another really good player. That’s what we want, and that’s what we have.
–Field Level Media