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Logan • Utah State announced its 2016-17 men's basketball schedule Wednesday, which includes 18 Mountain West Conference games and in-state battles with BYU, Weber State and Utah Valley.
The Aggies will play nine opponents which reached postseason tournaments last year, including a visit to UC Irvine in their season opener on Nov. 11.
Utah State faces BYU on Nov. 30 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. The games at Utah Valley and against Weber State are on Dec. 10 and 21, respectively.
As part of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge, the Aggies play host to Indiana State on Dec. 3. Last season, USU was one of six MWC teams to prevail in the head-to-head series with a 69-68 victory at Missouri State.
Also during the non-conference portion of the schedule, Utah State will participate in the Cancun Challenge. Home games against the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Nov. 14) and Idaho State (Nov. 19) precede a trip to Mexico, where the Aggies will play Purdue on Nov. 22 and Texas Tech or Auburn on Nov. 23.
The Aggies, 16-15 overall and 7-11 in the Mountain West last year, open the conference season at home against Boise State on Dec. 28. After a New Year's Eve game at Air Force, they return home for games against New Mexico (Jan. 4) and UNLV (Jan. 7).
All of Utah State's first three Mountain West home games will be played while its students are still on semester break.
"As always, the Mountain West schedule will be very challenging, no matter what order you play the games," coach Tim Duryea said. "… We are looking forward to a very competitive, wide-open league - similar to last year - with a lot of quality teams from top to bottom."
Utah State will play every Mountain West team home-and-home, with the exception of Fresno State and San Jose State. They host defending conference tournament champion Fresno on Jan. 28. They visit San Jose on Feb. 22.
Utah State returns four letter-winners from last season, including senior wing Jalen Moore, senior point guard Shane Rector, guard Julion Pearre and sophomore forward Quinn Taylor.
Ten new players have been added to the roster, including highly regarded freshman guard Koby McEwen from Wasatch Academy. Utah State's 2016-17 basketball schedule:
Nov. 4: Southern Virginia (exhibition)
Nov. 11: at UC Irvine
Nov. 14: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Nov. 19: Idaho State
Nov. 22: vs. Purdue in Cancun
Nov. 23: Texas Tech or Auburn in Cancun
Nov. 30: vs. BYU in Salt Lake City
Dec. 3: Indiana State
Dec. 10: at Utah Valley
Dec. 17: vs. Great Falls
Dec. 19: Weber State
Dec. 21: New Orleans
Dec. 28: Boise State
Dec. 31: at Air Force
Jan. 4: New Mexico
Jan. 7: UNLV
Jan. 11: at Wyoming
Jan. 14: at San Diego State
Jan. 21: Colorado State
Jan. 25: at New Mexico
Jan. 28: Fresno State
Feb. 1: Nevada
Feb. 4: at Boise State
Feb. 8: at Colorado State
Feb. 11: Wyoming
Feb. 15: San Diego State
Feb. 18: at Nevada
Feb. 22: at San Jose State
Feb. 25: Air Force
Mar. 1: at UNLV
Mar. 8-11: at Mountain West Conference tournament in Las Vegas