Men’s basketball crushes Charlotte to improve to 2-0

Head coach Jerrod Calhoun and his Utah State Aggies made history Saturday in their 103-74 game against Charlotte. It was the first time a head coach started 2-0 with the men’s basketball program and only the second time Utah State had scored 100-plus points in their first two games of the season.

“So very, very proud of the fact that our guys are starting to understand how to play with each other,” Calhoun said. “They’re playing the right way.”

The Aggies dominated in every hustle stat. They had 16 offensive rebounds, 22 second-chance points, 22 fast-break points and 12 steals. The team was diving on the floor for every loose ball, fighting for every rebound and pressing and trapping whenever the 49ers swung the ball on offense. 

Offensively, Utah State scored at all three levels. They finished with 60 points in the paint, got to the free-throw line 27 times, and while they only made 7 threes, their outside shooting improved as the game went on, which helped keep Charlotte’s defense honest.

“We worked really hard,” forward Karson Templin said. “I think we just locked in defensively, and all of our guys just stuck together.”

Templin provided a spark off the bench in this game, scoring 12 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the field in just 15 minutes. He also crashed the boards with reckless abandon, finishing with 7 rebounds, including 3 on the offensive end.

The depth of this Aggies team has been a major strength so far this season. Against the 49ers, Utah State played a total of 13 players, 12 of whom scored at least two points and 47 bench points.

Everyone in Utah State’s lineup played their role to a tee. Center Isaac Johnson kicked off the second half with a turnaround jumper in the midrange, followed by a deep contested three. Forward Isaac Davis erupted for 6 points in just 2 minutes of play, including a powerful dunk that sent the fans into a frenzy. Guard Jordy Barnes showed great vision as a passer and pressed tenaciously on defense in his limited minutes.

While there wasn’t much to nitpick in the Aggies’ commanding victory, Calhoun still saw some areas where the team could improve.

“We gotta get better,” Calhoun said. “We missed some free throws, we missed some threes, but I think we are playing the right way.”

One of the more intriguing defensive strategies Calhoun has implemented is a matchup-zone defense. In this setup, defenders begin each possession by guarding specific areas on the court rather than individual offensive players. However, as the offense moves the ball around, the defenders close in on the ball handler to prevent easy drives to the basket.

Calhoun was pleased with how his team had adjusted to its new defensive strategy through the first two games.

“The results are slowly getting there,” Calhoun said. “Not a lot of teams in the country are going to play the way we do.”

With two dominant wins to open the season, the Aggies appear to be in a honeymoon phase. The team is quickly building chemistry, but tougher tests lie ahead as they prepare to face some of the most respected opponents in college basketball.

Utah State will have the opportunity to build on its early success on Wednesday when it faces Westminster at the Spectrum.