USU basketball schedule holds opportunity for redemption
An overhauled roster and the final year of a legendary coach brought Utah State men’s basketball what many would consider surprising success last season. In just their second year in the Mountain West, the Aggies managed an 11-7 conference record before a narrow 65-67 loss to eventual MW champion Wyoming ended USU’s hopes for a deep run in the tournament.
With a core group of players that remains intact and longtime assistant coach Tim Duryea now in the driver’s seat, the Aggies’ fall schedule brims with opportunity.
USU opens its season on the road at Weber State — a rematch of last year’s opening thriller in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Weber game was most Aggie fans’ first look at David Collette, Chris Smith and the rest of the new USU squad, which took a disappointing 18-point deficit into halftime. A memorable second half followed, in which USU only allowed the Wildcats 14 points en route to a 72-61 victory. WSU will no doubt look for revenge against the Aggies on their home court, where they boast an 18-16 record against Utah State.
In what is certainly the highlight of their non-conference schedule, the Aggies travel to Cameron Indoor in Durham, North Carolina to take on the defending national champions Thanksgiving weekend. The matchup against Duke marks the first time in 15 years USU will face a reigning champ, dating back to the Aggies’ 67-75 loss to UCONN in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
Upon returning home from their date with the Blue Devils and a road matchup against Missouri State, the Aggies will get a chance to avenge last year’s 77-70 overtime loss to UC Davis within the friendly confines of the Spectrum. UCD finished its 2014-2015 season 25-7, earning a bid in the NIT tournament.
December 9 marks the Aggies’ trip to Provo to face longtime rival Brigham Young University in the Marriott Center — a venue that’s seen Utah State winless since 2004. The game will be Kyle Davis’ first against his former team since transferring to BYU after starting 27 games for the Aggies in the 2013-2014 season.
Conference play opens on the road against San Jose State, which played the unfortunate role of conference punching bag last year after suspending five players for violating team rules. The Spartans finished their 2014-2015 campaign with an astounding 2-28 record, going 0-18 in conference matchups.
The two-game homestand that follows will be critical in determining USU’s place in the conference, as two of the Mountain West’s best visit the Spectrum.
First, San Diego State will look to extend its reign as the conference’s gold standard. The Aztecs’ last game in Logan had the makings of a classic, as a Spencer Butterfield desperation three-pointer forced then-No. 7 SDSU into overtime in front of a raucous Spectrum crowd. The Aztecs’ all-conference star Xavier Thames stepped up to the task, taking over in the extra period and silencing USU’s upset bid. SDSU was the only MW team not to play a game in the Spectrum last season.
Next, Boise State visits Logan after splitting last year’s games versus the Aggies 1-1. The only visiting team to win on Boise State’s home court last season, USU needed a buzzer-beating three from Collette to top the Broncos.
Both Boise State and SDSU earned 14-4 records in the Mountain West last year, tied for best in the conference.
Following the short homestand, USU will attempt earn a second straight win at New Mexico’s WisePies Arena after shocking the crowd at The Pit last year 63-60. The win was the Aggies’ first in the storied arena since 1979.
The Aggies will work through over half of their conference schedule before their rematch against Wyoming in Laramie — the only game between the two squads in the coming season. Wyoming split the season series with USU before knocking them out of the first round of the MW tournament. The Cowboys will be without Larry Nance Jr., who made the jump to the NBA in June after being drafted in the second round by Los Angeles.
USU won’t have any homestands or conference road trips longer than two games in the coming season.
The Aggies’ final regular season game will be at home against a Fresno State team that finished just one game behind USU last season. The Bulldogs’ roster added a string of junior college transfers and one PAC-12 conference transfer in the offseason, aiming to break into the top of the MW standings this year.