Utah State Basketball Faces UNLV in Crucial Mountain West Quarterfinal
As the old proverb states, “no good deed goes unpunished.” And for Utah State basketball, that rings true. Despite securing the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West tournament after winning the outright conference title, the Aggies find themselves facing a familiar foe: UNLV, the only team to sweep them during the 2025-26 season. The rematch takes place on the Rebels’ home court, adding another layer of challenge.
Utah State (25-6 overall) will battle No. 8 seed UNLV (17-15, 11-9) at 1 p.m. MT Thursday in the quarterfinals at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV advanced after a hard-fought 73-70 victory over Wyoming on Wednesday afternoon.
UNLV’s Challenge and Utah State’s Response
“Jerrod Calhoun does a great job; He’s an outstanding coach, and they’re a great basketball team,” UNLV head coach Josh Pastner commented on facing the Aggies. “They’re a high-level group. Any coaching vacancy, Jerrod Calhoun will be a top candidate. They play hard, are well-coached, and we need our best game to compete.”
Unfortunately for Utah State, UNLV arguably already played that best game last week, delivering the Aggies their most significant loss of the season – a 92-65 rout at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV also secured a rare win at the Spectrum, overcoming a 14-point deficit to win 86-76 on January 20th.
“Those were two different games,” Calhoun stated. “We let a lead slip in the first, and the last game was simply not good enough. Momentum swings are part of the game, and UNLV capitalized on them. Our defense will be key. We need to keep them out of the paint and effectively navigate their ball-screen switches.”
Recent Performance and Accolades
The Aggies last played on Saturday night, defeating New Mexico 94-90 at the Spectrum to clinch the Mountain West regular-season championship for the second time in three years. Calhoun granted his team a couple of days off before resuming practices on Tuesday, focusing on lighter workloads to keep the team fresh.
Tuesday also brought individual recognition for several Aggies. Junior guard Mason Falslev was named the Mountain West Player of the Year, while Calhoun earned the MW Steve Fisher Coach of the Year award. Falslev also made the MW All-Defensive Team, and junior forward Karson Templin was named Sixth Man of the Year. Senior guard MJ Collins Jr. (second team) and graduate guard Drake Allen (honorable mention) also received accolades.
Falslev, a Cache Valley native, leads the Aggies in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and minutes played (31.9 mpg), while ranking second in scoring (15.9 ppg) and third in assists (2.9). He joins Sam Merrill (2019) and Great Osobor (2024) as Aggies to win the Mountain West Player of the Year award.
Looking Ahead: Tournament Outlook
Currently ranked 29th in the NET rankings and 36th in the KenPom.com ratings, Utah State is considered a lock for the NCAA tournament, regardless of the tournament outcome. However, a win against UNLV would significantly improve their seeding.
Wyoming nearly upset UNLV on Wednesday, demonstrating the potential for an upset. The Cowboys led for a portion of the second half, but UNLV ultimately prevailed thanks to key plays from Kimani Hamilton and Tyrin Jones.
“I believe everything is deeper than it looks,” Pastner said. “Losing to San Diego State gave us the opportunity to play Wyoming, and breaking the streak of not winning in this tournament other than against Air Force is a significant accomplishment.”
Hamilton led the Rebels with 23 points, while Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, the conference’s leading scorer, struggled from the field. However, Hamilton’s strong performance compensated for Gibbs-Lawhorn’s quiet night.
Calhoun emphasized the need to defend Hamilton effectively. “We need to be more physical and prevent him from getting the ball low on the block.”
Falslev performed well against UNLV this season, scoring 20 points in Las Vegas and 21 points at the Spectrum. However, Utah State needs more offensive contribution from Collins, who struggled in both matchups.
The winner of Thursday’s game will face the winner of the clash between No. 4 seed Grand Canyon (20-11) and No. 5 Nevada (21-11) at 7:30 p.m. MT Friday. Nevada dominated Air Force 80-45 on Wednesday, extending the Falcons’ losing streak to 25 games.
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