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Utah State Wins Mountain West Championship Behind Collins’ MVP Performance

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Basketball

(BCSNN) — Tournament MVP MJ Collins Jr. scored 20 points to lead top‑seeded Utah State to the 2026 Mountain West Postseason Championship, defeating second‑seeded San Diego State 73–62 on Saturday. The title marks the Aggies’ third conference tournament crown in the last eight years and the 11th in program history.

Collins, who shot 8‑for‑15 and hit four threes, was joined on the All‑Tournament Team by graduate guard Drake Allen and junior guard Mason Falslev. Utah State (28–6) became just the seventh program in Mountain West history to win both the regular‑season and postseason titles in the same year. The Aggies also reached 28 wins for the seventh time in school history and the second time in the last three seasons.

With the victory, Utah State secured the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid, extending its school‑record streak to four straight appearances. The Aggies have now reached the NCAA Tournament 26 times, including 14 since 2000. This season marks the sixth time in the last eight years they will play in the Big Dance, and the seventh time in that span they qualified (including the canceled 2020 tournament).

Falslev added 16 points, six assists and four rebounds, while Allen scored 13 points with six boards. Senior forward Garry Clark chipped in 11 points and six rebounds.

The game’s turning point came with 5:13 remaining. Leading 58–54, Collins buried a three while senior forward Zach Keller was fouled on the play. Keller hit both free throws to complete a five‑point sequence and extend the lead to 63–54. Freshman Adlan Elamin followed with a dunk to push the margin to 11, and San Diego State never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

Utah State shot 46.2 percent from the field and recorded 18 assists against just six turnovers. San Diego State’s Reese Dixon‑Waters led all Aztecs with 20 points as SDSU shot 40.8 percent overall.

The Aggies led 25–19 in the first half before SDSU tied the game with back‑to‑back threes. The Aztecs took a 35–34 halftime lead after Utah State made just one of its final 10 shots of the period. Collins scored 10 first‑half points, while Dixon‑Waters had 12 for SDSU.

Utah State will learn its NCAA Tournament seed and opponent on Selection Sunday at 4 p.m. MT on CBS.