LOGAN — Utah State's men's basketball schedule was released Wednesday morning, which has the Aggies playing 31 games during the regular season, including four contests against in-state opponents and a minimum of 11 games against postseason teams from a year ago.

During the 2010-11 season, Utah State will play 17 games in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, a venue where it has won 68 of its last 69 contests. USU enters the 2011-12 season having won 31 straight home games, including 28 straight WAC games, to rank as the third-longest active home winning streak in the nation.

Highlighting Utah State's non-conference schedule will be home games against in-state foe BYU along with Kent State and Saint Peter's, both postseason teams a year ago. Significant road games include trips to Missouri Valley Conference member Wichita State and to Southeastern Conference member Mississippi State, along with a contest at in-state rival Weber State.

Utah State's matchup against Mississippi State will be the first of a three-game series as the Bulldogs will return to Logan during the 2013-14 season, with USU playing its second game in Starksville during the 2014-15 year. Utah State hasn't played an SEC school since losing to Vanderbilt (77-56) at the 2007 South Padre Island (Texas) Invitational, and this year's game will mark its first SEC road trip since losing at LSU (103-71) on Dec. 28, 1984.

Overall, Utah State's non-conference schedule consists of five games against postseason teams from a year ago as it will host Brigham Young, Kent State and Saint Peter's, and play at Weber State and Wichita State. Both the Cougars and Saint Peter's played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, while Kent State and Wichita State both participated in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in 2011, with the Shockers winning the championship. Weber State concluded its 2011 season in the College Basketball Invitational.

"Our schedule presents lots of challenges in both the preseason and conference play," said Morrill. "After our exhibition games, we face always-strong BYU in our home opener followed by Big Sky favorite Weber State in Ogden. That is jumping right into the fire to start the year."

One team not on Utah State's schedule this upcoming season is in-state rival Utah, snapping a streak of 67 straight years that the two schools have met annually. The two teams, who have played each other 223 times overall, will not be facing one another for the first time since the 1943-44 season as USU did not field a team that year due to World War II. In fact, the only other time USU and Utah have not played when both schools have had teams was during the 1919-20 campaign.

As the calendar turns to 2012, Utah State will return home and begin its quest for a fifth-straight Western Athletic Conference regular season title on Thursday, Jan. 5 against Fresno State, followed by another home game versus Nevada on Saturday, Jan. 7.

"For the first time in several years, we will not be the favorite in the WAC. We hope the challenges of the preseason will help us improve enough to be a competitive WAC team. Nevada, New Mexico State and Hawaii appear to be very strong and we look forward to seeing how it all shakes out," Morrill said.

2011-12 Utah State Men's Basketball Schedule

Date Opponent Time

Fri., Oct. 28 UC SAN DIEGO (Ex.) 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 5 ADAMS STATE (Ex.) 2:05 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 11 BRIGHAM YOUNG 7:05 p.m.

Tues., Nov. 15 at Weber State 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 19 SOUTHERN UTAH 7:05 p.m.

Tues., Nov. 22 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 6:05 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 26 at Idaho State 7:05 p.m.

Wed., Nov. 30 DENVER 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 3 at Pacific 8:05 p.m.

Tues, Dec. 6 UTAH VALLEY 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 10 at Wichita State 6:05 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 17 SEATTLE 7:05 p.m.

Tue.-Thur., Dec. 20-22 WORLD VISION CHALLENGE (Sponsored by Gossner Foods)

Tues., Dec. 20 Saint Peter's vs. Kent State 5:30 p.m.

Utah State vs. Texas-Arlington 8:05 p.m.

Wed., Dec. 21 Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington 5:30 p.m.

Utah State vs. Saint Peter's 8:05 p.m.

Thur., Dec. 22 Texas-Arlington vs. Saint Peter's 5:30 p.m.

Utah State vs. Kent State 8:05 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 31 at Mississippi State 12:05 p.m.

Thur., Jan. 5 FRESNO STATE* 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 7 NEVADA* 7:05 p.m.

Thur., Jan. 12 at New Mexico State* 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 14 at Louisiana Tech* 6:05 p.m.

Thur., Jan. 19 at Seattle 8:05 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 21 at Idaho* 8:05 p.m.

Thur., Jan. 26 HAWAI'I * 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 28 SAN JOSE STATE* 7:05 p.m.

Thur., Feb. 2 at Nevada* 8:05 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 4 at Fresno State* 8:05 p.m.

Thur., Feb. 9 LOUISIANA TECH* 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 11 NEW MEXICO STATE* 7:05 p.m.

Tues., Feb. 14 MONTANA TECH 7:05 p.m.

Fri./Sat., Feb. 17/18 ESPNU BRACKETBUSTERS TBA

Fri., Feb. 24 IDAHO* 7:05 p.m.

Thur., Mar. 1 at San Jose State* 8:05 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 3 at Hawai'i* 10:05 p.m.

Wed.-Sat., Mar. 7-10 at WAC Tournament, Las Vegas, Nev.

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Tues.-Sun., Mar. 13-18 NCAA First, Second & Third Rounds, TBA

* Denotes Western Athletic Conference game.

Home Games in BOLD AND ALL CAPS.

All times are Mountain time, tentative and subject to change.

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