OPENING TIPS
• On March 30, 2024, Jerrod Calhoun was named the 18th head coach in Utah State men's basketball history. Calhoun joins the Aggies after spending the past seven seasons at Youngstown State, where he logged a 118-106 overall record including five-straight winning seasons and three postseason appearances. Calhoun also served as the head coach at Fairmont State for five seasons, where he led the Falcons to a 124-38 record.
• Utah State is coming off of a Mountain West championship season in 2023-24 as the Aggies went 28-7 with a 14-4 mark in league play to capture the regular season title outright. This was the second MW championship for Utah State and the 18th overall conference championship in program history.
• In the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Utah State defeated TCU 88-72 in the first round to snap a 10-game losing streak in the NCAA Tournament and advance to the second round for the first time since defeating Ohio State 77-68 in overtime of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
• Utah State's 16-point win against TCU (88-72) was its largest NCAA Tournament win in school history, bettering its 10-point win (91-81) against UTEP in 1970.
• This year's Utah State squad includes three returning starters and four returning letterwinners from last season, who will be joined by nine newcomers (seven transfers and two incoming freshmen). Returning starters include graduate guard
Ian Martinez, junior center
Isaac Johnson and sophomore guard
Mason Falslev.
• Graduate guard
Ian Martinez earned all-Mountain West honorable mention recognition last season after averaging 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He ranked second on the team in scoring.
• Utah State was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West preseason poll, announced Thursday. The Aggies have finished ahead of their projected finish in five of the past seven seasons. Graduate guard
Ian Martinez was named to the preseason all-Mountain West team.
• Friday's game will be the first Utah State exhibition game since Utah State defeated Montana State Billings in an exhibition last November in the Spectrum 73-64.
• Utah State has played eight exhibitions in the past 10 seasons, going 8-0 in those games including a 73-64 win over Montana State Billings last season.
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