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UC San Diego’s men’s basketball team is 9-2 overall, 2-0 in Big West play and has won seven straight games heading into one of the biggest games in program history.
Tuesday night, the Tritons visit Utah State (10-0, 1-0 Mountain West) at raucous Dee Glen Spectrum knowing that a victory would send a message.
Coach Eric Olen’s squad is coming off an 80-65 win at Idaho on Sunday, defeated LaSalle, James Madison and Toledo en route to winning the Boardwalk Battle tournament in Dayton Beach, Fla., in late November and held a late lead at No. 23 San Diego State before falling 63-58 on Nov. 6.
The Tritons are facing one of their toughest challenges against the Aggies, who received votes in the AP and USA Today coaches polls, own a NET rating of 20 — 34 slots ahead of the SDSU — and enjoy one of the best home environments in the country.
The 10-0 start is the best in program history.
First-year coach Jerrod Calhoun’s squad is coming off an 88-67 home win over South Florida on Saturday in which guard Mason Falslev went off for 27 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals.
The Aggies own quality wins over Iowa (8-3) and North Texas (6-3) and are expected to push the Aztecs for the Mountain West regular season title.
Utah State has one of the nation’s best backcourts in Falslev (18.1 ppg) and Ian Martinez (17.4 ppg), ranks ninth in the country in scoring offense (87.6 ppg) and second in scoring margin (plus-23).
“Utah State is one of the best teams in the country and we certainly have our work cut out for us,” Olen said. “I know our guys are excited about the challenge.”
UCSD moved up three spots to No. 17 in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
The Tritons enjoy balanced scoring, with four players — Aniwania Tait-Jones, Tyler McGhie, Nordin Kapic and Hayden Grey — averaging 10 or more points per game. They rank 26th in scoring margin (plus-16) and give opponents fits with an ever-changing approach on defense that mixes man-to-man and zone concepts.
The game will be played at an altitude of over 4,500 feet and after the Aggies have been at home for three straight games while the Tritons faced travel challenges.
The Tritons stayed in Pullman, Wash., on Sunday night after the late-afternoon victory over Idaho in Moscow. They then flew from Lewiston, Idaho to Salt Lake City on Monday before making the two-hour bus ride to Logan.
Looking ahead, the Tritons will have to go through teams like UC Irvine and UC Riverside to achieve the ultimate dream: winning the Big West tournament title and landing the first NCAA tournament bid in program history.
Regardless of the outcome, a game like Tuesday’s should provide valuable experience and a barometer of how the Tritons stack up against a likely NCAA Tournament team.
Count Calhoun among those impressed by the Tritons and their prospects.
“I think they’re really good,” Calhoun said. “If they get into the NCAA Tournament, they would be an absolute nightmare team to play because of their ability to play both sides of the ball…I think they’re the best team we’ve played so far.”
How to watch: Mountain West Network (themw.com)
USD update
USD (3-8) suffered its fourth consecutive loss on Saturday, losing 73-65 at Fresno State. The game featured 11 lead changes. Kjay Bradley Jr. (San Diego City College) scored 15 of this team-high 17 points in the second half, and Steven Jamerson II had a game-high rebounds.
Next up: 6 p.m. Saturday vs. UC San Diego at Jenny Craig Pavilion. TV/streaming: ESPN+
PLNU update
Point Loma Nazarene (10-3, 3-1 PacWest) is coming off a 68-65 loss at Concordia on Saturday. Zackry Paulsen scored a team-high 23 points for PLNU.
Next up: 4:30 Saturday vs. Westcliff (2-3) at Golden Gymnasium. Streaming: pacwestnetwork.tv
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