What Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun said about Boise State ahead of Mountain West matchup

‘We’ve had some incredible battles with these guys,’ Calhoun said

Utah State Aggies head coach Jerrod Calhoun. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Following four dominant victories to open Mountain West play, Utah State will face its stiffest test of the season to date on Saturday at Boise State. 

Tipoff between the Broncos (9-6, 1-3) and Aggies (13-1, 4-0) is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain time at Extra Mile Arena.

Utah State has won six straight games while the Broncos are coming off back-to-back defeats, including a stunning 75-58 home loss to Grand Canyon (9-5, 2-1) on Wednesday. 

“I’ve probably watched six Boise games,” Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun said on Thursday. “Obviously, coach (Leon) Rice has been there a long time, great respect for him. Great program. We’ve had some incredible battles with these guys. I think it’s going to be a physical game.” 

“They’re a team that really guards, plays really, really hard. Front line is really big. They’re good, so we’ll have to have two good days (of practice).”

Here are the highlights from Calhoun’s press conference. 

On Boise State’s defense, physicality 

“Boise’s physical. They’ve got great on-ball defenders. I think (Aginaldo) Neto, the freshman guard, is tremendous. I think Dylan Andrews does a great job pressuring the ball. (Andrew) Meadow, (Pearson) Carmichael, they’re physical. Their front line, (Drew) Fielder. One of my favorite guys in the whole league is (Javan) Buchanan). I think he’s an absolute warrior, a beast, whatever word you want to call him, describe him. I just think he’s a winner.”

On holding up on the glass

“I think it’s a mindset, right? You’ve got to understand what you’re walking into. You’re walking into a team that’s lost a couple tough games. You’re walking into an older team that has a lot to prove, and they’ve got size. They’re big, they’re strong. They really move people. They enjoy hitting people, they enjoy contact. We are expecting a very, very physical game and … we have to match that every possession.

“The biggest thing against them, where they get their rebounds, is off cross-matches and mismatches. When you’re in scramble situations and not keeping the ball in front, that gives them an advantage, a big on a guard rebounding the ball. So try to stay out of rotations the best you can.”

On Boise State’s 1-3 start to MWC play 

“They’ve played great teams. They’ve played the 12th-best schedule in America, so you’re going to lose some games. … I think more importantly, it’s about us. I don’t really worry about what other people’s records are. Are they coming off a win or are they coming off a loss? When you’ve got a guy like Leon Rice that leads the league in wins — the history of this league — he does a phenomenal job. The leadership starts at the top. He’s got older players — Buchanan, Carmichael, Meadow — these kids have been in this league, right? And they always find a way to win games.

“So we have great respect whether they’ve won four in a row, lost four in a row. It’s Utah State and Boise, right? It’s kind of a backyard brawl, four hours away. There’s been some epic games. Let’s call it like is. I mean, both games last year, they kicked our tails up there. And (at home), it took a sideline out-of-bounds play to beat them. So they’re really good and I think they’ll figure it out.”