Utah State Looks to Extend Hot Start Against Struggling Air Force

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (Interstat) — A surging Utah State squad visits a reeling Air Force team in a Mountain West Conference men’s basketball matchup Tuesday night at Clune Arena.

The Aggies (12-1, 2-0 MW) have won six straight games and are off to their best start in years, fueled by one of the nation’s most potent offenses. They enter averaging 88.2 points during their winning streak, including a 96-78 rout of San Jose State on Saturday.

Guard MJ Collins has been central to that surge, scoring 20 or more points in three of the last four contests. He dropped 23 points in 31 minutes against the Spartans and is averaging 19.0 points per game over the recent stretch.

Conversely, the Falcons (3-11, 0-2) have lost five consecutive games and are mired in an offensive slump. They are coming off a season-low 39 points in a 67-39 road loss to UNLV on Saturday. Air Force has failed to reach 60 points in four of its last five outings.

Guard Lucas Hobin, who scored 11 points against the Runnin’ Rebels, is a key contributor for the Falcons. He will need support from Caleb Walker and Kam Sanders to challenge a deep Utah State rotation that saw Garry Clark add 16 points and Mason Falslev 17 in the win over San Jose State.

The Aggies’ lone loss came at South Florida in early December. Since then, their average margin of victory is 24.2 points. Air Force’s defense, allowing 73.6 points per game, will be severely tested.

Utah State leads the all-time series 37-13 and has won the last nine meetings. The Falcons last defeated the Aggies in 2020.

Following this game, Utah State travels to face Boise State on Saturday. Air Force hosts New Mexico on the same day.