Utah State basketball prepares to tips off a new chapter under Ben Jacobson
Oct 28, 2026, 6:12 PM
Recapping Utah State men's basketball media before beginning the 2026-27 regular season against Idaho State. (USU Athletics, Arpan Bose)
(USU Athletics, Arpan Bose)
LOGAN – Ben Jacobson hasn’t been at Utah State long, but he already knows what he wants Aggie basketball to look and feel like.
Fast. Connected. Competitive. Deep enough to make every night hard for opponents and every practice hard on itself.
“Compete like crazy,” Jacobson said. “To me, that’s where everything starts. When you come to practice and when you get to game night, it all starts with just a monster effort.”
That is the foundation for Utah State entering a season that brings plenty of change and even more anticipation. The Aggies have a new head coach, a rebuilt but experienced roster, more size in the frontcourt, a faster offensive approach, and a new conference stage as they begin life in the Pac-12.
RELATED: Utah State releases 2026-27 men’s basketball Pac-12 schedule
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The program’s expectations aren’t built around one player, one style, or one storyline. They are built around pace, depth, sacrifice, and a belief that the Spectrum remains one of college basketball’s best home-court advantages n.
Director of Athletics Cameron Walker said the excitement around the program has been obvious.
“Incredibly excited about basketball season starting on Monday,” Walker said. “I think a really cool way to start it with a doubleheader, both women’s and men’s, and being able to have both those teams on display.”
The opener will do more than begin another season. It will offer the first full look at what Jacobson’s Aggies can be.
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Built to play fast
Through the preseason, the early identity has centered on an offense that wants to play with pace and space. Jacobson said he has been encouraged by how quickly the group has embraced that style.
“Offensively, I feel like our unselfishness and our pace and our passing have been ahead of schedule,” Jacobson said.
He saw signs of it in Utah State’s three exhibitions, particularly in how the Aggies moved the ball and played with tempo. For a roster with multiple guards who can initiate offense, bigs who can run the floor, and enough skill to keep the ball moving, the fit has been natural.
“Playing a little bit faster, the skill level that’s on this roster really fits that in terms of pace, but then the mentality and the approach and the unselfishness,” Jacobson said.
Congrats to Mason on being named to the preseason watch list for the 2027 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award! 🙌
🔗 >> https://t.co/ArwqQhRVsH https://t.co/RycJ0RXg8j
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) October 27, 2026
Mason Falslev, the face of Utah State basketball as ‘The Mayor’, described the change in similar terms. Utah State isn’t abandoning structure, but the Aggies seem less interested in walking the ball up, calling a set, and waiting for the perfect action.
“I think we’re playing a lot faster this year,” Falslev said. “Coach Jacobson doesn’t like calling out plays. We get it up the court, and we try to find the advantage and get to the next action.”
That kind of approach requires trust, timing, and depth. Utah State believes it has all three.
Depth, sacrifice and a bigger frontcourt
Jacobson has repeatedly pointed to the number of players who can score, defend, and fill roles on a given night. He doesn’t believe the Aggies need Falslev to chase a specific scoring number to succeed, even if Falslev can carry a heavy offensive load.
“He wants to win, so his (scoring) number isn’t all that important to him,” Jacobson said. “And when your best player approaches things that way, that matters.”
That mindset could mean even more on a roster with legitimate competition for minutes. Falslev said the Aggies have enough talent that not everyone will get the same role every night, and accepting that reality will be critical.
“We have so many guys that can do so many things, and it’s going to be really hard because Coach can only play five guys,” Falslev said. “It’s all going to be about sacrifice.”
He added that the buy-in has been clear.
“We all want to win,” Falslev said. “Whatever it takes to win, that’s what we’re going to do. If that means me playing less, I’m willing to do it.”
Congrats to Mason on being named to the preseason watch list for the 2027 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award! 🙌
🔗 >> https://t.co/ArwqQhRVsH https://t.co/RycJ0RXg8j
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) October 27, 2026
That depth extends to the frontcourt, where Utah State expects to look different than it did a year ago.
Karson Templin said the Aggies’ added size has changed his role and could change the team’s ceiling.
“I think we’re a lot bigger than last year,” Templin said. “At the center position, we have a couple of seven-footers. I’m playing more power forward this year, which is nice for me. I don’t have to guard the biggest guy.”
Templin has also worked to expand his own game. He said he lost weight, leaned out, and put significant time into his perimeter shooting.
“I lost some weight over the offseason, probably just about five pounds,” Templin said. “I’ve been working on my 3-point shot a lot. Me and coach get in every morning around 7 a.m. and shoot about 500 shots.”
For Falslev, the added frontcourt presence has already been noticeable.
“It’s nice to have a seven-footer,” Falslev said. “Last game, Connor (Turnbull) comes up with rebounds that I’ve just never been used to seeing.”
That size should help Utah State on the glass, one of Jacobson’s major points of emphasis.
The offensive progress has been impressive, but the defensive end remains a work in progress.
“Guarding the basketball is something we’ve talked about a lot,” Jacobson said. “It’s gotten better. Still plenty of room there. Our pick-and-roll coverage, impacting the basketball when we put two on the ball, and then rebounding — those have been the ones that have gotten the most attention.”
A Pac-12 challenge with Spectrum energy
The defensive growth will be especially important as the Aggies step into a deeper league. Walker said the move to the Pac-12 immediately changes the challenge.
“The level of competition has just increased dramatically and all the way across the board,” Walker said. “The top teams are better, but the bottom of the conference is really good, too.”
That depth adds to the excitement. Utah State is not simply joining a league with a few marquee opponents. It is entering a conference Walker believes will test teams every night, with a double round-robin regular-season schedule that should leave little doubt about the regular-season champion.
“We’re going to know who the best team in the conference is at the end of the regular season,” Walker said. “And you’re able to prove it on the court, which is pretty great.”
Next time … we party FOR REAL! https://t.co/shws9GbNkk
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) October 25, 2026
For Utah State, that challenge comes with the benefit of a home environment long central to the program’s identity. The Aggies have sold out season tickets, and Walker said that speaks to the community’s relationship with basketball.
“The continued desire to be in here and to sell out season tickets again, I think, is really a tribute to this community and their involvement and love for the Aggies and for basketball in particular,” Walker said.
The Spectrum will also be on a bigger stage. With the Pac-12 bringing increased exposure, Walker sees value in the rest of the country getting a better look at one of Utah State’s greatest assets.
“If you tune in and you’re flipping through the channel and you see The Hurd bouncing up and down with rubber blue gloves on, clapping their hands and doing crazy stuff, you’re probably going to watch for a minute and figure out what in the world is going on,” Walker said with a laugh.
The players understand that, too. Templin said the Spectrum experience is hard to explain until someone sees it.
“I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the Spectrum,” Templin said. “If you come to a game, you’re going to feel the crowd, you’re going to hear The Hurd. They’re so coordinated, and they do such a good job. It’s like nothing you’ve seen before.”
Monday marks the first test
Falslev, a Cache Valley native, has lived the program-community connection from both sides—as a local fan and now as one of the Aggies’ leaders. Through multiple coaching changes, he has stayed at Utah State and become a constant during a period of transition.
“Probably the biggest thing was just a lot of prayer, in all honesty,” Falslev said. “Year after year, when coach leaves, I think about what’s best for me — and now what’s best for me and my wife.”
Now he enters his final season as part of a team trying to carry Utah State’s recent success into a new chapter. Falslev didn’t want to put a ceiling on what the Aggies can be, but he made it clear the goals remain high.
“I don’t like putting a ceiling on things,” Falslev said, “I think we have a chance to compete for a conference tournament and make a run in March.”
Jacobson’s vision starts well before March. It starts with the habits Utah State has built in practice: how the Aggies share the ball, defend, and rebound when the games count.
It all starts Monday, when the lights come on in the Spectrum, and a new era officially begins.
The Aggies open with a chance to show their fans what the preseason has suggested: a team built to run, willing to share, deep enough to absorb sacrifice and eager to bring Utah State’s basketball identity into the Pac-12.
If Jacobson’s team delivers on that vision, he already knows what he wants fans to feel when they leave the building.
“When the game is over and they’re walking out, if they don’t know already, they’re going to be checking the schedule: ‘Hey, when do we play next? I can’t wait to get back in here,’” Jacobson said.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.
