The Utah State Aggies stumbled through a week they would like to forget.
The Aggies were beaten badly twice on the road, 82-65 at Boise State on Wednesday and 93-66 at Colorado State on Saturday, to drop three spots to No. 5 in this week's Nevada Appeal Mountain West men's basketball rankings.
"Just totally outclassed, outplayed and outcoached," Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun said on cachevalleydaily.com after the 27-point loss to Colorado State. "This is on the entire organization."
No. 3 Colorado State, which got 26 points, nine assists, two blocks and a steal from Nique Clifford, led Utah State 48-22 at halftime.
"It felt like they (Colorado State) came out for the knockout blow early in the game and they knocked us out," said Calhoun, whose Aggies fell to 24-6, 14-5.
Colorado State was 14-of-21 on threes and was 32-of-55 from the floor and 15-of-16 from the line.
Colorado State also whipped No. 10 Air Force, 77-55, on the road last Tuesday. Clifford had 11 points on just 5-of-15 shooting but also contributed nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals.
It was the win over Utah State, though, that Colorado State focused on last week. Utah State beat Colorado State, 93-85, early last month at Utah State.
"Man, we owed them one," Clifford told The Coloradoan. "We didn't play a full 40-minute game when we were up there (at Utah State)."
Colorado State coach Niko Medved added, "Our guys brought their best today. I've been coaching a long time but it's hard to imagine being prouder of a group of guys than I am of them now. Just the collective effort. They've been beautiful to watch."
Colorado State is now 20-9, 14-4 and one game behind No. 1 New Mexico (23-6, 15-3) in the conference standings with just a week and two games to go in the regular season.
Utah State now has to pick up the pieces and regroup after its losses to Colorado State and No. 4 Boise State (21-8, 13-5). It was the Boise State game, Calhoun said, that set the tone for the Aggies' poor week.
"Boise State was very, very physical," Calhoun said on utahstateaggies.com. "We got physically manhandled from start to finish. It's one thing to lose but to get dominated like that was very, very disappointing."
Boise State, which also won at Fresno State, 66-61, on Saturday, wanted to play physically against Utah State.
"That was a game where you have to wear those guys down," Boise State coach Leon Rice said on broncosports.com. "Wear them down with your bodies and we have a lot of bodies that can do that."
Boise's Tyson Degenhart had 21 points against Utah State while Andrew Meadow had 22 against Fresno State.
The Broncos avoided an embarrassing loss against No. 12 Fresno State (5-24, 1-17).
"Our best quality is we know how to win," Rice told the Idaho Statesman.
"Fresno had nothing to lose," Meadow said. "So, they just came out and played free and played hard. I'm just glad we found a way to pull it out in the end."
New Mexico whipped Air Force, 92-71, on Saturday at home after losing to No. 2 San Diego State, 73-65, on the road on Tuesday. Donovan Dent had 26 points and seven assists against San Diego State and 23 points and six assists against Air Force.
"We hadn't been home in a while," New Mexico coach Richard Pitino said after beating Air Force. "And we lost to two very good teams (Boise State on Feb. 19 and San Diego State on Feb. 25) on the road."
Pitino, whose Lobos will play the Nevada Wolf Pack on Tuesday (March 4) at Lawlor Events Center, said San Diego State bullied his team last week.
"They are an elite defensive team, and their size and physicality bothered us," he said.
No. 2 San Diego State (20-7, 13-5), though, struggled on Saturday to beat No. 9 Wyoming, 72-69, on the road. Miles Byrd and B.J. Davis each had 18 points against Wyoming.
"We fought for 40 minutes," San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said on goaztecs.com. "Were we perfect for 40 minutes? Not, not even close. But we fought for 40 minutes and that allowed us to get out of here with a victory."
Nick Boyd's 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists led San Diego State to its victory over New Mexico.
"This was a tough, gutsy win," said Dutcher after beating New Mexico. "New Mexico is one of the most physical defensive teams you're going to play. We got big-brothered (bullied) by them in Albuquerque (a 62-48 New Mexico win on Jan. 11). I told the guys going into this game, 'We are not going to get big-brothered at home.’"
No. 6 UNLV (16-13, 10-8) beat No. 7 Nevada (16-13, 8-10) in Las Vegas on Saturday, 68-55. Kobe Sanders had 30 points for Nevada while Jaden Henley had 23 points and eight rebounds for UNLV.
UNLV won the rebounding battle, 48-27, and Nevada missed 18-of-21 3-pointers.
The Wolf Pack will close out its regular season at home on Tuesday against New Mexico and on the road at San Diego State on Saturday before playing in the Mountain West tournament starting March 12.
UNLV also beat San Jose State, 77-71, last Tuesday on the road as Henley had 22 points.
"Obviously, we are in a good rhythm right now defensively," UNLV coach Kevin Kruger told the Las Vegas Review Journal after beating Nevada. "The one thing we can control is how we're guarding people."
The Nevada Appeal Mountain West men's basketball rankings for the week of March 3:
1. NEW MEXICO (23-6, 15-3). Last week: San Diego State 73, New Mexico 65 (Feb. 25), New Mexico 92, Air Force 71 (March 1). This week: New Mexico at Nevada (March 4), UNLV at New Mexico (March 7).
2. SAN DIEGO STATE (20-7, 13-5). Last week: San Diego State 73, New Mexico 65 (Feb. 25), San Diego State 72, Wyoming 69 (March 1). This week: San Diego State at UNLV (March 4), Nevada at San Diego State (March 8).
3. COLORADO STATE (20-9, 14-4). Last week: Colorado State 77, Air Force 55 (Feb. 25), Colorado State 93, Utah State 66 (March 1). This week: San Jose State at Colorado State (March 4), Colorado State at Boise State (March 7).
4. BOISE STATE (21-8, 13-5). Last week: Boise State 82, Utah State 65 (Feb. 26), Boise State 66, Fresno State 61 (March 1). This week: Boise State at Air Force (March 4), Colorado State at Boise State (March 7).
5. UTAH STATE (24-6, 14-5). Last week: Boise State 82, Utah State 65 (Feb. 26), Colorado State 93, Utah State 66 (March 1). This week: Air Force at Utah State (March 8).
6. UNLV (16-13, 10-8). Last week: UNLV 77, San Jose State 71 (Feb. 25), UNLV 68, Nevada 55 (Feb. 28). This week: San Diego State at UNLV (March 4), UNLV at New Mexico (March 7).
7. NEVADA (16-13, 8-10). Last week: Nevada 84, Wyoming 61 (Feb. 25), UNLV 68, Nevada 55 (Feb. 28). This week: New Mexico at Nevada (March 4), Nevada at San Diego State (March 8).
8. SAN JOSE STATE (13-17, 6-12). Last week: UNLV 77, San Jose State 71 (Feb. 25). This week: San Jose State at Colorado State (March 4), Fresno State at San Jose State (March 8).
9. WYOMING (12-18, 5-14). Last week: Nevada 84, Wyoming 61 (Feb. 25), San Diego State 72, Wyoming 69 (March 1). This week: Wyoming at Fresno State (March 4).
10. AIR FORCE (4-25, 1-17). Last week: Colorado State 77, Air Force 55 (Feb. 25), New Mexico 92, Air Force 71 (March 1). This week: Boise State at Air Force (March 4), Air Force at Utah State (March 8).
11. FRESNO STATE (5-24, 1-17). Last week: Boise State 66, Fresno State 61 (March 1). This week: Wyoming at Fresno State (March 4), Fresno State at San Jose State (March 8).