How to watch No. 18 Utah State play Fresno State in MWC tournament

No. 1 seed Utah State (26-5) vs. No. 9 seed Fresno State (12-20)

Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinals

Tip: Thursday, 1 p.m. MDT.

Venue: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas.

TV: CBS Sports Network.

Livestream: CBS Sports Network.

Radio: 1280 AM, 97.5 FM.

Series: Utah State leads, 45-26. The Aggies have won the past four in the series, including an overtime game in Fresno two weeks ago.

The trends

For Utah State: The Aggies (26-5, 14-4 Mountain West) wrapped up the outright MWC regular-season championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the league tournament by beating New Mexico last Saturday on a 3-pointer with five seconds to play. Utah State has won five straight heading into Las Vegas.

For Fresno State: The Bulldogs (12-20, 4-14 MWC) beat No. 8 seed Wyoming 77-73 in the tournament’s first round on Wednesday to advance to play the Aggies. Fresno State, which had lost seven straight before Wednesday, went on a 12-1 run to end the game and eliminate the Cowboys.

The stakes

For Utah State: The Aggies are an NCAA Tournament lock, but a deep run in Las Vegas could only improve their seeding. Utah State is no stranger to advancing far in the conference tournament, either. The Aggies are currently No. 32 in the NET rankings and are 5-4 against Quad 1 opponents, 4-1 against Quad 2 opponents, 6-0 against Quad 3 opponents and 9-0 against Quad 4 opponents.

For Fresno State: The Bulldogs’ season will end at the MWC tournament unless they pull a stunner and win the league tournament championship. That’s unlikely, considering how a four-game win streak in Las Vegas would match the number of victories Fresno State put up in league play during the regular season.

Players to watch

For Utah State: There’s a lot of talent across the lineup for first-year Aggies head coach Danny Sprinkle, with MWC Player of the Year Great Osobor leading the charge. The junior forward, who was also named the league’s newcomer of the year, averaged 17.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game during the regular season while also shooting 57.2% from the field. Guards Darius Brown II (12.4 points, 6.4 assists, 40.4% 3-point shooting) and Ian Martinez (13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds) also have been big contributors in their first seasons in Logan.

For Fresno State: Isaiah Hill (11.8 points) and Xavier DuSell (11.6) are the Bulldogs’ top scorers, and Hill adds an average of six assists per game. Utah Tech transfer Isaiah Pope scored a season-high 22 points in the Bulldogs’ victory Wednesday and is adding an average of 9.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.