Utah State loses Preston Medlin, Kysiean Reed for Extended Time

So you pen something like this with the best on intentions. You figure that this weekend, you will finally be able to catch the best of a conference, a matchup between talent and results.

And then you read this.

So no longer will Saturday night's fun be centered around Louisiana Tech and Utah State. The Bulldogs should have no issues extending their conference lead over a depleted Aggies squad.

But this isn't only bad for my basketball-watching mojo. This is bad for college basketball. Losing Preston Medlin and Kyisean Reed deprives all college basketball fans of the strength behind one of the best mid-majors.

Medlin was in the running for WAC player of the year, and he had that distinction before he even stepped onto the court this season. We ranked him as one of the top 50 players in the mid-major ranks before the season began.

Sure we missed a few players (Kelly Olynyk is looking like an All-American candidate at this point in time), but that was still a difficult list to make. We will miss his presence inside affecting the results in the WAC, and possibly the NCAA Tournament.

Without Medlin and Reed, the Aggies are down to bare bones. This isn't a squad that will be competing for anything, let alone a WAC title. This was the year for them to make their mark as they depart for the Mountain West, a much tougher basketball conference, next season. Even with Medlin back for one more year, the Aggies will be outgunned against UNLV, San Diego State (now staying) and even Colorado State.

We will be looking deeper into what this means for Utah State as the week progresses