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Ogden • It hasn't been the greatest week for Utah State's Tim Duryea, although that could change.

The Aggies play their first official game with Duryea as their head coach on Friday night at Weber State.

With a victory, Utah State can wipe out the disappointment of a 77-60 exhibition loss to Division II Cal State Monterey Bay and, more significantly, begin life without David Collette on a positive note.

Collette, last season's Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, informed Duryea on Wednesday he planned to transfer. It's not known where Collette will land, but his sudden departure two days before the opener was a stunning gut-punch for Utah State.

With Collette, the Aggies were expected to contend in the Mountain West. Without him, a player not expected to start — somebody like sophomore Elston Jones or transfer Lew Evans — must become a major contributor.

In a statement released by Utah State, Duryea said he was "shocked" by Collette's decision to leave and "there were a lot of factors in play." He called "poaching of other schools' players" a "trend" in college basketball.

"I don't like how things transpired," he said. " … But we will move on and get ready for our season opener."

Utah State and Weber State will meet for the 68th time when the neighboring schools collide at the Dee Events Center.

"It's a tough place to play," Duryea said. "Whenever we've opened down there, it's taken a midseason-type of effort to win. If we're not ready defensively and on the boards, we won't have a chance."

The game matches two friends, Wildcat coach Randy Rahe and Duryea.

"We like in-state games here and I think Weber does, too," Duryea said. "I'm not sure why we put ourselves through the torture on opening night, but it does get [the game] out of the way and that's good because we're all very close. …

"So we'll go out, battle and find out a lot about our teams. It benefits us because, right off the bat, we find out about our strengths and weaknesses. We will improve a lot after a first game like this."

Weber State comes off an uncharacteristic season. The 'Cats finished 13-17 overall and 8-10 in the Big Sky Conference. But they are expected to bounce back behind junior guard Jeremy Senglin and senior power forward Joel Bolomboy, who is an NBA prospect.

"Those guys are experienced and they know their system," Duryea said. "They're in a little different situation than normal because last year didn't go as planned — the way years usually go for Randy. They probably have a little chip on their shoulder." —

Utah State at Weber State

P At the Dee Events Center

Tipoff • 7 p.m.

TV • KJZZ

Radio • 610 AM, 1430 AM, 95.5 FM, 102.1 FM

Records • Utah State 0-0, Weber State 0-0

Series • Utah State, 41-26

Last meeting • Nov. 14, 2014; Utah State, 72-61

About the Aggies • They were picked third in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll before the departure of C/F David Collette on Wednesday. … They have beaten Weber State three straight times. … All-time, they are 16-16 against the Wildcats in Ogden. … F Jalen Moore averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds as a sophomore.

About the Wildcats • They were picked to win the Big Sky Conference in the coaches' preseason poll. … They are led by junior G Jeremy Senglin and senior F Joel Bolomboy. Senglin averaged 16.4 points per game last season. Bolomboy averaged 13.3 points and 10.2 rebounds. … Coach Randy Rahe is a former assistant at Utah State.