Courtesy of Utah State Athletics

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men’s basketball is ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time of the 2025-26 season, checking in at No. 23 with 161 points in the poll. This is the third-straight year the Aggies have been ranked in the AP Poll, the first time in program history that has happened.

Currently sitting at 14-1 overall and an unbeaten 5-0 in Mountain West play, Utah State is the lone ranked team from the league, and is one of just two teams from mid-major leagues ranked this week, along with future Pac-12 mate Gonzaga (No. 9).

The Aggies also made their season debut in the USA Today Coaches Poll, checking in at No. 24. In today’s NET Rankings, Utah State ranks No. 12. USU has received votes in seven of the past eight AP Polls this season.

Utah State spent two weeks ranked last season, peaking at No. 22. In 2023-24, the Aggies were ranked for nine weeks and climbed as high as No. 16 in the poll.

UP NEXT
Utah State will return to Logan next week to host Nevada on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season have sold out. Fans can purchase single game tickets for available remaining games here. A waitlist for 2026-27 season tickets is now available here.

FOLLOW
For more information on Utah State’s men’s basketball program, follow the Aggies on Facebook at usumensbasketball, on Twitter at @usubasketball and on Instagram at @usubasketball. Fans can also watch USU men’s basketball highlights by visiting youtube.com/utahstateathletics.

In his first game since Dec. 29, Vaněček stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced; however, the netminder only allowed one even-strength goal. The Blue Jackets had 11 shots in the first period, 14 in the second, nine in the third, and two in overtime. The 36 shots he faced are a season-high for Vaněček.

“Really good, I think,” Tourigny explained. “Tough situation, he didn’t play for a little bit, and came in and the guys did not play their A game in front of him, and he kept us there. I think he did a great job.”

“He was amazing,” Sergachev said of Vaněček. “He held the ground for us. We gave up a little too much, as I said. He was big for us tonight. We just couldn’t get it done for him.”

McBain and Mikhail Sergachev scored Utah’s goals. McBain’s tally tied the game, 1-1 in the first, while Sergachev’s gave the Mammoth a 2-1 lead in the second period.

With Sergachev’s tally, Utah’s defensemen have scored in five of the last six contests as the Mammoth’s blueline continues to deliver. Sergachev has six points in the first six games of the year, two of which were goals.

“There’s a trust from the forwards that we’re going to get it (on net),” Sergachev explained. “Once they saw that we started scoring, they’re going to pass it more. That’s the game plan that we’re trying to execute–every game, pretty much. Every team is trying to stay lower.”

Utah continues the homestand next week and will look to bounce back on Tuesday. However, it’s important for the team to be disappointed from today’s game.

“First of all, you need to sting a little bit,” Tourigny said. “It’s not just about moving on. It’s about learning from it. I think there’s a lesson to learn from that game. Like I said, it’s not a matter of execution or effort. It was a matter of mindset, be ready to play the game the way it should have been played, and our decision with the puck. There’s many things that were not on par.”

Additional Notes from Tonight

• Captain Clayton Keller is on a three-game multi-assist streak and has seven assists, in the last three games. Keller had the primary assist on McBain and Sergachev’s goals. Tonight was his seventh multi-assist game and 14th multi-point game in 2025-26, both of which are the most of any Mammoth skater (per Mammoth PR).
• All three of Utah’s meetings with Columbus have now been won by the road team in overtime by a 3-2 margin (per Mammoth PR).
• McBain opened the scoring tonight with his second point through three games on this homestand (also 1/7 vs. OTT: 1A). Four of his five goals this season have been game-tying tallies (per Mammoth PR).

The Mammoth’s homestand continues Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cheer on Utah’s team at Delta Center! Tickets are available here.

Upcoming Schedule

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Five vehicles collided with a piece of exercise equipment on I-15 near the Arizona-Utah border on Friday, according to Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department.

At around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9, fire personnel responded to an incident involving five vehicles on I-15 Southbound at Mile Marker 17. Crews arrived on scene to find “slightly used exercise equipment” in the middle of the road, officials said.

A total of 14 people were involved in the collisions, though only one was taken to the hospital, St. George Regional, as a result.

“Please drive defensively; Keep your eyes on the road,” a social media post from Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire states.

No further information is available at this time.