LOGAN – Heading into the next-to-last week of the regular season, the Utah State men's basketball team has a shot at redemption, as well as doing the unthinkable and actually overtaking the formidable Nevada Wolf Pack in the league standings.
But if the Aggies are going to make history, they'll have to put together a week for the ages at the Spectrum.
Currently sitting in second place in the Mountain West standings, Utah State (22-6, 12-3) will host third-place San Diego State (18-9, 10-4) Tuesday night. Pull off an unprecedented victory over the Aztecs – the Aggies have yet to beat SDSU as a member of the Mountain West – and USU would still have a shot at a conference title with first-place Nevada (25-2, 12-2) coming to Logan Saturday night.
After taking on the only two conference rivals to beat them so far this season, the Aggies will wrap up their regular-season schedule at Colorado State (11-16, 6-8) on March 5.
"We control our own destiny for winning a Mountain West championship and an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament," USU head coach Craig Smith said of his team, which was picked to finish ninth in the preseason media poll.
"I'm going to be cliché, but it is one game at a time. We need to control the controllables. We need to play our style of basketball and our brand of basketball. But what an incredible opportunity to play the team that has won the most championships in our league (Tuesday), and then play Nevada, who has been in the Top 10 virtually all year and only has two losses."
“Let’s get the Spectrum rocking on Tuesday night, first and foremost. Let’s bring the electricity. There’s no doubt that fan support and getting a sellout have a direct impact on winning.”
Utah State head coach Craig Smith
The Aztecs come into Tuesday's game at the Spectrum sporting the longest winning streak in the conference, having won five straight games, including a 65-57 upset of then sixth-ranked Nevada at home and a 60-59 nail-biter at UNLV. Senior guard Devin Watson was named Mountain West Player of the Week after averaging 14 points, six assists, 4.5 rebounds and two steals in SDSU's two victories.
On the season, sophomore forward Jalen McDaniels leads a trio of Aztecs in double figures with 16.9 points per game, followed by Watson (16.3 ppg) and sophomore forward Matt Mitchell (10.6 ppg). McDaniels also leads SDSU on the glass with 8.3 rebounds per game.
"They are one of the hottest teams in the Mountain West, along with us and Nevada," Smith said of the Aztecs. "They've won eight of their last nine and five straight, including a win over the Aggies. Then you add in that we are 0-11 against them in Mountain West play. Our guys are very hungry. Our guys remember that game vividly, things that we did well and a few things that we didn't do so well. But that is a credit to them."
The Aggies, who have won four straight games since losing 68-63 on Feb. 9 in San Diego, have dropped their last 11 games against San Diego State. But despite USU's historic struggles against the Aztecs, junior guard Sam Merrill is averaging 20.8 points per game against SDSU during his career, shooting 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the floor and 50 percent (14-of-28) behind the 3-point line.
And Merrill comes into Tuesday's game hot – although perhaps a bit weary – after leading Utah State to a stunning 78-71 overtime win at Boise State last Saturday. The Bountiful High product totaled 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists while playing all 45 minutes of a game the Aggies trailed in by five points with 46 seconds left in regulation.
Branded "Road Warriors" by Smith, the dramatic win over the Broncos was the eighth road victory of the season for the Aggies, who are 12-1 at home in the Spectrum.
Nevada, which slipped six spots to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll following its loss to SDSU, will host in-state rival UNLV (15-12, 9-6) on Wednesday before coming to Logan. The Wolf Pack then finishes up its regular-season schedule with a game at Air Force on March 5 and a home game against San Diego State on March 9.
Utah State is doing everything it can to entice fans to come to the Spectrum for Tuesday night's game, while Saturday's showdown against Nevada is now officially USU's first sellout of the season.
"From Day 1, we've heard all about the Spectrum Magic, and we've got to get the magic back," Smith said. "To do that it takes a lot of things. You've got to win. You've got to have an exciting brand of basketball. You have to have a group of young men in your program that your fans can be proud of, identify with and appreciate and want to be there to pull for.
"I have no doubt in my mind that we have that," Smith added. "Let's get the Spectrum rocking on Tuesday night, first and foremost. Let's bring the electricity. There's no doubt that fan support and getting a sellout have a direct impact on winning."
Aggies on the air
- San Diego State (18-9, 10-4) at Utah State (22-6, 12-3)
- Dee Glen Smith Spectrum — Logan, Utah
- Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. (MT)
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Radio: Aggie Radio Network 1280 AM
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2Ed3XeT
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario