Quotes, stats, analysis before the Mountain West Semifinals

Editor’s note: This article was updated on March 15 to adhere to AP Style guidelines.

After a grind-it-out 70-58 win against UNLV last night, Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun and guards Mason Falslev and Ian Martinez had a lot to say — both good and bad — about the team’s performance. Here are some of their most notable quotes, along with how the Aggies might perform against the Colorado State Rams given certain trends.

Calhoun: “We were a bit of a train wreck tonight with 12 assists, 13 turnovers. Very uncharacteristic of our group.”
Few stats better encapsulate how connected a team is offensively than assist-to-turnover ratio. If a team consistently records more assists than turnovers, it signals team chemistry and strong execution. Utah State led the Mountain West in that category with an overall ratio of 1.66, but its 0.89 ratio against UNLV was well below its typical standard.

Colorado State ranked No. 2 in the conference with a 1.50 assist-to-turnover ratio, but it was only No. 6 in turnovers per game with 11.5. The bottom line: If the Aggies can move the ball on offense without turning it over — while still forcing turnovers defensively — they’ll have a strong chance of securing the victory.

Calhoun: “Very proud of the fact that we were plus-four on the glass and imposed our will a little bit.”
Calhoun credited his team for one of its better rebounding performances in recent games. For tonight’s game against the Rams, rebounding will dictate who controls more possessions, which is especially important in an elimination game. In the two teams’ previous matchups, Utah State lost the rebound battle by five.

Overall, the two squads are at opposite ends of the rebounding leaderboards, with the Rams ranking No. 4 in the conference and the Aggies No. 9. Another reason for Utah State to crash the boards: It is 20-0 when outrebounding opponents. It’s safe to assume if the Aggies win the rebound battle tonight, they’ll win the game.

Martinez: “That’s always an emphasis for us — just trying to outrun every team. One of our strengths is to try and get in transition.”
Interestingly, Martinez’s quote isn’t backed up statistically. The most common metric to measure a team’s speed is pace, which calculates the average number of possessions per 40 minutes. In this category, Utah State ranks No. 227 out of 364 Division I teams.

Even more intriguing, Colorado State ranks lower at No. 266. The Aggies aren’t necessarily a transition-heavy team; rather, they aim to find quick shots within their half-court sets. However, they certainly don’t want to play at a slow tempo either.

In their two games against the Rams, the Aggies had a 70.0 pace in their win at the Spectrum but only a 62.6 pace in their loss in Fort Collins. Meanwhile, Colorado State thrives in a slow-paced game, holding a 10-0 record in its 10 slowest-paced contests. If Utah State can speed up the game and force the Rams out of their methodical offense, the odds will shift in the Aggies’ favor.

Falslev: “Their whole game plan was to isolate us and attack us and get to the free-throw line, and they did a good job of doing that. We got to do better at not fouling.”
Falslev referenced the 27 Utah State fouls and 37 UNLV free-throw attempts last night, which drew resounding jeers from the HURD in the crowd. The Aggies have hit their worst stretch of the season in terms of fouls, averaging 20.9 per game over their last eight contests.

The Rams are not a team Utah State wants to send to the free-throw line, as they led the conference with a .789 free-throw percentage. If the Aggies continue fouling at their current rate, the deficit could prove insurmountable.

Guard Ian Martinez, 4, shoots a three while forward Aubin Gateretse, 21, blocks UNLV’s Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, 45, and Jailen Bedford, 14, in the quarterfinals game of the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championships at the Thomas & Mack in Las Vegas on March 13. (Kelly Winter/The Utah Statesman)