The winning factory that is Utah State basketball is ready to do it all over again, this time with Ben Jacobson.
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.
In the last six years, Utah State has had four head coaches. They’ve made the tournament five times. No matter who’s in charge, Utah State basketball finds a way to win; it’s truly one of the more impressive feats in all of college basketball. Now, they’ll do it again, this time with the longtime Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson, who has won four tournament games with the program and is one of the biggest home run hires of the offseason.
When a coach leaves, it’s almost a certainty that the top players also leave and either follow the coach or find another program. Jacobson somehow convinced star guard Mason Falslev to stay, as well as third-leading scorer Karson Templin. One player he did bring over was forward Will Hornseth, who shot an impressive 60% from the field.
They picked up a late commitment from Dallin Hall, the former BYU and Virginia guard who brings a lot of maturity and experience to this program. It seems like he’s going to be eligible, but there’s always a bit of uncertainty with the madness that’s occurring right now. If he’s ineligible, AJ Bates fits in perfectly as a guy who averaged six assists a game last year. Watch out for the big boy Carson Turnbull as well. He averaged 2.4 blocks per game, 13th in all of college basketball.
With the move to the Pac-12, the competition should be challenging, with teams like Gonzaga joining while still having to play some of the best former Mountain West teams like San Diego State and Boise State. College basketball is an unpredictable sport, but if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that this Utah State program will thrive once again.
Head coach: Ben Jacobson (21st season overall, 1st at Utah State)
2025-26 record: 29-7 (15-5)
2026 postseason finish: Lost to Arizona (78-66) in second round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- MJ Collins Jr. (17.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.6 APG)
- Drake Allen (7.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.7 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. SMU (Nov. 25) – Acrisure Series
- vs. USC (Nov. 26) – Acrisure Series
- at New Mexico (Nov. 29)
- at BYU (Dec. 9)
- at Memphis (Feb. 20)
Projected Rotation
PG: Dallin Hall (6-4, 200, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 5.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 41.3 FG%, 32.0 3P%, 81.3 FT% (Virginia)
SG: Mason Falslev (6-4, 200, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 16.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 51.4 FG%, 39.0 3P%, 76.4 FT%
SF: Karson Templin (6-8, 225, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 50.2 FG%, 65.5 FT%
PF: Will Hornseth (6-9, 235, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 60.1 FG% (Northern Iowa)
C: Connor Turnbull (6-11, 225, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.4 BPG, 47.1 FG%, 66.7 FT% (Evansville)
6: AJ Bates (6-4, 200, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 37.0 FG%, 78.3 FT% (Louisiana Tech)
7: Solomon Callaghan (6-2, 195, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.2 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 41.7 FG%, 39.5 3P%, 92.6 FT% (Wright State)
8: Sean Felts (7-0, 225, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 13.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 58.9 FG% (NJCAA)
9: Collin Mulholland (6-11, 240, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 7.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.5 BPG, 44.2 FG%, 81.6 FT% (Chattanooga)
10: Kingston Tosi (6-8, 210, So.)
247Sports Composite No. 256 ranked recruit (2025)
Utah State basketball team MVP: Mason Falslev
Again, it’s pretty insane that Ben Jacobson was able to keep Falslev, but Falslev clearly trusts him and the program and sees this as a place where he can succeed. Last year’s Mountain West player of the year averaged 16 PPG last year, as well as nearly 6 rebounds a game and three assists a game. He shoots the ball at all three levels at an extremely high level and is a great defender, averaging around 2 steals a game.
He scored 22 points in the round one win against Villanova, but struggled against Arizona, which was a big reason why they never really stood a chance. With another year of experience and preparation, he is an All-Pac-12 first-team lock and one of the best players in all of college basketball. Expect some big-time performances from him all season long.
Utah State basketball make-or-break player: Dallin Hall
Dallin Hall was surprisingly given eligibility on August 21st as one of 52 athletes recently granted a fifth year of college eligibility by Judge Charlotte Sweeney. He quickly committed to Utah State, returning to the state of Utah after three years at BYU. His stats might not pop, averaging 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists a game, but he has a winning impact on winning teams and has been coached by some of the best, including Mark Pope, Kevin Young, and Ryan Odom.
Hall has 97 starts in college basketball at the Power Five level, and that maturity and experience are so valuable. On this roster, expect him to have a role similar to Drake Allen’s: he’ll get a few baskets, but his main role will be feeding Falslev and Templin and staying in front of the opponents’ lead guard.
Again, his eligibility is still uncertain, even if it’s leaning positively, and while Bates can do this role just fine, it’ll be hard to mirror what Hall can do.
Key statistic: Tempo
With Ben Jacobson taking over, that means a lot fewer points for Utah State basketball, but also a lot fewer points allowed. Northern Iowa had the second-slowest tempo in all of college basketball last season, and as a result allowed just 62.5 PPG, second best in the country behind Houston. When Northern Iowa is at its best, the defense and tempo are as slow as possible.
The year they made the Sweet 16, they finished 2nd in the country in points allowed. When they won back-to-back games in back-to-back years in the NCAA Tournament, they finished 4th and 16th in the category. Expect a similar style this year, and when you have guys who can score in the halfcourt like Malslev and Hornseth, it makes it easy for the system to work.
Utah State basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 3rd in the Pac-12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament second round exit