23. Utah State (18-2)
Once again Utah State has become one of the surprise teams of the season, really emerging despite another first-year head coach and a plethora of new faces on the roster. The Aggies got off to a perfect 10-0 start this season but really gained respect for their late December road wins over Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, and Nevada. They’ve had a few stumbles, but they’re back on our attention after holding serve in the MWC again.
This team completed a season sweep over Nevada on Wednesday night, getting a 90-69 victory at home over the Wolf Pack. Ian Martinez had his latest starring effort with 23 points as the Aggies shot 59% from the field as a team. Things went just as smoothly this weekend, with Utah State triumphing 87-58 on the road against Air Force. Martinez led with 16 points, while Isaac Johnson added 12 points off the bench, making several 3-pointers on another nice shooting night for this team.
A few possessions against UC San Diego and UNLV go differently and this Aggies team just might be undefeated, which is wild to consider under first-year coach Jerrod Calhoun. They’ve certainly asserted themselves as the team to beat in the MWC after being picked to finish in the middle of the pack. They have a chance for revenge against UNLV next week before facing New Mexico over the weekend, with hopes to keep this thrilling offensive play going.