Utah State returns home to face Nevada after Boise blowout
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Jan. 13 at 1:51 p.m. to adhere to AP Style guidelines.
After some pregame drama between student sections, Utah State Men’s Basketball took to the hardwood on Jan. 10 to take on the Boise State Broncos in Boise. Much to the delight of the hundreds of HURD members in attendance, the Aggies dominated from the tip to the buzzer in a 93-68 win.
The dominant win was the largest road victory against Boise State in series history and the largest home loss for the Broncos since 1999.
“The work is done in the prep and not getting ahead of yourself, not thinking about the results, thinking about each possession. And I thought our prep the last three days, being present, being hungry, trying to really digest what we wanted to do was really good,” said head coach Jerrod Calhoun after the win. “Then obviously, it helps when you make shots. But you know, just complete effort, team effort. There’s a lot of guys that I thought played great.”
Utah State was led again by guard MJ Collins Jr., who led all scorers with 25 points. Collins Jr. was backed up by guards Mason Falslev and Drake Allen, who added 16 and 14 points, respectively.
“Our point guards have done a great job and our coaching staff, too. We’ve tried to implement things and put in some stuff that plays to our strengths,” Falslev said. “Playing hard, I think our defense leads to our offense, and I think we’re trying, we’re starting to figure that out, and we’re really focusing in our defense, and it leads to our offense.”
The Aggies moved to 5-0 in conference play with the win and 14-1 overall for the third straight season. USU also moved up to No. 13 in the NCAA Net ranking tool, its highest rank this season.
After the dominant lassoing of the Broncos, Utah State will return home to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack on Jan. 14 in the Spectrum. The Wolf Pack comes in with a 12-4 overall record and a 4-1 record in conference play, putting them at the top end of the conference behind the Aggies.
Nevada is coming off a strong 92-83 home win over the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday and will look to stay near the top of the conference with an upset win over the Aggies. The Wolf Pack is led by guard Corey Camper Jr., who exploded for 31 points against the Cowboys and is averaging nearly 16 points per game on the season.
In the frontcourt, redshirt sophomore Elijah Price leads the charge, racking in almost nine rebounds and two blocks per game in addition to close to 13 points per game.
Utah State has emerged as one of the country’s top offenses in the nation this season, playing about as hot as it has all season. The Aggies have scored over 90 points in four of their last five games while shooting over 50% in six of their last seven.
Defensively, Utah State has turned into a stingy squad and made it difficult for opposing teams to get good shots off. In the win over Boise State, USU held the Broncos to a measly 27% from three, the seventh time this season the Aggies have held an opponent below 30%.
Against Wyoming, the Wolf Pack hit an impressive 63% of three pointers with a 61% overall shooting percentage. Utah State should have the size to compete with Price and the Pack in the paint, but the game very well may be won or lost from beyond the arc.
The Aggies have a more than formidable collection of guards that can score from anywhere on the floor, but it’s the defense and their ability to bottle up Camper Jr. and the Wolf Pack’s guards that will be the difference on Wednesday.
One of Utah State’s unsung heroes from a defensive perspective is guard Kolby King. King, in just over 20 minutes per game on average, averages nine points per game and shoots over 44% from three, second only to Collins Jr. King is also one of the strongest defenders at the guard position.
King could be in a position to see increased minutes against Nevada and be a difference maker on both ends of the floor.
Utah State has proved it can run anyone out of the gym when they’re clicking, and no team in the conference is hotter than the Aggies. Nevada, however, after falling against San Diego State last week, will be hungry for an upset win to keep them near the top and add to their tournament resume.