San Diego State vs. Utah State

Dee Glen Smith Spectrum – Utah State University 

Saturday, January 31 at 10:00 a.m.

TV: CBS

SDSU and USU play for the top seed in the Mountain West on Saturday morning for one of the biggest games of the season

The moment is arriving for the next annual visit to the biggest basketball rivalry in the conference. San Diego State and Utah State are the top two teams historically in the Mountain West. On Saturday, the MWC era officially comes to a close in Logan, Utah, as the two teams will move on to the Pac-12 next season.

The two teams will meet in San Diego at the end of February, but before that, a massive contest looms in Logan. “It feels like we have a chance to steal one,” head coach Brian Dutcher told the media on Thursday.

His team certainly does. The Aztecs are one point away from being a perfect 10-0 in conference play. 9-1 is still very good, but the loss to Grand Canyon has been the only speed bump of conference play so far.

Utah State is 8-2 with losses to Grand Canyon and UNLV. Before those losses, the Aggies reached an AP Poll ranking as far up as 23rd in the country. The Aggies have followed up the losses with wins against Colorado State and Wyoming. After this matchup with SDSU, Utah State will travel to The Pit for a battle with New Mexico.

San Diego State is coming off a great 23-point win over Colorado State. The Aztecs held one of the nation’s best three-point shooting teams to 8-30 (27%) from beyond the arc and 33% from the field. Not one player on the Rams scored in double figures, which is the first time since 2020 that has been done. Furthermore, CSU shot a season-low from the field. The Aztecs’ defense has picked up the pace tremendously since the start of the season.

“We extended the lead, which is good to see, and we did it at both ends of the floor,” Dutcher said Thursday. “Our defense was solid, and we shot a good percentage, again in the 50s, and took care of the ball. When all those things happen, when the defense is as good as it is, and then we play at a high level offensively, that’s how you get the margin you got.”

Reese Dixon-Waters led the Aztecs with 16 points and looked very smooth on Wednesday night. When his shot is falling, the Scarlet & Black are going to be a real threat against anyone. Pharaoh Compton continued his elite shooting season with 15 points on 6-7 shooting. Compton’s field goal percentage for the season is at 76.1%, averaging 8.5 points. The sophomore has been a big part of the improved offense with his ability to attack the basket and use his strength to finish. Taj DeGourville has stepped up his play big time, while Miles Byrd has continued his all-around ability during conference play.

Now, the focus is on a very good opponent coached by Jerrod Calhoun. Magoon Gwath and Elzie Harrington will miss this crucial game, according to Dutcher.

Getting to Know the Aggies

Utah State is 17-3 on the season and 8-2 in MWC play. The only non-conference loss came on the road against South Florida at the beginning of December. This team is led by two players; however, everyone plays very hard as always, and it leads to positive results. The team’s top six scorers all shoot above 50% from the field, with big man Garry Clark playing like Compton, shooting 71.4% from the field.

“They’re dynamic,” Dutcher said about Utah State. “They score the ball at a really high level. They play a confusing defense, a switching man, a matchup zone, whatever you want to call it. You have to be prepared for both. We have to keep them in the half-court. We can’t let them get running in their own building, and usually that means we have to take extra good care of the ball. We can’t have live ball turnovers. It’s hard to run if we’re scoring or if we’re booting it out of bounds. With any live ball turnover, we’re susceptible to being run on.”

The Aggies are 44th in the nation in points per game at 84.3, behind Virginia and right above Texas Tech. What is even more impressive is their 51.4% from the field, which is 8th in the country. Calhoun has his team creating great looks, and they are cashing in on them. Two very good players make up almost half of their entire scoring.

“Good team, good program, good history,” BJ Davis said Thursday about USU. “We know what to expect from them. We know what type of heavyweight matchup it’s going to be on Saturday. We’re expecting a physical and fast game.”

MJ Collins is the team’s top player this season. The Vanderbilt transfer is tied for 60th in the nation in scoring (19.0) but leads the Mountain West at 18.9 points per game. Collins also leads the conference with 10 20-point games this season. He shoots 52.9% from the field.

Mason Falslev is in his third season with the Aggies. He is averaging 16.3 points on 52.7% shooting. His scoring has improved each season, but his rebounding and assists are down from last season. The junior remains a major threat for the Aztecs with his ability to create offense and score with ease anywhere on the court.

“It’s just another opportunity for us to go out there, show people what we can do, and show people why we are first in this conference,” Taj DeGourville told the media Thursday. “It’s going to be a fun game. I’m expecting us to compete and to win every game.”

Key to Victory

If the Aztecs want to win this game, they need both DeGourville and Davis to be utilized a ton offensively. Harrington and Gwath will be out, so Davis will be back in the starting lineup as he was against CSU, and DeGourville will get increased minutes off the bench.

San Diego State needs Miles Byrd to go off in this game. The star does not need to score 20 points, but a big night across the board is crucial. The Aztecs need Byrd to grab at least 5+ rebounds and get involved with his passing to get at least 4+ assists. On defense, he needs multiple steals and blocks to help earn extra possessions. If this can happen, San Diego State will leave Logan with a win.

Chris Spiering

Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.