The Pit Beckons As Utah State Looks To Extend Nation’s Longest Winning Streak
Jan 15, 2024, 9:48 AM | Updated: Jan 22, 2024, 2:21 pm
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State can’t afford to take a day off after finding a way to survive in Las Vegas against an upset-minded UNLV Runnin’ Rebels team. ‘Rent is still due’ has been the mantra adopted by first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle as the Aggies take their 15-game winning streak into The Pit.
No. 16 USU (16-1, 4-0) faces the New Mexico Lobos (14-3, 2-2) in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Tuesday, January 16. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. (MT)
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🏀 Highlights from @USUBasketball 87-86 Win over UNLV 🔵⚪️#AtThePeak | #MWMBB | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/SdaD6yukb5
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) January 13, 2024
The Aggies come into this matchup ranked 20th in the NET and 40th by KenPom as of January 14.
Utah State’s 15-game winning streak is tied with Samford for the longest streak in the country. It’s the sixth-longest winning streak in program history.
USU is 27-9 all-time against the Lobos, including a 10-6 record in The Pit. The Aggies have won the past six games in the series.
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New Mexico Lobos
Led by third-year head coach Richard Pitino, the son of long-time college and NBA coach Rick Pitino, UNM is coming off of its first 20-win season and postseason appearance in nine years.
The Lobos backcourt combination of Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. was named to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team this season.
House is the son of former NBA guard Eddie House and nephew of former NBA point guard Mike Bibby. Mashburn Jr. bears his father’s name, Jamal Mashburn Sr., who was a prolific scorer in 11 NBA seasons. Mashburn Jr. earned All-MW first-team recognition last season, while House was named to the MW second-team.
House and Toppin are a DYNAMIC duo! 🐺🐺 pic.twitter.com/r6MXmbK4mj
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 13, 2024
Mashburn Jr. leads four Lobos in double-figure scoring with 16.5 points a night. House is second, averaging 15.7 points and four assists on 38 percent shooting from the field and from deep. Donovan Dent scores 15.1 points, while freshman JT Toppin averages 12.8 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds.
UNM (82.7 ppg) and Utah State (81.9 ppg) lead the conference in scoring. USU’s defense (66.5 ppg) is third in the league, while the Lobos (68.4 ppg) are sixth in the MW.
The Lobos are 1-2 this season against ranked opponents. Losses to then-No. 23 Saint Mary’s and then-No.13 Colorado State were offset in their most recent win. The Lobos used homecourt advantage to topple then-No. 19 San Diego State 88-70.
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The Aggies put their 15-game winning streak on the line against the New Mexico Lobos (14-3, 2-2) at The Pit on Tuesday, January 16. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. (MT).
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s coverage of the Bees, Big League Utah, and Aggie athletics here.
