Utah State basketball vs Grand Canyon preview (Feb. 28): How to Watch, Keys to the Game, Injury Reports | Sports

For only the second time this season, Utah State is on a losing streak with back-to-back losses on the road to Nevada and San Diego State. The Aggies will look to end the skid against a Grand Canyon team they lost to earlier in the season (and was part of the only other losing streak of the year).

It’ll be a battle of two teams that are fiercly proud of their home courts and student sections. Members of USU’s student section, The HURD, have been camping outside the arena for most of the week in anticipation of this rematch.

Here’s all of the necessary info ahead of this key late-season game for Utah State.

How to watch

• Tip-off: Feb. 28, 2026 at 8 p.m. (Mountain Time)
• Location: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (Logan, UT)
• TV Broadcast: FS1
  
• Radio Broadcast: KVNU (102.1 FM, 610 AM) / kvnutalk.com / KVNU mobile app

KVNU Aggie GameDay pregame show with Stockton Jewkes and J.D. Walker: 7 p.m.

KVNU Aggie Call: Immediately after Coach Jerrod 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 (23-5, 13-4 MW)

• G – Drake Allen (6-5, Sr.) – 7.0 points | 2.8 rebounds | 4.8 assists
• G – Mason Falslev (6-4, Jr.) – 16.1 points | 5.6 rebounds | 2.9 assists
• G – MJ Collins (6-4, Sr.) – 17.9 points | 2.2 rebounds | 1.6 assists
• F – Adlan Elamin (6-9, Fr.) – 6.9 points | 3.1 rebounds | 1.0 assists
• F – Zach Keller (6-10, Sr.) – 3.2 points | 1.9 rebounds | 0.4 assists

Grand Canyon (18-10, 11-6 MW)

• G – Makaih Williams (6-1, Jr.) – 13.8 points | 2.8 rebounds | 2.3 assists
• G – Brian Moore (6-3, Sr.) – 9.3 points | 2.2 rebounds | 2.4 assists
• F – Jaden Henley (6-7, Sr.) – 17.8 points | 5.8 rebounds | 2.9 assists
  
• F – Nana Owusu-Anane (6-8, Sr.) – 9.4 points | 8.7 rebounds | 1.8 assists
• C – Efe Demirel (7-1, Fr.) – 8.6 points | 5.2 rebounds | 0.3 assists

Video of today’s media availability for Utah State basketball head coach Jerrod Calhoun. pic.twitter.com/utsUs6kdJw

— Jason Walker (@jwalker_sports) February 27, 2026

Availability Report

The following is drawn from the official availability reports posted by the Mountain West. Per-game stats, if applicable, are included in parenthesis.

UTAH STATE

GRAND CANYON

• Caleb Shaw (8.3 pts, 3.9 reb) – OUT

Caleb Shaw missed nine games due to injury. He’s been one of Grand Canyon’s few reliable 3-point shooters this season, making 37% of his attempts. Though, in Shaw’s absence, GCU has actually seen an increase in its average 3-point percentage.

Utah State Keys to Victory

Rebound. Rebound. Rebound

The Aggies have slowly but also suddenly become one of the worst rebounding teams in the conference, especially on the defensive end. Utah State has been out-rebounded in four straight games, with all four of those opponents grabbing at least 10 offensive rebounds.

Offensive rebounds can come in bunches when you force lots of misses, and it can sometimes be excused for that reason (such as when USU allowed Memphis to grab 15 offensive boards but the Tigers only shot 38% from the field). But in recent losses, Utah State has still given up bulk offensive rebounds even when opponents shoot well from the field. Nevada shot 51% and got 10 offensive boards and San Diego State shot 55% and had 12 rebounds on offense. That’s a depressing inability to clean the glass from Utah State.

If the Aggies want to have any hope of going far in March, their rebounding has to improve and it would ideally start against a tough rebounding team like Grand Canyon.

Play disciplined defense without fouling

Over their last five games, Utah State ranks among the worst in the country (ninth percentile) in fouls per game at 19.8. In the last two games, in which the Aggies lost to Nevada and San Diego State, they committed 48 total fouls leading to 60 total free throw attempts for the Wolf Pack and Aztecs. The level of fouling has become a major problem for USU’s defense, and it’s an issue that could continue against Grand Canyon.

Looking back at the first matchup between Utah State and GCU, the Aggies were whistled for 27 fouls with the Lopes attempting 33 free throws. Safe to say it was a big reason Grand Canyon scored 84 points, which is its third-highest point total in conference play. That’s something that will need to change in the rematch.

Be fearless and aggressive on offense

Offense hasn’t eaxctly been an issue for the Aggies, all season or even recently. Over the last five games, USU has an offensive rating of 125.1 which puts the team in the 94th percentile for that span. The San Diego State game was the low of the low on offense from Utah State in all of February, and if 72 points is your worst point total across a month you should count yourself fortunate.

But Utah State can ill afford to have another below-average performance in these late-season games, and Grand Canyon has a defense that has limited offenses all season. The Lopes rank 19th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency and held USU to just 74 points in the first match. A big part of that was the Aggies’ inability to score in the paint. GCU, more specifically its center Dennis Evans, recorded six blocks as Utah State went on to shoot just 44% on 2-pointers. And while it certainly didn’t help that the Aggies also shot 25% on 3-pointers, Utah State has most often thrived on interior scoring with outside shooting being a suppliment to that.

Computer Prediction Scores

• KenPom — Utah State win 78-68
• Haslametrics — Utah State win 77-68
• EvanMiya — Utah State win 78-70