Aggies earn No. 3 seed in conference tourney with blowout win over Air Force

LOGAN — Utah State came into the 2024-25 season with plenty of questions considering they were breaking in a new coach and were dealing with the departure of one of their best players in Great Osobor.

But as the season went along, the Aggies answered pretty much every question with a collection of players that complemented each other, and a coach who was ready to meet the moment.

It translated into a highly successful season that included a couple of weeks on the Associated Press Top 25, and arguable a chance to make some noise in the postseason.

The Aggies ended their season on a high note Saturday afternoon as they beat Air Force 87-47 at home. They were coming off two consecutive road losses to Boise State and Colorado State, marking the first time they'd lost back-to-back games all season.

The win secured the Aggies the No. 3 seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, which starts next week. Utah State will play Thursday at 9:30 p.m. MDT against the winner of Wednesday's matchup between UNLV and Air Force.

"We're not the least bit satisfied with 25 wins and 15-5 in the conference," Aggies head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. "That's what the tournament's about — a chance to compete and hang a banner and win a championship."

Mason Falslev led the team with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Ian Martinez added 14 points, while Dexter Akanno scored 10 as he reached 1,000 career points with a 3-pointer late in the game.

Utah State led 16-3 within the first six minutes of the game, which grew to 20 points with 6:02 remaining in the first half before a 50-23 lead at halftime. The Aggies finished the regular season with a 25-6 overall record (15-2 at home), and a 15-5 mark in the Mountain West.

"I think it was a big defensive game for us," Tucker Anderson said.

Utah State had not looked like the same team in its two games prior to Saturday. Assists were down, outside shooting was abysmal, even the rebounding was subpar. But a 40-point win against the Falcons could be just enough to prove the Aggies belong in the Big Dance — at least account to Calhoun.

"I think this game should solidify us into the NCAA Tournament," Calhoun said. "I think our numbers are good enough. If you look at where our numbers are right now, we're an NCAA Tournament team. We've beaten really good teams. Now it's about, to me, playing for seeding."

If the Aggies win the conference tournament championship, they'll get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. If not, they'll need to rely on the selection committee believing their body of work is worthy of college basketball's most important time of the year.

As of Saturday morning, ESPN projected Utah State as a No. 10 seed playing No. 7 Ole Miss to start the tournament.

For the Aggies, the reason they get in the morning starts Thursday in Las Vegas. From the sound of it, they'll be ready.

"We want to leave everything out there," Calhoun said.

Related topics