Utah State took another step toward an improbable Mountain West title late Friday with a 72-60 victory over Air Force that pushed the Aggies to 24-5 overall, 12-4 in the league. They're currently alone atop the MWC standings with just two regular-season games remaining, this after being picked ninth in the preseason media poll, largely because they returned literally zero players who scored a point for Utah State last season.
Expectations were low. The Aggies have exceeded them all.
Regardless, first-year coach Danny Sprinkle acknowledged to The San Diego Union Tribune last month that, yes, there were times when he wondered exactly what he'd got himself into after a four-year run at Montana State.
"It was hard," Sprinkle said. "That's just the truthful answer. It was [hard] every day."
Boise State is a half-game back of Utah State in the MWC standings heading into Saturday's game with New Mexico. If the Broncos lose, Utah State would then need only to split its final two games against San Jose State (away) and New Mexico (home) to ensure at least a share of the conference championship. Winning out would also obviously guarantee at least a share of the conference championship regardless of what Boise State or anybody else does.
Utah State is No. 13 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the 11th consecutive day. The Boilermakers, led by CBS Sports National Player of the Year favorite Zach Edey, are 25-3 overall, 14-3 in the Big Ten. They're a national-best 15-3 in the first two quadrants with 9 Q1 wins and zero losses outside of Q1. They also rank No. 1 in strength of record.
Saturday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 35 points and 15 rebounds in Sunday's 84-76 win at Michigan. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Michigan State. | -- | 4-0 |
| 2 |  | Cam Spencer finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 78-054 win over Villanova. The Huskies' next game is Sunday against Seton Hall. | -- | 3-0 |
| 3 |  | L.J. Cryer finished with 22 points and three steals in Tuesday's 67-59 win over Cincinnati. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | -- | 2-1 |
| 4 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 39 points and three steals in Wednesday's 92-84 win over Auburn. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | -- | 3-0 |
| 5 |  | Demarion Watson finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 58-45 win over Oklahoma. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at UCF. | -- | 2-0 |
| 6 |  | Kam Jones finished with 17 points and two assists in Wednesday's 91-69 win over Providence. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at Creighton. | -- | 4-0 |
| 7 |  | RJ Davis finished with 42 points and four steals in Monday's 75-71 win over Miami. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against NC State. | -- | 2-1 |
| 8 |  | Oumar Ballo finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 85-67 win at Arizona State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Oregon. | -- | 2-1 |
| 9 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 85-64 win over Seton Hall. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against Marquette. | -- | 4-0 |
| 10 |  | Nick Timberlake was 1 of 9 from the field in Tuesday's 76-68 loss to BYU. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Baylor. | -- | 4-0 |
| 11 |  | Ja'Kobe Walter finished with 16 points and four rebounds in Monday's 62-54 win at TCU. The Bears' next game is Saturday against Kansas. | -- | 2-1 |
| 12 |  | Auburn allowed the Vols to shoot 50.9% from the field in Wednesday's 92-84 loss . The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Mississippi State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 13 |  | Ian Martinez finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Friday's 72-60 win over Air Force. The Aggies' next game is Wednesday at San Jose State. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 14 |  | Jeremy Roach finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 84-59 win over Louisville. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Virginia. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 15 |  | Jaedon LeDee finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 72-64 win over San Jose State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday at UNLV. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 16 |  | Marcus Domask finished with 22 points and five assists in Wednesday's 105-97 win over Minnesota. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Wisconsin. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 17 |  | Mark Sears finished with 26 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 103-88 win at Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 18 |  | Dallin Hall finished with 18 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 76-68 win at Kansas. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against TCU. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 19 |  | Reed Sheppard finished with 32 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 91-89 win at Mississippi State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 20 |  | Dayton committed 23 turnovers in Friday's 77-72 loss at Loyola Chicago. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday at Saint Louis. | 7 | 4-0 |
| 21 |  | Myles Rice finished with 16 points and eight assists in Thursday's 75-72 win over USC. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against UCLA. | -- | 3-1 |
| 22 |  | Meechie Johnson finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 70-68 win at Texas A&M. The Gamecocks' next game is Saturday against Florida. | -- | 2-2 |
| 23 |  | Tyrese Samuel finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 83-74 win over Missouri. The Gators' next game is Saturday at South Carolina. | -- | 4-0 |
| 24 |  | Augustus Marciulionis finished with 17 points and 11 assists in Thursday's 83-57 win at Pepperdine. The Gaels' next game is Saturday against Gonzaga. | -- | 3-0 |
| 25 |  | Chase Hunter finished with 15 points and two assists in Tuesday's 69-62 win over Pitt. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Notre Dame. | -- | 3-0 |
| 26 |  | Nick Martinelli finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 68-61 win at Maryland. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Iowa. | -- | 3-1 |
