Utah State basketball finally gets a coach to return for a second year. Now, they’re hoping to continue their winning ways and come out on top in the Mountain West.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Utah State basketball.
Utah State has had a bit of a turnover problem as of late. Ryan Odom left in his second season to take the VCU job. They hired Danny Sprinkle to replace him. After one year, he left for the Washington job. They hired Jerrod Calhoun to be their third coach in three years. After a 26-8 season, he’s still here to the relief of Utah State fans. They’re hoping they can keep him for a few more years and remain in their winning ways.
A great way to do that is by bringing back superstar Mason Falslev. Falslev was an All-Mountain West second-teamer last year and will, without a doubt, make the first team this year. In general, they bring back about half their minutes from last year’s team, the second most in the Mountain West.
Losing Ian Martinez, the team’s leading scorer, will be tough to replace. They’re hoping guys like Drake Allen and Karson Templin will be able to replace that with increased roles, and transfers MJ Collins and Garry Clark can add a spark as well.
This team arguably isn’t as strong as last year, which finished 61st in Kenpom, but the Mountain West is a bit weaker, and they should still comfortably win 10+ conference games and, at worst, be a bubble team.
Head coach: Jerrod Calhoun (2nd season at Utah State, 14th season overall)
2024-25 record: 26-8 (15-5)
2025 postseason finish: Lost in first round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Ian Martinez (16.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.7 APG)
- Dexter Akanno (8.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.0 APG)
- Deyton Albury (7.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.7 APG)
- Aubin Gateretse (6.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.5 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. VCU (Nov. 7)
- Tulane (Nov. 21) – Shriner’s Children Classic
- Davidson OR Boston College (Nov 23) – Shriner’s Children Classic
- at South Florida (Dec. 4)
- vs. Illinois State (Dec. 13)
Projected Rotation
PG: Drake Allen (6-5, 205, Gr.-Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 7.0 PPG, 3.8 APG, 1.9 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 45.7 FG%, 28.8 3P%, 62.3 FT%
SG: Mason Falslev (6-4, 200, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 15.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.3 SPG, 49.7 FG%, 39.0 3P%, 57.9 FT%
SF: MJ Collins Jr. (6-4, 195, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 7.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 42.0 FG%, 29.3 3P%, 72.9 FT% (Vanderbilt)
PF: Garry Clark (6-9, 220, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 14.9 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 54.9 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 57.8 FT% (Texas A&M CC)
C: Karson Templin (6-9, 230, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 7.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 BPG, 0.5 SPG, 52.5 FG%, 29.5 3P%, 58.6 FT%
6: Zach Keller (6-10, 245, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 2.8 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.6 APG, 56.1 FG%, 38.1 FT% (Utah)
7: Tucker Anderson (6-9, 230, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 5.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 37.6 FG%, 29.5 3P%, 82.8 FT%
8: Kolby King (6-1, 185, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 5.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 44.1 FG%, 40.0 3P%, 70.0 FT% (Butler)
9: Jordy Barnes (6-4, 185, So.)
2024-25 stats: 1.6 PPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 39.6 FG%
10: Adlan Elamin (6-9, 185, Fr.)
2025 247Sports #172 ranked recruit
Utah State Basketball team MVP: Mason Falslev
Falslev is a star. He’s played and started in 68 games over two seasons and saw his scoring jump from 11.3 PPG to 15.0 PPG last season. What was really impressive was his three-point shooting. He shot just 30.5% his freshman year, then watched that jump to 39.0% on 4 attempts per game. At 6-3, he still averaged 6.3 rebounds a game, and 3.7 APG isn’t too shabby.
Surprisingly, the only thing he can’t do is shoot free throws. He only shot 3 a game last season, but averaged just 58% from the line. EvanMiya ranks him as the 2nd best player in the Mountain West for the upcoming season, behind San Diego State’s Miles Byrd.
Defensively, he’s great too, averaging 2.3 steals a game, 16th most in the country. If he’s playing, Utah State has a chance to win any game. Expect him to be even better this year and in discussions for an All-American bid.
Utah State Basketball make-or-break player: Drake Allen
Allen is the type of player who you can’t let the box score dictate how good he is. Sure, he averaged 7.0 PPG and didn’t shoot the ball terrifically, but EvanMiya, which tracks the offensive value a player brings to the court, has Allen second in the conference, behind Falslev.
Allen surprisingly didn’t transfer to Utah and complete the Utah school quest of playing at every single one. He started at Southern Utah, then Utah Valley, before finding his way to Utah State. He averaged 11 a game at the two schools prior, and is looking to become more of a playmaker with his increased role. If he can do that and also up his scoring, that’s a great sign for Utah State basketball, and a bad sign for the rest of the conference.
Key analytic: Two Point %
If the Aggies were shooting the ball inside the arc, there were few teams that shot it better than them last year. Utah State shot 57.5% from two last year, an impressive stat. In general, they were one of the best shooting teams in the country, and being efficient was a big reason why.
They return a lot of those efficient shooters, and Clark and Keller both shot over 50% from the field with their teams last year. If they can continue that efficiency, good things will come for this team, and they’ll put themselves in a position to succeed during any game.
Utah State Basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish: 2nd in the Mountain West
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Exit