Let’s go over this one last time. In late April 2023, the Utah State basketball program was, as some put it, “in shambles.” A brand-new coach had just taken over but he had no roster. Last season’s stars, including a First Team All-Mountain West selection, the Sixth Man of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-MW player had all either graduated or transferred. Not only the stars, but other starters, backups, even the backup’s backups left the program. A whole 0.14 percent of USU’s points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks production from last year stayed with the program and only three players from the 15-man roster. You know, the stuff that’s been repeated game-in and game-out, with every new set of CBS Sports Network or FS1 broadcasters gushing over these facts and seemingly every national basketball podcast and radio show lining up interviews to ask about it. But there’s a reason that kept happening. And it’s because what Utah State did on Saturday — win the outright Mountain West regular season championship — wasn’t supposed to happen. It should never happen because sports has pretty much never worked this way. Even Danny Sprinkle, the head coach and leader of the

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With events playing out as they did Tuesday, Utah State will be playing for the right to be at worst a co-Mountain West champion as it takes on San Jose State on the road Wednesday. Mind you, that co-champion title could be spread among as many as four teams depending on how results pan out later this week (and assuming an Aggie victory tonight for this thought experiment), but a trophy will be coming to Logan regardless should USU prevail over the Spartans in Provident Credit Union Event Center. It wouldn’t guarantee a one seed in the upcoming Mountain West Tournament, though, giving the Aggies plenty to fight for for the remainder of this week. Victory against SJSU came somewhat easily last time out as Utah State pulled off a 21-point triumph, 82-61 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The final score was lopsided, but the Aggies didn’t start the game off particularly well. The Spartans jumped out to a six-point lead in the first few minutes of the game, and held a lead as late as 7:33 left in the first half. At that point, the Aggies went on a 10-2 lead to take control of the contest. Early

LOGAN — Although Utah State can already call itself champions, there’s still plenty to be fighting for in its season finale and senior night in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. And with an opponent of New Mexico’s caliber, it seems almost destined to be a classic. When USU last took on the Lobos, back on Jan. 16, it was at the height of the Aggies’ national acclaim, ranking a season-best 16th in the AP Poll. They had an undefeated record in Mountain West play and were on a 15-game win streak that had produced a 16-1 overall record at the time. All of that was to be put on the line for what was, at the time, Utah State’s toughest challenge of the year: a road game at The Pit. Unfortunately for the Aggies, that challenge proved to be too much as they were cut down by a 13-point margin, 99-86. Those 99 points are not only the most allowed by Utah State this season, but the most since 2008.     This rematch has a lot more at stake than just an AP ranking or double-digit win streak. Utah State is aiming for an outright claim on the Mountain

FILE – Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle reacts to a call in overtime against Boise State an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. The No. 22 Aggies continued their unexpected run under first-year coach Sprinkle by clinching at least a share of the regular-season title by winning at San Jose State. (AP Photo/Steve Conner, File) SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brian Dutcher has experienced all 25 seasons of Mountain West basketball and he’s never seen one as crazy as this one. A season after Dutcher’s San Diego State Aztecs became the first Mountain West team to reach the Final Four, the conference could have a record six teams reach the NCAA Tournament. “Unbelievable,” Dutcher said of the race in the Mountain West, which stretches from San Diego’s beaches to the towering peaks of the Rocky Mountains and into the high desert of New Mexico, where the Lobos would love to rejoin March Madness after a decade away. “It’s dynamic. You’ve just got to enjoy every win you get.” For the longest time, several teams were within one game of the lead. The reigning regular-season and conference tournament champion Aztecs, ranked No. 21 in The Associated Press