2018–19 Utah State Aggies men's basketball team

American college basketball season

2018–19 Utah State Aggies men's basketball
Mountain West regular season co-champions & tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Ranking
APNo. 25
Record28–7 (15–3 MW)
Head coach
  • Craig Smith (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Austin Hansen
  • Eric Peterson
  • David Ragland
Home arenaSmith Spectrum
Seasons
2018–19 Mountain West Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 20 Nevada 15 – 3   .833 29 – 5   .853
No. 25 Utah State † 15 – 3   .833 28 – 7   .800
Fresno State 13 – 5   .722 23 – 9   .719
San Diego State 11 – 7   .611 21 – 13   .618
UNLV 11 – 7   .611 17 – 14   .548
Air Force 8 – 10   .444 14 – 18   .438
New Mexico 7 – 11   .389 14 – 18   .438
Boise State 7 – 11   .389 13 – 20   .394
Colorado State 7 – 11   .389 12 – 20   .375
Wyoming 4 – 14   .222 8 – 24   .250
San Jose State 1 – 17   .056 4 – 27   .129
† Mountain West Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018–19 Utah State Aggies men's basketball team represented Utah State University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Aggies, led by first-year head coach Craig Smith, played their home games at the Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah as members of the Mountain West Conference. The Aggies shared the regular-season Mountain West title with Nevada, and defeated New Mexico, Fresno State, and San Diego State to win the Mountain West tournament to earn the Mountain West's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for their first appearance since 2011. They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Washington.

Previous season

The Aggies finished the 2017–18 season 17–17 overall and 8–10 in conference play, finishing tied for 7th. In the Mountain West Conference tournament, they defeated Colorado State in the first round and Boise State in the quarterfinals before losing to New Mexico in the semi-finals.

On March 11, 2018, head coach Tim Duryea was fired after three seasons.[1] He finished at Utah State with a three-year record of 47–49. On March 25, reports indicated that the school had hired South Dakota head coach Craig Smith as head coach, which was confirmed the next day.[2][3]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
DeAngelo Isby 0 G 6'5" 200 Junior Chicago, IL Declare for 2018 NBA draft
Koby McEwen 1 G 6'4" 200 Sophomore Toronto, ON Transferred to Marquette
Julion Pearre 5 G 6'3" 205 Senior McKinney, TX Graduated
Alex Dargenton 11 F 6'8" 205 RS Senior Ford-de-France, Martinque Graduated
Taylor Larson 13 G 6'4" 210 Sophomore Highland, UT Left the team
Norbert Janicek 15 F 6'11" 250 Junior Dražkovce, Slovakia Left the team due to personal reasons
Daron Henson 23 F 6'7" 205 RS Freshman Pasadena, CA Transferred to Salt Lake CC

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous college
John Knight III 3 G 6'2" 195 Sophomore Jackson, MS Junior college transferred from Southwest Mississippi CC
Ke'Sean Davis 13 F 6'7" 210 Sophomore Los Angeles, CA Junior college transferred from Seward County CC
Roche Grootfaam 15 F 6'8" 230 Sophomore Paramaribo, Suriname Junior college transferred from College of Southern Idaho

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Steven Ashworth
PG 		Highland, UT Lone Peak High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Tauriawn Knight
PG 		Edmond, OK Edmond Santa Fe High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Ben Fakira
C 		Sydney, Australia Barker College 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (110 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: –   Rivals: –
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 30, 2018.

Roster

2018–19 Utah State Aggies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Klay Stall 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Fr Basha HS Chandler, AZ
G 1 Tauriawn Knight 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Edmond Santa Fe HS Edmond, OK
G/F 2 Dwayne Brown Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Rockdale County HS
Northern Oklahoma CC 		Conyers, GA
G 3 John Knight III 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Callaway HS
SW Mississippi CC 		Jackson, MS
G 4 Crew Ainge (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS So Kimball Union Academy Wellesley, MA
G 5 Sam Merrill 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Bountiful HS Bountiful, UT
F 10 Quinn Taylor 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Langham Creek Houston, TX
F 12 Justin Bean 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Southmoore HS Moore, OK
F 13 Ke'Sean Davis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Taft Charter HS
Seward County CC 		Compton, CA
F 14 Roche Grootfaam 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Covenant Christian Academy
College of Southern Idaho 		Paramaribo, Suriname
G 15 Abel Porter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Davis HS Farmington, UT
F 21 Ben Fakira 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Barker College Sydney, Australia
G 22 Brock Miller 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Brighton HS Sandy, UT
G 24 Diogo Brito 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Mountain Mission School Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
C 23 Neemias Queta 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Benfica (basketball) Barreiro, Portugal
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 1, 2018*
7:00 pm 		Evergreen State W 96–45 
Smith Spectrum (5,744)
Logan, UT
Non-conference regular season
Nov 6, 2018*
7:00 pm 		at Montana State W 101–71  1–0
 Brick Breeden Fieldhouse (2,354)
Bozeman, MT
Nov 9, 2018*
7:00 pm 		Hartford
MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game 		W 100–73  2–0
 Smith Spectrum (8,500)
Logan, UT
Nov 13, 2018*
7:00 pm 		Mississippi Valley State W 94–59  3–0
 Smith Spectrum (5,133)
Logan, UT
Nov 16, 2018*
7:00 pm, Stadium 		Utah Valley
MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game 		W 65–46  4–0
 Smith Spectrum (6,474)
Logan, UT
Nov 19, 2018*
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		vs. Saint Mary's
MGM Resorts Main Event Heavyweight semifinals 		W 80–63  5–0
 T-Mobile Arena 
Paradise, NV
Nov 21, 2018*
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		vs. Arizona State
MGM Resorts Main Event Heavyweight championship 		L 82–87  5–1
 T-Mobile Arena (3,157)
Paradise, NV
Nov 28, 2018*
7:00 pm, Stadium 		Northern Iowa
MW–MVC Challenge 		W 71–52  6–1
 Smith Spectrum (5,134)
Logan, UT
Dec 1, 2018*
8:00 pm 		at UC Irvine W 89–65  7–1
 Bren Events Center (1,812)
Irvine, CA
Dec 5, 2018*
7:00 pm, BYUtv 		at BYU
Old Oquirrh Bucket 		L 80–95  7–2
 Marriott Center (11,377)
Provo, UT
Dec 8, 2018*
2:30 pm, ATTSNRM 		vs. Weber State
Old Oquirrh Bucket/Beehive Classic 		W 76–67  8–2
 Vivint Smart Home Arena (10,678)
Salt Lack City, UT
Dec 15, 2018*
7:00 pm 		Alabama State W 86–48  9–2
 Smith Spectrum (6,078)
Logan, UT
Dec 20, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		at No. 21 Houston L 50–60  9–3
 Fertitta Center (6,264)
Houston, TX
Dec 28, 2018*
7:00 pm 		Eastern Oregon W 84–57  10–3
 Smith Spectrum (7,056)
Logan, UT
Mountain West regular season
Jan 2, 2019
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		at No. 6 Nevada L 49–72  10–4
(0–1) 		Lawlor Events Center (11,224)
Reno, NV
Jan 5, 2019
7:00 pm 		Air Force W 79–62  11–4
(1–1) 		Smith Spectrum (8,412)
Logan, UT
Jan 9, 2019
7:00 pm 		Fresno State L 77–78  11–5
(1–2) 		Smith Spectrum (6,379)
Logan, UT
Jan 12, 2019
4:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		at Wyoming W 71–55  12–5
(2–2) 		Arena-Auditorium (3,426)
Laramie, WY
Jan 16, 2019
8:00 pm 		at San Jose State W 81–63  13–5
(3–2) 		Event Center Arena (1,388)
San Jose, CA
Jan 19, 2019
7:00 pm 		Colorado State W 87–72  14–5
(4–2) 		Smith Spectrum (7,509)
Logan, UT
Jan 26, 2019
2:00 pm, CBSSN 		at New Mexico W 68–66  15–5
(5–2) 		Dreamstyle Arena (10,752)
Albuquerque, NM
Jan 30, 2019
7:00 pm 		San Jose State W 103–73  16–5
(6–2) 		Smith Spectrum (6,599)
Logan, UT
Feb 2, 2019
2:30 pm, ATTSNRM 		UNLV W 82–65  17–5
(7–2) 		Smith Spectrum (7,157)
Logan, UT
Feb 6, 2019
8:30 pm, ATTSNRM 		at Fresno State W 82–81  18–5
(8–2) 		Save Mart Center (5,091)
Fresno, CA
Feb 9, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPN3 		at San Diego State L 63–68  18–6
(8–3) 		Viejas Arena (10,631)
San Diego, CA
Feb 13, 2019
7:00 pm 		Wyoming W 76–59  19–6
(9–3) 		Smith Spectrum (5,458)
Logan, UT
Feb 16, 2019
2:00 pm 		at Air Force W 76–62  20–6
(10–3) 		Clune Arena (3,037)
Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 20, 2019
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		New Mexico W 71–55  21–6
(11–3) 		Smith Spectrum (6,273)
Logan, UT
Feb 23, 2019
2:00 pm, Stadium 		at Boise State W 78–71 OT 22–6
(12–3) 		Taco Bell Arena (6,581)
Boise, ID
Feb 26, 2019
7:30 pm, CBSSN 		San Diego State W 70–54  23–6
(13–3) 		Smith Spectrum (8,160)
Logan, UT
Mar 2, 2019
6:30 pm, CBSSN 		No. 12 Nevada W 81–76  24–6
(14–3) 		Smith Spectrum (10,387)
Logan, UT
Mar 5, 2019
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		at Colorado State W 100–96 OT 25–6
(15–3) 		Moby Arena (2,548)
Fort Collins, CO
Mountain West tournament
Mar 14, 2019
7:00 pm, CBSSN 		(2) vs. (7) New Mexico
Quarterfinals 		W 91–83  26–6
 Thomas & Mack Center (7,518)
Paradise, NV
Mar 15, 2019
9:30 pm, CBSSN 		(2) vs. (3) Fresno State
Semifinals 		W 85–60  27–6
 Thomas & Mack Center (8,764)
Paradise, NV
Mar 16, 2019
4:00 pm, CBS 		(2) vs. (4) San Diego State
Championship 		W 64–57  28–6
 Thomas & Mack Center (8,969)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
Mar 22, 2019*
4:50 pm, TNT 		(8 MW) No. 25 vs. (9 MW) Washington
First Round 		L 61–78  28–7
 Nationwide Arena (19,426)
Columbus, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest Source[4].
All times are in Mountain.

References

  1. ^ Greene, Dana (March 11, 2018). "Utah State fires head basketball coach Tim Duryea". Good4Utah. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  2. ^ "Source: Utah State set to hire South Dakota's Craig Smith as new basketball coach". Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Garry, Mick (March 26, 2018). "South Dakota's Craig Smith named men's basketball coach at Utah State". Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "Utah State 2018–19 schedule". UtahStateAggies.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015.
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