USU Men’s Basketball prepares for 2026-27 season

After a season in which Utah State University Men’s Basketball took home the Mountain West regular-season and tournament championship and made the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament, the Aggies have had major overhauls to their program. The team is entering a new conference and beginning the tenure of a new head coach. While some pieces of the team remain, a large portion of the roster is new to the program.  

One of the biggest changes coming this season for the Aggies is new head coach Ben Jacobson. After two years under Jerrod Calhoun, who left USU in March for the University of Cincinnati, Jacobson was hired to replace him. Jacobson spent the past 20 seasons at the University of Northern Iowa, where he posted a .605 winning percentage and led the team to five NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2010. He also helped the program reach their first top-10 ranking in the AP poll during the 2014-15 season. 

A key returning piece for the Aggies is senior guard and last year’s Mountain West Player of the Year Mason Falslev. Falslev averaged 16 points per game last season, along with 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals. The coaching staff views Falslev as one of the centerpieces of this team. 

“He’s such a good player. There’s a list: his energy, his enthusiasm, how much he cares. He’s special that way. He’s got a big and really complete package of all of those things,” Jacobson said. “He’s diving on the floor, and he’s tracking down rebounds, and he’s doing so many things that impact winning, and then you’ve got all of those intangibles as well.” 

Returning along with Falslev are senior forward Karson Templin and sophomores Kingston Tosi and Brayden Boe. Multiple incoming transfers are expected to play significant minutes for the Aggies in the upcoming season.  

Junior forward Will Hornseth, who transferred to USU from UNI with Jacobson, is expected to be in the starting five for the Aggies. Last season for the Panthers, Hornseth averaged 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds, being named to the Missouri Valley Conference’s most improved team.  

Another transfer projected in the starting five is guard Dallin Hall, who comes to the Aggies after spending last season with the University of Virginia, along with three seasons at Brigham Young University prior. Hall averaged 5.9 points and 4.4 assists with the Cavaliers while leading the team in minutes. With BYU, Hall earned All-Big 12 honors in the 2024 season. 

The Aggies’ non-conference schedule will include multiple Power Four opponents, including Southern Methodist University of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the University of Southern California of the Big Ten. Those matchups are the two scheduled matchups for the Aggies in the 2026 Acrisure Series, a 26-team tournament that will be played over Thanksgiving. Other key matchups include a game against BYU that will take place in Provo, along with a matchup against former Mountain West rival University of New Mexico.  

This season will also be the Aggies’ inaugural Pac-12 season, where they will match up with familiar faces such as San Diego State University and Colorado State University, but will also see new foes such as Gonzaga University, who currently is ranked No. 15 in the preseason AP top 25.  

The team feels ready to get the season underway, confident as they head into a new season and a new conference. In their preseason matchups, the Aggies went 3-0 against the University of Denver, Saint Mary’s College of California and Santa Clara University.  

“I think we’ve shown pretty good growth throughout the three games. I think we’ve gotten better each time,” said forward Connor Turnbull. “I like where we’re at. We’re just going to keep our head down and just try to keep improving.” 

The Aggies season tips off Monday, Nov. 2 against Idaho State University in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.