LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's basketball will open its 2022-23 Mountain West slate by ringing in the New Year, hosting Fresno State inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, Dec. 31.
The matchup will mark the first time the Aggies and Bulldogs will meet in a conference opener since the 2011-12 WAC opener where USU defeated Fresno State 72-53 in Logan.
Utah State opens 2023 on the road for a pair of games, taking on Air Force on Tuesday, Jan. 3, followed by Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 7. USU returns to Logan to host Wyoming on Tuesday, Jan. 10, before heading back on the road to face Nevada on Saturday, Jan. 14.
The Aggies return to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum for a two-game homestand, hosting UNLV on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and San José State on Saturday, Jan. 21. Utah State plays two more road games in January, facing San Diego State on Tuesday, Jan. 24, and Fresno State on Saturday, Jan. 28.
Utah State then faces New Mexico and Colorado State for the only time in the regular season when USU hosts New Mexico on Tuesday, Jan. 31, before taking on Colorado State on the road on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The Aggies then host San Diego State on Tuesday, Feb. 7, before heading back on the road to take on San José State on Saturday, Feb. 11.
USU returns to Logan for back-to-back home games and love as Utah State hosts Air Force on Valentine's Day on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and Nevada on Saturday, Feb. 18. The Aggies then travel to Wyoming on Tuesday, Feb. 21, and UNLV on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Utah State then hosts Boise State in its regular season conference finale on Saturday, March 4.
League play will determine the seeding for the 2023 MW Men's Basketball Championship, which will be held March 8-11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 2022-23 MW schedule represents the first phase in the 2022-23 men's basketball schedule process. Mountain West national television partners CBS Sports and FOX Sports will now initiate a selection procedure, which will include the shifting of several games from their current Saturday and Tuesday dates.
Utah State is under the direction of second-year head coach
Ryan Odom. In his first season in Logan, Odom led the Aggies to their fourth-straight NCAA postseason berth as USU hosted Oregon as an at-large seed in the opening round of the NIT. Odom's 18 victories during the 2021-22 season marked the fourth-most by a first-year head coach in Utah State history. Utah State's offense ranked second in the league in scoring (73.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (.476), while leading the Mountain West and ranking fifth nationally in assists per game (18.0). The Aggies were also tops in the MW with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.44.
Utah State returns eight letterwinners from last season, including three starters in fifth-year senior guard
RJ Eytle-Rock, senior guard
Sean Bairstow and senior guard
Rylan Jones. Jones led the Aggies with 139 assists last year, dishing out 4.5 dimes per game.
Utah State welcomes four newcomers to the 2022-23 squad, including three transfers in sixth-year forward
Dan Akin (UMBC/Cal Baptist), graduate forward
Taylor Funk (Saint Joseph's) and sophomore center
Isaac Johnson (Oregon). The Aggies also bring in freshman
Mason Falslev, native of Benson, Utah, and Sky View High School graduate.
Season tickets for the 2022-23 men's basketball season are already on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.utahstateaggies.com or by calling the Utah State ticket office at 1-888-USTATE-1.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
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