The Utah State Aggies went 9-1 without center Neemias Queta. Now that he’s back, look out.

Logan • The Utah State Aggies started their season with a lot of hype. They were ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press preseason poll and picked to repeat as Mountain West champions.

For the most part, the Aggies have lived up to those expectations. Aside from a lone loss to Saint Mary’s, Utah State has shown it was worthy of all the preseason accolades. The Aggies are 10-1 so far this season, which marks the best start since the 2012-13 squad began its season 14-1.

But what may be most impressive about USU’s start in the 2019-20 season is that it has been this good without being whole. The Aggies started the season without one of their most important players, center Neemias Queta, who was recovering from an offseason knee injury he suffered while playing for Portugal in a FIBA Under-20 tournament.

Queta recently made his way back to the hardwood in an overtime win over Fresno State. He played 10 minutes, scored six points and recorded a block and a rebound. All of his points came on free throws.

While Queta did not play in USU’s blowout win over St. Katherine on Tuesday, he is slated to play against Utah State’s upcoming Beehive Classic contest against BYU. And although he acknowledged that he isn’t quite 100 percent, the Aggies know just how much better they are with him back in the fold.

Junior guard Abel Porter likened Queta’s impact on defense to that of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.

“It changes the whole entire game,” Porter said of Queta returning to the lineup. “You can just see the gravity that he has on defense. … Even the shots he doesn’t block, he’s affecting something.”

Porter said the key to USU’s hot start this season has been its defense. At times, the Aggies have struggled to score, but their work on the other end of the court has kept them in games and even won them some.

Coach Craig Smith agreed with Porter’s assessment and said Friday that defense has been Utah State’s “calling card” so far this year. He added that on the offensive end, the Aggies are still “a work in progress.”

The defense should improve that much more as Queta makes his way back to full health. After all, he was the MW Defensive Player of the Year at the end of last season.

When Queta hurt his knee over the summer, he said “1,000 thoughts” went through his mind. But he also said he wasn’t worried much because he knew he’d attack his physical therapy the right way and come back stronger.

Queta thought he played well in his first game, even though he was on a minutes restriction and made a couple of defensive mistakes.

“I just have to get back into the flow of the game,” Queta said. “I just have to get back into the full Neemy, the 100 percent Neemy that we had last year.”

The Queta of last year not only was Utah State’s main defensive stopper, he was also its second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game. He even shot 40% from the 3-point line — albeit on only 2-of-5 from that distance.

The point is Queta is just as valuable on offense as he is on defense, and he’s shown that even in limited minutes this year.

“His impact on the defensive end is huge with his ability to protect the rim,” senior guard Sam Merrill said. “But also he’s so smart offensively, sets really good screens, he’s a very good passer, has a great feel for the game. So we’ve felt his impact both ways.”

Queta said being away from the game for four and a half months was rough on him because he has never had an injury that has kept him out that long. But he’s been pushing himself to get back to the player he once was, which is one that has a good chance of going to the NBA.

“Knock on wood, hopefully he gets back to the guy that we knew last year,” Smith said of Queta. “If he does that, I think the sky is the limit.”