After returning to the AP Top 25 rankings for the first time in three weeks, No. 22 Utah State’s first game is at Fresno State on Tuesday night.
The Aggies (22-5, 10-4 Mountain West) are ranked after upsetting then-No. 19 San Diego State 68-63 last week in Logan, Utah. They have won three of their last four games.
Fresno State (11-16, 4-10) is on a three-game losing streak.
The Bulldogs have also lost three straight home games to Colorado State, UNLV and San Diego State. They are 7-7 at home.
Utah State won the previous meeting with Fresno State 83-62 in Logan when the Aggies were ranked No. 16.
The Aggies’ victory over San Diego State allowed them to take over sole possession for first place of the Mountain West. This is Utah State’s third team to beat two or more ranked opponents in the same season; the 1959-60 team defeated three teams in the AP Top 25, while the 2006-07 team beat two ranked opponents.
The Aggies responded well against San Diego State after losing the previous game at Colorado State 75-55.
“I think a lot of times people hit the panic button on us when things go bad,” graduate senior guard Darius Brown II said. “We knew this whole week that if we defended, rebounded and limited (San Diego State’s) second-chance points that we’d be fine.
“I know this team. I know we’re fighters. And I knew we’d be fine.”
Brown had 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, in the win over the Aztecs.
His former Montana State teammate, Great Osobor, had 13 of his 17 points in the second half while also producing seven rebounds and seven assists.
Fresno State’s last game was also against San Diego State, a 73-41 loss at home on Saturday.
The Bulldogs made a season-low 24.6 percent (14 of 57) of their shots in that game. Their 41 points is the fewest scored in a Mountain West game in the program’s history.
“It is what it is,” Fresno State coach Justin Hutson said. “As a coach, you know how we got here. You understand exactly how we got here. You understand exactly all the situations and variables that got us in this place right now and what you do is you come out and continue to work, continue to fight.”
Isaiah Hill was Fresno State’s top scorer against San Diego State with 12 points. He is averaging 12.2 points, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
In the previous matchup with Utah State, Hill was held to five points.
Isaiah Pope led the Bulldogs in that game with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Osobor paced Utah State with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
“I have been at the top end a lot in my life, so being down at the bottom you have to learn how to handle it like a champ and make sure you’re there for the kids and make sure you’re fighting and getting better,” added Hutson, who is in his sixth season as Fresno State’s head coach and has two seasons in which he won 23 games (2018-19 and 2021-22).
–Field Level Media