Bovine Blog: Previewing Utah State Vs. San Diego State Semifinal
Mar 14, 2024, 6:59 PM
Utah State Aggies head coach Danny Sprinkle talks with Utah State Aggies guard Darius Brown II (10) at a game against the San Francisco Dons at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. USU won 54-53.
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada – It’s fitting that back-to-back overtime games opened the 2024 Mountain West tournament after a wild season at the top of the conference leaderboard.
No. 18 Utah State (27-5, 15-4) is set for a rubber match against fifth-seeded San Diego State on Friday, March 15. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. MT.
Utah State survives the upset bid from Fresno State to secure a spot in the semis 🐮🏀#MWMadness | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/PWGB29T5Q8
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) March 14, 2024
The Aggies advanced to the 2024 Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championships semifinals with an 87-75 overtime win over Fresno State. San Diego State also needed overtime to knockoff fourth-seeded UNLV 74-71.
RELATED: How To Watch 2024 Mountain West Basketball Championships
🏀 Highlights from @USUBasketball’s 87-75 overtime win against Fresno State in the #MWMadness quarterfinals#AtThePEAK | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/GXmTMqPjbQ
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) March 14, 2024
USU improved to 3-1 in overtime games, while the Aztecs are now 3-2 in overtime contests this season.
Asked if freshman guard Mason Falslev would play in the MW semifinals after missing the win over Fresno State, Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle wasn’t optimistic.
“He hasn’t really practiced much all week,” Sprinkle warned. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’s been getting a lot of treatment on it, but I don’t expect him to play tomorrow.”
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Utah State vs. San Diego State
Utah State is 9-19 all-time against the Aztecs, and 5-15 in Mountain West play.
HURD on Wheels was alive and well today! #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/RIdyEn5cjy
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 14, 2024
USU and San Diego State won on their home floor in head-to-head matchups this season. These teams faced each other in the 2023 Mountain West Championship Game, with SDSU prevailing 62-57.
Game One – Utah State 67 | San Diego State 81
SDSU flexed its homecourt muscle against the then-No. 17 ranked Aggies to get the February 3 win.
RELATED: Toughness Lifts Utah State In Physical Overtime Win Over Bulldogs
Three USU players scored in double-figures. Freshman Mason Falslev made 7 of 11 shots for 16 points. Junior Great Osobor added 17 points and seven rebounds, playing much of the second half in foul trouble. Darius Brown II scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out five assists.
Jay Pal and Jaedon LeDee led the Aztecs with 16 points each.
Game Two – Utah State 68 | San Diego State 63
The Aggies returned the upset favor when USU took out then-No. 19 San Diego State with the help of the home crowd’s sixth man, The HURD.
Moving on!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/px8X1bRwUc
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 14, 2024
RELATED: Javon Jackson Lifts No. 18 Utah State To Overtime Win
Darius Brown II hit five threes on his way to a team-high 25 points in 39 minutes. Great Osobor finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high seven assists. Osobor added two blocks and two steals as he bolstered his MW Player of the Year resume. Freshman Mason Falslev added ten points as the Aggies improved to 12-1 at home.
Jaedon LeDee made a series of contested mid-range shots to finish with 23 points and six rebounds. Reese Waters added 11 points, with Miles Byrd scoring 10.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.
