No. 22 Utah State Faces UNLV Looking For Seventh Straight Win

LOGAN, Utah – Jerrod Calhoun and the Utah State Aggies look to keep the good times rolling when they head to Nevada for a date with UNLV. The Aggies are one of five teams with only one loss and the only program in the nation with 16 wins.

Utah State (16-1, 6-0) will play the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (9-7, 3-2) in Sin City on Wednesday, January 15. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and tip off at 9 p.m. MT.

RELATED: Utah State Makes Leap In Latest AP Top 25

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙨.

Spectrum Magic was in FULL effect Saturday night. pic.twitter.com/FTGZWhtNM8

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 14, 2025

Utah State has proven its depth with a relentless pressure zone defense and various offensive threats. Four-time Mountain West Player of the Week Mason Falslev is often the tip of the spear, leading the Aggies in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and an MW-leading 2.4 steals.

Falslev’s 16.4 points trails Ian Martinez at 16.8 points per game. Behind them, Karson Templin averages 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds; Dexter Akanno adds 8.4 points while shooting 40.8 percent from deep.

RELATED: Spectrum Magic Personified In Utah State’s Nail-Biting Win Over Boise State

Four Aggies average more than three assists per game, making them one of two teams in the country to reach that mark. Drake Allen leads the way with 3.9 helpers per game, followed by Falslev (3.5), Martinez (3.2) and freshman Jordy Barnes (3.0). Utah State leads the conference with a 1.61 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Wednesday night’s game marks the 50th meeting between these two programs. UNLV leads the all-time series 34-15, including a 19-5 mark at home. USU has won six consecutive games in the series and 10 of the past 12.

Always dangerous UNLV is lurking

Kevin Kruger leads a Runnin’ Rebels team that comes in eighth in the MW defensively (71.1 ppg) and ninth offensively (71.9 ppg). The Rebels fire away from deep, attempting 116 threes, trailing only Nevada conference-wide. Kruger and the Rebels look to snap a two-game losing streak with the Aggies coming to town.

Sophomore Dedan Thomas leads UNLV with 16.1 points and 4.4 assists per night. The 6’1 point guard averages nearly 35 minutes per game.

𝙑𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙨 𝘽𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙.

🆚 UNLV
➡️ 9:00 PM | Wednesday
📍 Las Vegas, NV
📺 @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/6YNcf3Tkoy

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 14, 2025

UNLV has been one of the worst rebounding teams in the MW. It ranks ninth offensively and second to last in defensive rebounding. Jeremiah Cherry leads the team with 5.6 rebounds.

Two Rebels join Thomas Jr. in double-digit scoring. Jaden Henley scores 12 points a night, with Jailen Bedford chipping in 10.8 points.

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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.

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