The Utah State Aggies Are Favorites Against Big 10’s Iowa Hawkeyes
Nov 19, 2024, 12:51 PM | Updated: 12:51 pm
Photo Courtesy of Utah State Basketball on X.
LOGAN, Utah- Despite massive roster turnover and being led by their fourth head coach in the last five years, the Utah State Aggies are off to an undefeated start in 2024. The Aggies have scored an average of 104 points a game so far this season, all of them home wins led by new Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun who has his squad executing at an extremely high level early in the season.
While Utah State has enjoyed a 4-0 start, it is difficult to get a true sense of this team’s full capabilities as all of their game thus far have been double-digit wins played against lesser opponents, all in Logan. The Aggies’ first true test will come on Friday, November 22, in the Hall of Fame Classic against a Big 10, High Major opponent in the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Tip time and TV are set for the Hall of Fame Classic!
We'll face Iowa on Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. MT on @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/0KscF7kfbQ
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) October 9, 2024
Utah State vs Montana
The last time out for the Utah State Aggies was a 12-point victory over the Montana Grizzlies, who are picked to win the Big Sky Conference this year. The Grizzlies held Utah State to their slimmest margin of victory so far this season, but Montana’s defense was simply unable to withstand the Aggies’ prolific offense, allowing them to score 95 points. While the scoring numbers and percentages were nearly identical between the two teams, the discrepancy and difference in the game came at the free throw line with Utah State shooting 16 more free throws than Montana.
Ian Martinez, who scored a career-high 32 points, took advantage of his time at the charity stripe, going 16-16, accounting for half of his point total. He also poured in four three-pointers.
IAN WITH THE 3⃣0⃣-PIECE‼️
⚡️ @IanJumaine #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/Efrdm6Vz5O
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 19, 2024
Mason Falslev had his best performance of the year with 25 points on 11-17 shooting. Falslev’s defense also showed strong with a game-high five steals.
Jordy steal ➡️ Mason and-one#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/utmrIVjF18
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) November 19, 2024
Coach Calhoun’s Comments
While Utah State did come away with the win, they also allowed the most points they have all season and relied on some clutch performances down the stretch to close out the Grizzlies.
RELATED STORIES
“Of course, you have to give credit to Ian [Martiez] and Mason [Falslev],” Coach Calhoun said postgame. “I mean those kids just made every big, winning play. I thought Drake Allen… had a big play.”
The Aggies were able to escape Montana because of their ability to put up astounding numbers on the offensive end, but Jerrod Calhoun knows that defense will have to step up as Utah State starts to get into the more grueling portion of their non-conference schedule.
“[Tonight] was the first time that I felt like a coach [at Utah State] that we were begging for effort,” Calhoun admitted, “That’s not a good feeling, so we’ve gotta get some things corrected on defensive rebounding and guarding. We can’t give up 83. We know that we can get 90-100 on most nights, but we can’t give up 83 points.”
Utah State vs Iowa
The Utah State Aggies will face the Iowa Hawkeyes on a neutral court at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City as part of the Hall of Fame Classic.
Iowa were winners of 19 games last season, making an appearance in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), where they made it to the second round before losing to the Utah Runnin’ Utes in Salt Lake City.
The Hawkeyes are also 4-0 to start the season, including a win against Washington State who won an NCAA Tournament game last year. Iowa has relied on their defense up to this point, as they have only crested the 90-point mark on offense once this season. They are holding opponents to just 71 points per game, over 30 points below Utah State’s season scoring average, making Friday’s matchup a battle between a high-flying offense and a stonewall defense.
When asked about what the focus of practice will be for the Aggies this week as they prepare for Iowa, Jerrod Calhoun said, “Attention to detail, guard the basketball better, rebound the ball better, get the ball side to side better… and then just sense of urgency. This is a Quad One, we wanted to play Quad One’s. Our next three games are neutral site games and I think you’ll get a real taste of where we’re at on Friday Night.”
According to ESPN Analytics, Utah State has a 59.5% chance of beating the Hawkeyes, meaning they will take the floor on Friday favored against a Big 10 opponent. Not only that but Utah State will also be favored in every game over the next month up until they visit Saint Mary’s on December 22.
The Aggies and Hawkeyes will tip off on Friday, November 22, at 6:00 p.m. MT. You can tune into the action on the Big Ten Network.
