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Utah State Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Aggies

By Jason Burgess

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: Neemias Queta #23 of the Utah State Aggies speaks during the post game news conference after his team defeated the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Utah State won 64-57. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: Neemias Queta #23 of the Utah State Aggies speaks during the post game news conference after his team defeated the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Utah State won 64-57. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Neemias Queta #23, Diogo Brito #24, Sam Merrill #5 and Brock Miller #22 of the Utah State Aggies celebrate as they take on the Washington Huskies during the second half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Neemias Queta #23, Diogo Brito #24, Sam Merrill #5 and Brock Miller #22 of the Utah State Aggies celebrate as they take on the Washington Huskies during the second half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Utah State Basketball stormed onto the national scene under new head coach Craig Smith last season. What does season two have in store in Logan?

Craig Smith has been in Logan, Utah for one season, and what a season it was. He took a 17-17 Utah State Basketball team and vaulted them to a 28-7 record and a Mountain West Tournament title, the first for the school since 2011 under legendary head coach Stew Morrill. The season took a lot of people by surprise for a couple of reasons.

First, the team had lost three of its top four scorers entering the season, including Mr. Everything, Koby McEwen and second, Smith was coming from South Dakota and the Summit League, how would he handle the jump to the Mountain West? Turns out he handled it just fine and a case could be made he should’ve won National Coach of the Year for his efforts.

The Aggies season also took the torch right out of the hand of Nevada, whether they were ready to relinquish it or not. Now, entering 2019-20, it’s the Utah State Aggies with the buzz that encircled Nevada last season. It’s the Aggies on many preseason top 25 lists, it’s the Aggies the rest of the teams in the Mountain West are chasing, not bad for your first season in a new place.

The 2019-20 version of the Aggies may be better equipped to take on these new hurdles than previous teams but, how the Aggies handle the newfound notoriety and position remains to be seen, but after one season under Smith, one thing is for sure, his team will be ready and embrace the challenge of being the hunted.