24. Utah State (14-1)
A two-point home upset loss to UC San Diego in mid-December is all that’s kept Utah State from being one of the final unbeaten teams. Outside of that disappointing ending, the Aggies have been sensational, with early wins over Iowa, St. Bonaventure, and North Texas and even more great work in recent weeks. They came into this week fresh off road wins at Saint Mary’s and San Diego State and picked up another one.
That road win was another important one, as the Aggies picked up a 69-64 win at Nevada on New Year’s Eve. Ian Martinez scored 17 while Tucker Anderson added 16 points in another key win. Saturday night was a struggle, but the Aggies survived 89-83 over Fresno State. Karson Templin had 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, Martinez added 16 points, and the offense did enough on a night where the defense struggled.
Very few teams will have a three-game road winning surge like Utah State achieved at the end of December and this new-look team has the talent to win the MWC in Jerrod Calhoun’s first season in town. The Aggies are stockpiling wins that will matter come March and have done enough to win these games where the defense hasn’t been awesome. Now sitting 4-0 in league play, the road continues next week at San Jose State before an intriguing weekend match against Boise State.