NO. 18 UTAH STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTABLES FOLLOWING ITS 87-75 OVERTIME WIN AGAINST NINTH-SEEDED FRESNO STATE IN THE QUARTERFINALS OF THE MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THURSDAY AND HEADING INTO ITS SEMIFINAL MATCHUP WITH FIFTH-SEEDED SAN DIEGO STATE ON FRIDAY
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Utah State is ranked No. 18 in the nation in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll. It is the eighth time this year that it has been nationally ranked, which is the second-longest streak in school history behind the 1960 team that was ranked for 11 weeks.
Utah State is the highest ranked Mountain West team at No. 18 in the nation. Nevada entered the week ranked 23rd in the nation.
Utah State is 76-23 all-time as an Associated Press ranked team, including a 12-2 record this season.
Utah State is the top seed in the Mountain West Championship for the first time in its 11 years in the league. Overall, it is the 10th time in school history that USU is the top seed in its conference tournament and now has a 17-6 record as the top seed, including a 7-2 record in quarterfinal games. USU also has a 6-2 record in the semifinals and a 4-2 record in the championship game of its conference tournament as the top seed.
The No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Championship is now 45-17 all-time, including a 23-1 record in quarterfinal games. The No. 1 seed is also 15-8 in semifinal games and 7-8 in final games of the MW Championship.
Utah State is 55-35 all-time in conference tournaments, including a 17-8 record in the Mountain West Championship. In fact, USU is 14-4 in its last 18 games in the MW Championship and is 6-1 in its last seven quarterfinal games.
Utah State has advanced to the semifinals of the Mountain West Championship for the sixth time in the last seven years and is 4-1 in its previous five games. In fact, USU has won four-straight semifinal games in the MW Championship. Overall, it is the 25th time in school history that USU has advanced to the semifinals of its conference tournament and is 18-6 in its previous 24 games.
Utah State and San Diego State will be meeting in the Mountain West Championship for the fifth time in the last six years and for the seventh time overall. USU is 2-4 in its six previous six postseason meetings with the Aztecs, and this will be the first-ever semifinal meeting between the two programs. Previously the two programs have faced one another in the finals of the MW Championship in four of the last five years with USU winning tournament titles in 2019 and 2020, while SDSU won in 2021 and 2023.
Utah State is 10-19 all-time against San Diego State, including a 1-1 record this year as each team won on its home court as SDSU posted an 81-67 win on Feb. 3, while USU notched a 68-63 win on Feb. 20. USU is 7-8 against SDSU in its last 15 meetings and 3-4 all-time in games played on a neutral court.
Utah State enters the Mountain West semifinals on a six-game winning streak and has won eight of its last nine games overall.
Utah State's 27 wins this season are tied with the 2009-10 team for the sixth-most in school history and tied for the ninth-most in the nation this season.
Utah State's 13 wins away from home (8 road, 5 neutral) are tied for the fourth-most in the nation.
Utah State is now 3-1 on the season in overtime games and is 9-0 in games decided by five points or less, including a 2-0 record in one-point games.
Junior wing Great Osobor recorded his 15th double-double of the season and 18th of his career with 29 points and a career-high 17 rebounds against Fresno State. He has now scored in double figures in 29 games this season and 52 in his career, including at least 20 points in 13 games this season and 14 in his career. It was also the 16th time this year and 20th time in his career he has grabbed double-digit rebounds.
Osobor, who drew 20 fouls against the Bulldogs, was 15-of-24 from the free throw line, both of which are career highs. Those 24 attempts are the most in a single game in school history and tied for the most in a single game in Mountain West Championship history. Furthermore, his 15 free throws are tied for the fifth-most in school history and tied for the fourth most in MW Championship game history.
Osobor has now scored 574 points on the season, which is tied for the 22nd-most in school history, while his 297 rebounds this year are tied for the 17th-most.
Sophomore guard Javon Jackson scored a career-high 16 points off the bench, marking his third game scoring in double figures. He also had a career-best five rebounds and a career-high three steals as he played a career-high 31 minutes against Fresno State.
Graduate senior guard Darius Brown II logged his fifth double-double of the season and seventh of his career with 17 points and season-high-tying 11 assists against Fresno State. He has now scored in double figures in 22 games this season and 75 in his career and has dished out double-digit assists four times this year and 10 times in his career.
Brown has 209 assists on the season, which is the second most in school history, and 15 assists shy of tying Kris Clark's school record of 224 set in 2008.