Iowa-Utah State men’s basketball glance: Time/TV/game info (Nov. 22, 2024)

What: Iowa (5-0) vs. Utah State (4-0), men’s basketball

When/where: 7 p.m., Friday, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Mo.

TV: BTN (Jake Eisenberg, Jess Settles)

Livestream: Fox Sports Live

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network affiliates, KRUI-FM

Series: Iowa leads, 3-1

Line: Iowa by 3.5

Next game: vs. South Carolina-Upstate next Tuesday in Iowa City

What to know: It starts with Utah State leading the nation in scoring with 104 points per game.

The Aggies went 28-7 last season, won the Mountain West Conference regular-season title, and got their first NCAA tournament victory since 2001.

USU also leads the nation in scoring margin, 40 points per game, are second in turnover margin (+10.5), and are seventh in field goal percentage and steals.

Graduate student Ian Martinez, formerly of Maryland, is averaging 22.8 points. He is from Heredia, Costa Rica. He has made 23 of 45 three-pointers.

Jerrod Calhoun became the Aggies’ coach on March 30 after spending the previous seven seasons at Youngstown State. Calhoun replaced Danny Sprinkle, who became coach at Washington.

“If (the players) come back, we can win a national championship,” Calhoun said when he interviewed for the USU job.

Calhoun couldn’t keep everyone, most notably forward Great Osobor, who is averaging 14.8 points and 13 rebounds at Washington. But the Aggies did retain three starters, including Martinez.

USU 6-foot-11 senior Aubin Gateretse has made all 15 of his field goal tries.

Iowa has been no slouch itself, winning all five of its games by 10 points or more. Payton and Pryce Sandfort have combined to make 27 three-pointers, with Payton leading his younger brother, 14-13.

The Hawkeyes have made at least eight 3’s in every game and are 23rd nationally with 11.4 per game. Iowa’s opponents have shot an icy 24.4 percent (29-of-119) from deep.