For a second consecutive outing, Utah State played arguably its worst game of the season with a 93-66 loss to Colorado State on Saturday afternoon. The 27-point undressing followed a 17-point defeat at Boise State on Wednesday and marked the largest margin of defeat in a conference game for USU since 2008.
It pretty much goes without saying that at every point, in any category, Utah State found itself out-matched. And it began early. Colorado State jumped out to a 10-0 lead — the first of what would eventually be the first of five runs of 8-0 or better for the Rams. The blitz set the tone from which Utah State had no response and no recovery.
“Just totally outclassed, outplayed, outcoached,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said of his team’s performance. “This is on the whole entire organization. It felt like (Colorado State) came for the knockout blow early in the game and they knocked us out. So, disappointed on a lot of fronts.”
Among the many areas of high-level success the Rams showcased was 3-point shooting. They made 14 of 21 attempt from distance, marking the first time in more than four years that Colorado State has made 14 threes in a game while also shooting at least 60 percent on said 3-pointers.
“You got to give (the Rams) credit. They zinged it around. They were in sync,” Calhoun said. “Nique Clifford, he’s a monster. Really, really good player. I got a ton of respect for him. I think he plays the right way, makes others better. They just played great. And our lack of resistance didn’t help.”
Clifford led Colorado State with 26 points, nine assists and six rebounds. The Aggies were also vexed by great performances by the 18 points apiece from Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and bench guard Bowen Born. Kyan Evans added 15 points.
While the Rams’ offense found any open shot it wanted, Utah State’s wallowed in inefficiency. A unit that entered the game ranking sixth in the country in both field goal percentage (49.5 percent) and assists per game (18.0), managed just 42.6 percent from the field and a measly eight assists (zero at halftime).
Utah State had just three double-digit scorers — Ian Martinez (17), Deyton Albury (12) and Jordy Barnes (11).
Between this game and the loss to Boise State, the Aggies have averaged just 65.5 points. A dizzying drop in effectiveness after a five-game stretch where Utah State had averaged 89.0 points, shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 43.6 percent on 3-pointers, let along the solid season-long averages.
That Utah State had a bad game is no uncommon thing — the Mountain West champion Aggies of last year were defeated by 14-plus points six times — nor is losing back-to-back games uncommon at least once a season. But USU losing back-to-back outings by these margins is rare. It’s the first time since 2016 the Aggies have lost by 17 or more in two straight and the first back-to-back such losses in conference games since 1994.
Utah State will get a week to regroup, and perhaps reboot, a suddenly awry basketball team before taking on Air Force in the regular season finale. The season up until this week proves the Aggies are capable of being a top-flight team. But with these losses, they’ve opened the door for people to second-guess what their eyes told them for four months. The NCAA Tournament selection committee likely won’t hold USU out of the Big Dance over these two losses, but the seed this team gets will be greatly impacted.
