What Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun said about his future, NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA

‘If their guards play like that, they’ll make a deep run,” Calhoun said of UCLA

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

The Utah State men’s basketball team was held to a season-low 47 points in Thursday’s NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA. 

The seventh-seeded Bruins (23-10) dominated at both ends of the court to secure a 72-47 first-round victory over the 10th-seeded Aggies (26-8) at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. 

“I think a lot of the credit deserved tonight is with UCLA,” first-year Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “They are an elite defensive team, but I thought in the first half, they made shots. This time of year is about shot-making, right? And when you don’t make shots, it affects your defense. One thing about UCLA, if they don’t make shots, they’re going to keep guarding. They’re very, very tough. And if their guards play like that, they’ll make a deep run.”

Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. paced UCLA with 14 points apiece. 

Sophomore guard Mason Falslev has a strong game for the Aggies with 17 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

Utah State shot a season-worst 4 of 31 (12.9 percent) from beyond the arc while the Bruins finished 10 of 24 (41.7 percent). 

The Mountain West Conference is now 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament. Colorado State and New Mexico are set to play Friday. 

Here are the highlights from Calhoun’s postgame press conference. 

On UCLA’s late first-half run

“It was (27-25) … and we felt really good at that point in the game. We couldn’t make a shot and it was within (two). Sometimes when you’re not making shots, it affects your defense. And we let that happen tonight. And unfortunately, we caught UCLA on a night they made shots.”

On UCLA’s size advantage 

“The difference is, you saw the size. One thing we’ve learned — and we’ve talked to our (NIL) collective people about this, we’ve talked as a staff continuously about this — is we’ve got to get bigger. And what I mean by that is on the front line. We’ve got to spend more money in the NIL to get a forward, to get a center, to get athletic guys. Because when you get into the NCAA Tournament, that’s what you see.

“That’s the one thing we have to get, and I think we’ll be able to do that. We had a record night last week in our NIL.”

On his future at Utah State

“I was just offered a tremendous opportunity by (athletic director Diana Sabau) and the staff over the last, really, 24 hours. I think right now I want to just kind of continue to talk about the game, but I think at Utah State you can win a national championship. I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t believe it. One thing that has changed is the NIL. You’re looking at Big Ten teams now spending upwards of $9, $10 million. You’re looking at the SEC spending between $5 and $8 and $10 million for rosters.

“So there’s a lot to digest and learn about not only the Mountain West, but what’s the Pac-12 going to look like. What’s Gonzaga going to look like? … In two years we’re going to be as close to a Power 4 as possible, and you’ve got to have continuity. You’re looking at some of these mid-major teams that are winning, they’ve got continuity.”

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

• Transfer portal tracker: Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming lose top players to portal

• NCAA Tournament: Was Boise State snubbed?

• Boise State bypasses NIT, accepts invitation to inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament

• NCAA Tournament selection show: Boise State left out for first time since 2021

• 2025 NFL mock drafts: Chicago Bears favored to select Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Continue to follow our Boise State coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.