NCAA Basketball: Top 25 frontcourts for 2020-21 season

The Aggies have been a monster in the Mountain West the last two seasons, after getting back to their winning ways. Dominant center Neemias Queta has spurned the NBA Draft the last several seasons, after flirting with the evaluation process, and looks to put in another strong season.

Entering his 3rd season with Utah State, Queta will be counted on more than ever with the departures of Sam Merrill and Diogo Brotto. His 13.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game are instant all-around production Coach Craig Smith will lean on early to replicate recent successes.

Queta will have immediate help from forward Justin Bean, who added 11.9 points, 1.5 steals, and a team-high 10.5 rebounds per game last year. Bean is a top candidate to eat into the shot attempts left behind by Merrill and Britto. If he can manage to improve his midrange consistency by a couple percentage points, his production will likely put him as the team’s leading scoring threat.

Several bigs backed up Bean and Queta last season, but the pair dominated the rotational minutes and should continue to hold off any other challengers for their spots. However, the Aggies have their top-2 recruits in program history waiting in the wings in redshirt freshman Liam McChesney and freshman Szymon Zapala.

While both may still have a hard time overtaking Bean and Queta, it’s a possibility Utah State begins to shift their play towards their strengths and feed the ball inside more frequently than they have in recent seasons.