Aggies are up to their old tricks again — winning, and winning often

Quiz time. You get a star on your forehead if you don’t live in Logan and can answer correctly the following questions:

1. Can you name the Utah State head basketball coach (without AI)?
2. Can you name two players on the Utah State basketball team?
3. One?
4. How many games has the USU basketball team lost so far this season?
5. True or false: The Aggies have averaged almost 25 wins per season for seven years.
6. How many times has the USU basketball team qualified for the NCAA basketball tournament in the last three years?
7. (Bonus question): Of the last six NCAA tournaments, how many times did the Aggies miss the cut?

Time’s up.

Read on for the answers.

As the test probably indicated, Utah State is one of the more unknown, underrated teams among college basketball programs — but also one of the best and most consistent. All the Aggies do is win. Quietly. You could put someone in the witness protection program and hide him on the Aggie bench. Anonymity is their game.

Or it was. They finally received some attention this week. After hovering in the “others receiving votes” list, they cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time this week, at No. 23. They had to win 14 of 15 games to do it, which is pretty much business as usual in Logan. They also received some love in the other polls — No. 20 in the Pomeroy rankings and No. 13 in NET.

It’s not easy for the Aggies to get attention when they are overshadowed by BYU (No. 11) and tucked away in Cache Valley and the Mountain West Conference.

Anyway, what is Logan putting in the water these days? Something is going on. The Aggies keep winning year in and year out. They have averaged 24.6 wins since 2019 and they have qualified for five of the last six NCAA tournaments, including the last three.

They win despite serving as a farm club for coaches. The current coach is Jerrod Calhoun, who is still in Logan despite winning 26 games last season. When his predecessors had such success, they caught the next bus out of town — Danny Sprinkle to Washington after one season at USU, Ryan Odom to Virginia Commonwealth after two seasons at USU and Craig Smith to Utah after three seasons at USU. Calhoun returned for an encore.

The Aggies are coach-proof. No matter who’s on the bench, they win. They have won at least 24 games 14 times since 2000.

The Aggies are winning even while operating on a much tighter budget than the big schools. In an interview with “Bronco Nation” before a game against Boise State, Calhoun explained that teams from the Big Ten, SEC, Big East and Big 12 have “anywhere from $10 million to $20 million; the rest of us are maybe $2 million, maybe $3 million. We’re playing behind just from a talent standpoint. Then (consider) the fact that they won’t play you in non-league (games); they won’t do home-and-homes or even two-for-ones anymore.”

The best non-league opponents the Aggies could schedule this season were Virginia Commonwealth, Weber State, Montana State, Illinois State, Tulane, Davidson and South Florida (USU’s lone loss), among others. The Aggies rank 122nd in strength of schedule, according to the Pomeroy ratings. Even Utah Tech has a more difficult schedule. That makes it difficult for the Aggies to earn national respect.

Introductions are probably in order for the Aggies. The team’s top two players are MJ Collins and Mason Falslev. Collins, who grew up in South Carolina, is touring the country by jumping from roster to roster. He started 44 games while playing two seasons at Virginia Tech. Last season, he appeared in 32 games for Vanderbilt before transferring to USU. He is averaging 20.5 points per game, shooting 47.8% (43 of 90) from the 3-point line, which ranks seventh nationally.

“He really fits in with how we play,” Calhoun says. “So much about the (transfer) portal in bringing players into the program is style of play and fit. We have so many options in the portal … MJ was a no-brainer.”

Falslev, a junior, has stayed closer to home. He played for Sky View High just a few miles north of Logan. This season, he is averaging 15.5 points and 2.7 steals per game. Six teammates average between 5.4-9.5 points.

The Aggies lead the Mountain West Conference in scoring, scoring margin and field goal percentage, and rank second in scoring defense.

The Aggies have been here before. They started each of the last two seasons by winning 16 of their first 17 games. They are two wins away from a third-straight 16-1 start and people are starting to notice.