After a two-game road trip, the Aggies return to the Beehive State for their next game, though their next game won’t be in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Instead, Utah State will take on Illinois State in the Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz (and Utah Mammoth) for what will technically be a neutral-site game.
Here’s all of the necessary info ahead of this penultimate non-conference game for the Aggies.
How to watch
KVNU Aggie GameDay pregame show with Stockton Jewkes and J.D. Walker: 2 p.m.
KVNU Aggie Call: Immediately after Coach Calhoun’s post-game comments
- Text (435) 554-1175 or call (435) 753-5868 during the pregame or postgame show to give your thoughts and reactions for the game.
Projected Starters
Utah State (8-1)
- G – Drake Allen (6-5, Sr.) – 5.5 points | 3.0 rebounds | 5.9 assists
- G – Mason Falslev (6-4, Jr.) – 15.2 points | 5.7 rebounds | 2.4 assists
- G – MJ Collins (6-4, Sr.) – 20.7 points | 2.6 rebounds | 1.9 assists
- F – Adlan Elamin (6-9, Fr.) – 3.4 points | 1.0 rebounds | 0.5 assists
- F – Garry Clark (6-8, Sr.) – 9.7 points | 7.8 rebounds | 1.0 assists
Illinois State (8-2)
- G – Johnny Kinziger (5-11, Jr.) – 13.0 points | 2.7 rebounds | 2.8 assists
- G – Mason Klabo (6-2, Fr.) – 6.1 points | 1.8 rebounds | 1.2 assists
- G – Boden Skunberg (6-5, Sr.) – 10.6 points | 4.8 rebounds | 1.3 assists
- G – Ty Pence (6-6, Jr.) – 10.3 points | 5.0 rebounds | 2.1 assists
- F – Chase Walker (6-8, Jr.) – 11.4 points | 5.6 rebounds | 2.6 assists
Utah State made its first non-injury change to the starting lineup prior to its game against Charlotte, with the frontcourt getting swapped out. Karson Templin and Tucker Anderson went to the bench with Adlan Elamin and Garry Clark taking their place. It’s hard to say whether that will remain in place as Aggies head coach Jerrod Calhoun wants to keep the players hungry and on their toes. A place in the starting five can be a motivating thing for some guys.
As for Illinois State, head coach Ryan Pedon has been less consistent with the guys he sends out first. The Redbirds have used four different starting units. The one listed is what they’ve gone with for each of the last two games. Freshman guard Mason Klabo, filling in the starting five for Ty’Reek Coleman, made his first two career starts last week and earned Missouri Valley Freshman of the Week honors.
Utah State and Illinois State Team Stat Ranks Preview
Pace and offense/defense efficiency ratings via Ken Pomeroy’s rankings. All rankings are out of 365 teams.
| Stat | Utah State | Illinois State |
|---|---|---|
| NET Rank | 33 | 84 |
| Pace Rank | 85th | 270th |
| Offensive Efficiency | 116.6 (55th) | 110.6 (118th) |
| Defensive Efficiency | 98.6 (37th) | 103.8 (99th) |
| 3-Point % | 36.8 (65th) | 36.6 (74th) |
| 3-Point Attempt Rate | .373 (222nd) | .431 (113th) |
| Offensive Rebounding % | 32.5 (144th) | 30.5 (193rd) |
| Total Rebounding % | 53.0 (120th) | 54.9 (62nd) |
| Turnover % | 16.7 (139th) | 14.2 (31st) |
| Opponent Turnover % | 23.3 (8th) | 15.2 (292nd) |
Availability Report
Utah State has no players currently expected to miss time due to injury.
Illinois State sophomore forward Cam Barnes (2.1 points, 2.9 rebounds per game) has missed each of the last two games. Freshman guard Ty’Reek Coleman did not play in the Redbirds’ Dec. 3 game against Eastern Kentucky, but he came of the bench to play 15 minutes in the team’s most recent game against Chicago State on Dec. 6.
Game Preview
The Redbirds struggled at the start of their season, picking up two losses in the first three games against Ohio (199th in KenPom) and USC (35th) but have since rattled off seven consecutive wins. That Illinois State has reached its 8-2 record is a surprise to few. The Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll had the Redbirds as an overwhelming favorite to win the conference and picked two of their players to the all-conference team. Chase Walker was named preseason player of the year and Johnny Kinziger was a fellow first-team selection.
Although Illinois State presents a very balanced attack on offense, with its top five scorers all averaging between 10 and 13 points, the main thrust of their offense goes through Walker. He ranks 15th in the nation in usage rate, contributing in some form or fashion on 32.5% of the Redbirds’ offensive possessions. The vast majority of these cases are post-ups, where Walker will use his massive frame — 6-foot-8 and 280 pounds — to create mismatches against anyone he goes up against. With the size advantage, Walker is able to back down opponents until he gets to his sweet spot and utilize his go-to lefty hook shot, or sometimes a counter roll the other way to get a look at the rim.
“Chase Walker’s a load. Really, really good player. Knows who he is. Does a great job of passing the ball,” Calhoun said. “He’s seen every double-team known to man. Guys leaving the ball. Guys coming opposite. He’s seen it all. Very, very good player. Preseason player of the year for a reason.”
Walker’s post scoring will be a test for a Utah State defense that has actually done very well against opposing player post-ups this year. The Aggies rank 12th in the country in points allowed per post-up, with opponents shooting just 27.8% in those scenarios and only drawing fouls three times. Furthermore, players posting up against the Aggies have (literally) been just as likely to turn the ball over as they are to score. Those final two points, fouls drawn on post-ups and turnovers, could be the two points upon which Walker’s performance could hinge as he is both elite at drawing fouls (11th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes) and also a bit of a turnover merchant with his 2.2 giveaways per game.
In any case, expect the Aggies to attempt to match physicality in the post while also throwing blitzes as Walker in the post to induce turnovers and steals. USU forward Tucker Anderson explained the broad strokes of the team’s plan.
“(Walker) does an unbelievable job of when he catches the ball, he just looks middle. So as soon as he catches it, he’s looking, seeing where the double team’s coming from because he’s been doubled pretty much as a lot of his college career,” Anderson said. “We’re going to try to change up looks on him. Make it tough. And we trust our bigs, too. We trust Zach [Keller]. We trust Garry [Clark]. We trust (Karson Templin) to be physical down there. And we’re just going to try to give him different looks all night and make it difficult for every chance he does get.”
The other very dangerous aspect of Illinois State’s offense comes from its guards who are very capable of scoring off ball screens. Leading the way in this respect is obviously the preseason All-MVC guard Kinziger, but also freshman Ty’Reek Coleman. The pair both average exactly 13 points per game and are incredibly good at scoring in pick-and-roll and ball-screen scenarios in general. Kinzinger is a very effective jump-shooter, able to hit from both downtown and the midrange.
Utah State’s defense will largely revolve around forcing Kinziger and Coleman into more difficult shots and not sending them to the foul line (though both shoot under 74% at the line, so it’s possible for the Aggies to not get burned too bad if they do get to the charity stripe a lot). Utah State has a length, size and athleticism advantage in the backcourt. Kinziger and Coleman are both around 175 pounds with the former standing 5-foot-11 and the latter 6-foot-2. USU’s backcourt features three guards that stand 6-foot-3 and taller and weighing in the 200-pound range. It’s an advantage that could come very much in handy on Saturday.
One of Utah State’s weaknesses the last few games has been allowing offensive rebounds. Their last four opponents have averaged 12.3 boards on offense, leading to an average of 13.3 second-chance points. Calhoun noted the Aggies’ work on the glass as one of the things they need to improve upon at this stage of the season, among other areas.
“You’ve got to know kind of what you suck at,” Calhoun said. “What do you suck at right now as a team? And it’s defensive rebounding, and it’s fouling And it’s the ability to be a consistent 3-point shooting team. So those are the three areas.”
Computer Prediction Scores
- KenPom — Utah State win 79-69
- Haslametrics — Utah State win 75-70
- EvanMiya — Utah State win 78-70
