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COLORADO SPRINGS — Utah State started conference play 1-0 after a dominant 88-60 win over Air Force Tuesday.
In the win, the Aggies led wire-to-wire in the afternoon game on the road.
"I was proud of our focus and our intensity," Aggies head coach Danny Sprinkle said of his team.
Led by Great Osobor and his career-high 32 points, Utah State's offense didn't find much opposition to its downhill attack, finishing 63% from the floor and 52 points in the paint. Ian Martinez and Mason Falslev also finished in double figures, while Darius Brown finished with eight of the Aggies' 15 total assists.
Osobor's career game, to say nothing of his nine rebounds and four assists, was timely as it came during a bit of a personal performance slump. In the three games prior to Tuesday's contest, Osobor averaged 10 points per game while shooting less than 50% in all three individual contests, a percentage he has either hit or eclipsed in every other game this season.
"I'm really, really proud of my team," Osobor said. "They help me. They help me a lot. Even when I'm not playing my best, they believe in me, they're confident in my abilities. … They know what I'm capable of."
The Aggies defense held the Falcons to just 44% shooting from the field and 14% from 3-point range, down from Air Force's season averages of 46.2% and 36.0%, respectively. The Aggies also forced 16 turnovers on the afternoon, capping off an altogether "tremendous" defensive performance.
Preparation was key to the Aggies victory. When asked about their win, both Osobor and Sprinkle were quick to mention their scout team as one of the main keys to success.
"(The scout team) really helped us win this game," Sprinkle said. "They gave us a tremendous look, coach Andy Hill did an unbelievable job on the scout."
Their scouting and preparation caused Sprinkle to choose a small, four-guard starting lineup to defend Air Force's hard-cutting offense. Guards Falslev, Brown, Martinez, and Josh Uduje started with Osobor for the Aggies, a starting lineup Sprinkle had not used before Tuesday.
Ultimately, though the Falcons were narrowly ranked as the second-worst team in the Mountain West in the NET rankings, the dominant win will likely serve as an important confidence boost for a young Aggies roster.
The Aggies move to 13-1 and increase their current win streak to 12 before facing the 13th-ranked Colorado State at home Saturday. That contest will serve as an important "heat check" for the Aggies and would be a boon for their resume with a win.
"It's why you play in the Mountain West; it's a high major league. … They're No. 13 in the country," Sprinkle said of their upcoming game against the Rams. "The Spectrum is going to be rocking and we're going to have to play our best game. We're going to have to sure some things up offensively and defensively, but our guys, they'll be ready to compete."
Utah State is currently listed as one of Joe Lundardi's "last four in" as part of his NCAA Tournament projections, and Team Rankings currently gives the Aggies a 62.3% chance of making the NCAA Tournament.
