Feb. 8, 2008
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME 24
Utah State (17-6, 7-1) vs. San Jose State (10-12, 2-7)
Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008 • 7:05 p.m. (MT) • Logan, Utah
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) • Aggie Radio Network
GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 103rd season of basketball and has an overall record of 1,363-984 (.581). USU has not had a losing season since the 1992-93 campaign, a span of 14 years, when that team finished with a 10-17 record.
• Utah State has averaged 24.8 wins during the last eight years and is one of just four teams in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of those seasons along with Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse. USU also ranks fifth in the country with a 76.0 (215-68) winning percentage during the last nine years.
• Utah State is 138-12 (.920) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under head coach Stew Morrill, which includes a 73-8 (.901) record against conference opponents and a 18-3 (.857) record against WAC teams. Overall, USU is 432-105 (.804) in 37 years in the building.
• Utah State is 13-0 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum this year and is the only team in the Western Athletic Conference who hasn't lost a home game this season. Overall, USU's 13 game winning streak at home is tied for the 12th-longest in the nation.
• Utah State is leading the WAC in free throw shooting (.776), three-point shooting (.406) and scoring defense (67.9), and is second in the conference in overall shooting (.508), scoring margin (+4.8) and assists (18.13). Nationally, USU ranks third in overall shooting, fourth in free throw shooting, 10th in assists and 13th in three-point shooting.
• Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is currently leading the WAC with 21.3 points per game. He also ranks first in the WAC in free throw shooting (92.3) and three-point shooting (51.4), and is eighth in overall shooting (52.7) and 10th in rebounding (6.0). Nationally, Carroll ranks second in three-point shooting, fourth in free throw shooting and 16th in scoring.
• Senior guard Kris Clark ranks first in the WAC and 13th in the nation with 6.26 assists per game. Clark also ranks second in the conference and 24th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.53.
• Utah State is 119-41 (.744) in conference play under Coach Morrill, which includes a 27-13 (.675) WAC record.
• Utah State is 50-18 (.731) in the month of February under Coach Morrill, which includes a 28-4 (.875) home record.
UP NEXT
Utah State (17-6, 7-1) will host San Jose State (10-12, 2-7) on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. There is no television for the game against the Spartans. USU will then travel to Reno, Nev., and play at Nevada (14-8, 6-3) on Monday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. The game against the Wolf Pack was originally scheduled to be played on Jan. 5, but that contest was postponed due to severe weather in the Reno area.
ON THE AIR
Utah State basketball games are broadcast on KVNU (610 AM) and KLZX (95.9 FM) in Logan, Utah, KFAN (1320 AM) or ESPN Radio (1230 AM) in Salt Lake City and KLZX (105.3 FM) in Montpelier, Idaho, as well as on the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. Al Lewis serves as the play-by-play announcer while Rod Tueller serves as the analyst during home games.
ON THE INTERNET
All of Utah State's home games are available for fans to listen and watch live via the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. Aggie fans will also be able to follow Utah State home games through its web site via GameTracker, a program that documents each play and updates statistics. Fans can also listen to every road game live via USU's web site.
LOOKING AT UTAH STATE
Utah State is 17-6 on the season and in first-place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 7-1 record after notching a 77-72 win at Fresno State Thursday night. USU is led by senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll who is averaging 21.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 51.4 percent from three-point range and 92.3 percent from the free throw line, while junior forward Gary Wilkinson is averaging 13.2 points and 63 rebounds and shooting 57.5 percent from the field and 80.5 percent from the free throw line. Two other players score nearly 10 points a game for USU as senior forward Stephen DuCharme is averaging 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds and freshman forward Tai Wesley is averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds. As a team, Utah State is averaging 72.7 points and shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from three-point range and 77.6 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 67.9 points and shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three-point range and 71.1 percent from the free throw line.
AGGIES WILL HOST UC SANTA BARBARA IN SIXTH ANNUAL BRACKETBUSTERS
Utah State will host former Big West Conference rival UC Santa Barbara in the 2008 O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters on Friday, Feb. 22. USU's contest against the Gauchos will be one of 14 games televised on the ESPN family of networks. The exact time and network (ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com and ESPN Classic) carrying the game will not be announced until Monday, Feb. 11. Utah State is 2-0 all-time in BracketBuster games as it won at Oral Roberts, 71-65, last season and defeated Northwestern State, 66-63, in Logan during the 2005-06 campaign. UC Santa Barbara is 16-5 on the season and in fourth-place in the Big West Conference with a 5-3 league record. The Gauchos, who are 6-3 on the road this year, return four starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team that went 18-11 and finished in a tie for second-place in the Big West with a 9-5 league record. Utah State and UC Santa Barbara will be meeting for the 59th time ever with the Aggies owning a 36-22 all-time advantage. The last time the two teams met was during the 2004-05 season when both teams were members of the Big West Conference as USU notched an 80-70 win in Logan and an 80-50 win in Santa Barbara. In fact, Utah State has won each of the last four games played in the series and 10 of the last 12 overall.
VERSUS THE WAC
Utah State is 173-96 (.643) all-time against current members of the WAC and the Aggies have a winning record against every team in the league. In 2006, USU finished in a tie for second-place with an 11-5 league record and advanced to the conference's championship game. In 2007, USU finished in fourth-place with a 9-7 mark and advanced to the WAC Tournament championship game for the second straight year.
Stew Morrill VERSUS THE WAC
Stew Morrill is 89-70 (.560) all-time in WAC games, which includes a 27-13 (.675) record at Utah State and a 62-57 (.521) record at Colorado State. Morrill is 88-61 (.591) all-time against current members of the WAC, which includes a 59-23 (.720) record at USU.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following its home game against San Jose State, Utah State will have three straight road games as it plays at Nevada (14-8, 6-3) on Monday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. (MT), at Hawai'i (10-11, 6-3) on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 10 p.m. (MT), and at San Jose State (10-12, 2-7) on Monday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. (MT). There will be no television for any of the next three road games.
RECAPPING THE FRESNO STATE GAME
Senior guards Jaycee Carroll and Kris Clark combined to score 38 points as Utah State held on for a hard-fought 77-72 road win against Fresno State at the Save Mart Center Thursday night. Carroll finished the game with 22 points and Clark had a career-high 16 as the duo was 13-of-22 from the field and 7-of-11 from three-point range. Utah State, who remains in first-place in the Western Athletic Conference with the win, improves to 17-6 on the season and 7-1 in league play, while Fresno State falls to 11-13 overall and 4-6 in the conference with the loss. USU has now won 12 of its last 13 games overall, including three of its last four on the road. Carroll added nine rebounds as he played the entire game, while Clark recorded a season-high five boards to go along with five assists. Junior forward Gary Wilkinson extended his double-figure scoring streak to seven consecutive games with 16 points, including 10 in the second-half, and freshman forward Tai Wesley added eight points, four rebounds and four assists. Fresno State was led by senior forward Hector Hernandez's 22 points and 13 rebounds, while senior guards Kevin Bell and Eddie Miller each scored 20 points, including 29 after intermission. After leading by 14 at the break, Utah State extended its margin to 17 on a three-pointer from Carroll with 17:43 to play and led 55-39 with 13:18 remaining before Fresno State went on an 11-2 run to get with 57-50. The Bulldogs continued to close the gap and trailed 65-60 with just over five minutes to go on a three-pointer by Miller. USU then scored five straight points on a jumper by Carroll and a three-pointer by Wilkinson to increase its margin back to 10 with 2:43 left. FSU then scored seven straight points to get within 73-70 with 1:10 to play and had the ball with a chance to tie but a three-pointer from the left-wing by Miller was off the mark. The Aggies then finished the game by scoring four of the final six points and held on for the five-point win. For the game, Utah State shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field (28-48), including 57.1 percent shooting from three-point range (8-14). Fresno State finished the contest by shooting 45.5 percent from the field (25-55), including making 58.6 percent of its shots in the second-half (17-29). In that second period the Bulldogs converted 10-of-14 (.714) three-pointers and ended up shooting 50.0 percent (11-22) from behind the arc after making just 1-of-8 three's in the opening period. Utah State, who never trailed in the game, opened an early 10-point lead at the 12:59 mark of the first-half on a jumper by Tyler Newbold to give the visitors a 17-7 advantage. USU's led grew to 17 on a three-pointer by Carroll to make the score 33-16 with 6:13 to play and the Aggies went into the locker room up 14 at 39-25. Utah State shot 55.2 percent from the field (16-29) and 50.0 percent from three-point range (4-8) in the first-half, while Fresno State was just 8-of-26 (.308) overall. Carroll and Clark both scored in double-figures in the opening half with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
AGGIES CONTINUE TO START TWO FRESHMEN
Utah State is 12-1 since head coach Stew Morrill inserted Tai Wesley and Tyler Newbold into the starting lineup before the Cal State Bakersfield game on Dec. 8. Prior to that game, Morrill had started a total of three freshmen in his first nine-plus years in Logan in Tony Brown, Nate Harris and Jaycee Carroll. The last time Utah State started two freshmen in the same year was during the 1993-94 season when Jarobi Kemp started 20 games and Tony Schumacher started one game for then head coach Larry Eustachy.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS SINCE UTAH STATE CHANGED THE STARTING LINEUP
In Utah State's first 10 games, it averaged 64.9 points and shot 46.3 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three-point range and 76.6 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents averaged 68.2 points and shot 46.3 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 72.4 percent from the free throw line. In its last 13 games since changing the starting lineup, USU is averaging 78.6 points and shooting 54.0 percent from the field, 43.1 percent from three-point range and 78.4 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 67.6 points and shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from three-point range and 69.8 percent from the free throw line. During its first 10 games USU had a 5-5 record, but has since won 12 of its last 13 games including three of its last four on the road.
UTAH STATE SCORING THE BALL AT A HIGH RATE UNDER MORRILL
Utah State is averaging 72.7 points per game, which is the most any Aggie team has averaged under head coach Stew Morrill. USU has also scored at least 70 points in each of its last 13 games which is also the longest streak under Morrill. In league play, USU ranks second in the WAC in scoring with 77.0 points per game.
FOUR AGGIES RANK AMONG TOP EIGHT SHOOTERS IN THE WAC
Utah State has four of the top eight field goal shooters in the WAC in Tai Wesley who is third (.645), Stephen DuCharme who is fourth (.600), Gary Wilkinson who is fifth (.575) and Jaycee Carroll who is eighth (.527).
COMPUTER RANKINGS
As of Friday, Feb. 8, Utah State has an RPI of 82 and a strength of schedule of 192, while the Western Athletic Conference is currently ranked 20th in the nation out of 32 conferences.
SCOUTING SAN JOSE STATE
San Jose State is 10-12 on the season and in seventh-place in the WAC with a 2-7 league record following an 84-46 loss at Nevada Thursday night. The Spartans, who are 4-7 on the road this year, are led by freshman guard Justin Graham who is averaging 11.7 points and junior guard DaShawn Wright who is averaging 10.9 points. Two other players are scoring in double-figures for San Jose State as junior forward Tim Pierce is averaging 10.7 points and sophomore center C.J. Webster is averaging 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. As a team, SJSU is scoring 65.3 points and shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from three-point range and 70.3 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are scoring 70.6 points and shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from three-point range and 62.6 percent from the free throw line. San Jose State returns two starters and six letterwinners from last year's team that went 5-25 overall and finished in eighth-place in the WAC with a 4-12 record. George Nessman is 21-64 in his third year as a collegiate head coach at San Jose State.
UTAH STATE-SAN JOSE STATE SERIES
Utah State and San Jose State will be meeting for the 59th time this weekend with the Aggies owning a 38-20 all-time advantage, which includes a 25-4 record at home. Utah State has won five straight games against SJSU, including a 66-57 win in Logan the last time the two teams played. The last time San Jose State won a game in the series was on Mar. 10, 1996 in the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament, 76-75, in overtime. Overall, Utah State has won 20 of the last 23 games played in the series.
AGGIES ON SATURDAY
Utah State is 91-34 (.728) in games played on Saturday under Coach Morrill, including a 7-3 record this year. USU is also 7-1 (.875) in known games played on February 9.
VERSUS THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Utah State is 91-23 (.798) against teams from the state of California during the last nine years, which includes a 52-5 (.912) home record.
LAST MEETING AGAINST THE SPARTANS
Stephen DuCharme scored a game-high 19 points to lead Utah State to a 66-57 win against San Jose State in Logan on Feb. 3, 2007. In all, four Aggies reached double digits, as in addition to DuCharme's 19, which were just three shy of his season high, Durrall Peterson scored 13, Chaz Spicer netted 12, and Jaycee Carroll added 11. San Jose State also had four players score in double figures, paced by 13 points by Menelik Barbary, Carlton Spencer and Tim Pierce. With USU leading 56-55 with 4:46 remaining, Peterson and Chris Session each hit two free throws to begin a 10-0 run which put the game away. Peterson added a key three-pointer in the final stretch as USU held off the Spartans. Early in the second half SJSU led 36-33, but the Aggies went on a 15-2 run to gain a 48-38 advantage. DuCharme scored five points in the run. However, SJSU clawed its way back into the game before the Aggies pulled away. DuCharme scored seven straight points early in the game just prior to an Aggie run which gave USU a 26-17 advantage. However SJSU scored 13 straight points and took a 30-29 lead into the locker room. USU shot 47.6 percent from the field, while holding the visitors to 41.7 percent. USU also used a tremendous advantage at the free throw line, making 18-of-24 attempts, while SJSU made two of its five attempts. In all SJSU was whistled for 17 fouls, while the Aggies were called for a season-low eight violations. Snapping the two-game losing streak, the Aggies avoided dropping three straight games for the first time since the end of the 1999 campaign.
SCOUTING NEVADA
Nevada is 14-8 on the season and in fourth-place in the WAC with a 6-3 league record following an 84-46 home win against San Jose State Thursday night. The Wolf Pack, who are 9-2 at home this season, are led by senior guard Marcelus Kemp who is averaging 19.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while sophomore center JaVale McGee is averaging 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. Nevada has two other players scoring in double-figures as sophomore guard Brandon Fields is averaging 12.4 points and freshman guard Armon Johnson is averaging 11.9 points per game. As a team, the Wolf Pack are scoring 74.3 points and shooting 47.7 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three-point range and 70.1 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are scoring 69.7 points and shooting 42.0 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three-point range and 69.3 percent from the free throw line. Nevada returns one starter and eight letterwinners from last year's team that went 29-5 on the year, finished in first-place in the WAC with a 14-2 record and lost to Memphis, 78-62, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Mark Fox is 95-25 in his fifth year as Nevada's head coach.
UTAH STATE-NEVADA SERIES
Utah State and Nevada will be meeting for the 37th time this weekend with the Aggies owning a 26-10 advantage, which includes a 10-8 record in Reno. USU has won each of the last three games played in the series, including a 77-63 win in Logan on Feb. 2, 2008. The last time Nevada won a game in the series was on Jan. 27, 2007 in Reno, 79-62. Stew Morrill is 15-10 all-time against Nevada, which includes an 8-4 record at Utah State.
AGGIES IN LAWLOR EVENTS CENTER
Prior to its current two-game losing streak at Lawlor Events Center, Utah State had won seven straight games in the building. Overall, USU is 15-10 in Lawlor Events Center.
LAST MEETING AGAINST THE WOLF PACK
Jaycee Carroll and Gary Wilkinson combined for 47 points to lead Utah State to a hard fought 77-63 win over Nevada on Feb. 2, 2008 in Logan. It was USU's 13th home win in a row as the Aggies improved to 16-6 overall and 6-1 in WAC play while the Wolf Pack is now 13-8 overall and 5-3 in WAC action, having their three-game win streak snapped. USU also improved to 13-2 at home against UNR and the Aggies now lead the all-time series, 26-10, having won the last three meetings. Utah State is the only team in the WAC with an unblemished home record this season and USU improved to 18-3 at home against WAC foes under head coach Stew Morrill. Senior All-American guard Carroll netted a game-high 24 points as the Evanston, Wyo., native tallied 17 points in the first half. Junior forward and South Jordan, Utah native Wilkinson logged a career-high 23 points, nearly matching Carroll with 16 first half points. Wilkinson registered his team-leading third double-double with 10 rebounds, helping USU out-rebounded UNR, 32-31, as the Aggies improved to 11-2 when having more rebounds then their opponent. The duo was joined in double-digit scoring by freshman forward Tai Wesley (Provo, Utah), with 14 points including 10 before halftime. Nevada had four starters post double-figures, led by Marcelus Kemp's 16 while JaVale McGee recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Brandon Fields netted 13 points while Armon Johnson tossed in 10. The Aggies scorched the nets to the tune of 66.7 percent (18-of-27) in the first half and finished the night at 54.0 percent (27-of-50), including 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) behind the three-point arc. USU was also 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) at the free throw line. The Wolf Pack hit 23-of-59 (39.0 percent) field goals, going 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) from three-point land and were 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) free throw shooting. Saturday was the sixth time in the last seven games this season that the Aggies made more free throws than their opponent attempted. Utah State also improved to 14-0 on the season when holding the opposition under 70 points. An early 11-0 run put USU ahead, 13-2 just three and a half minutes into the game after a dunk from senior guard Kris Clark (Wilmington, N.C.) followed by a Carroll three-pointer and jumper. Carroll and Wilkinson's first half efforts boosted the Aggies to a 47-36 intermission lead, including an 18-point cushion at 45-27 with 2:20 left in the first stanza. USU improved to 15-2 when leading at the half while UNR fell to 0-6 when trailing at the break. The Wolf Pack fought their way back to within eight at 49-41 with 16:45 on the second half clock but back-to-back buckets from Carroll and Wilkinson regained control for the Aggies and held Nevada at bay for the rest of the game.
DID YOU KNOW?
During the last three seasons, Nevada has lost a total of nine games to WAC opponents and four of those losses have been against Utah State.
CARROLL BECOMES UTAH STATE'S ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll became Utah State's all-time leading scorer on Jan. 19, 2008 at home against Idaho as he made a three-pointer from the left wing with 13:35 to play in the first-half to eclipse Greg Grant's (1983-86) record of 2,127 points. Carroll now has 2,226 career points and is one of just three players in school history to score 2,000 points along with Grant and Wayne Estes (1963-65) who scored 2,001 career points.
CARROLL CURRENTLY SIXTH ALL-TIME IN SCORING IN THE STATE OF UTAH
With his 2,226 career points, senior guard Jaycee Carroll currently ranks sixth all-time in the state of Utah in scoring. In fact, Carroll is one of just 10 collegiate players in the "Beehive State" to ever score 2,000 points. Utah's Keith Van Horn holds the state's scoring record with 2,542 points, followed by BYU's Danny Ainge (2,467), Utah's Billy McGill (2,321), BYU's Michael Smith (2,319), BYU's Devin Durrant (2,285) and Carroll, followed by USU's Greg Grant (2,127), Weber State's Bruce Collins (2,019), USU's Wayne Estes (2,001) and Utah's Josh Grant (2,000).
CARROLL CONTINUES HIS ASSAULT ON UTAH STATE'S RECORDS BOOK
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll continues to put his name at the top of Utah State's records book as he is now the school's all-time leader in points scored (2,226), three-pointers made (330), three-pointers attempted (710), three-point percentage (.465), 10-point games (109), games started (120), and total minutes played (4,126). Overall, Carroll currently holds seven school records, which is the most in school history. With nine regular season games still to play for Carroll, he will likely break the school's all-time record for field goals made and attempted, and total games played, which would give him 10 school records.
MORE CARROLL RANKINGS AT UTAH STATE
Along with all of his school records, Carroll also ranks second all-time at Utah State in field goals made (778), third in field goals attempted (1,526), third in games played (122), fourth in free throw percentage (.854) and fifth in minutes per game (33.8). He also ranks eighth in steals (111), ninth in points per game (18.2), 17th in rebounding (608) and 19th in assists (246).
CARROLL RANKS FOURTH IN NCAA HISTORY IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is shooting 46.5 percent from three-point range during his career, which ranks fourth all-time in the history of the NCAA at the Division I level. Tony Bennett of Green Bay holds the NCAA record for three-point shooting at 49.7 percent (290-584), followed by Stephen Sir of Northern Arizona at 46.9 percent (323-689), and David Olson of Eastern Illinois. Carroll is also 15 made three-pointers shy of ranking 25th all-time in NCAA history in that category.
RANKING CARROLL IN THE WAC
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll ranks second all-time in the WAC in three-point shooting at 46.1 percent (251-544), is fourth in free-throw shooting at 87.5 percent (295-337), and ninth in three-pointers made (251). If Utah State had joined the WAC a year earlier so Carroll's freshman stats would count, he would rank seventh in scoring (2,226), first in three-pointers made (330), second in three-point shooting (.465), sixth in free throw percentage (.854), sixth in three-pointers attempted (710), ninth in field goals made (778) and 11th in field goals attempted (1,526).
CARROLL THIRD IN THE NATION AMONG ACTIVE PLAYERS IN SCORING
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll ranks third in the nation in scoring among active players at the Division I level with 2,226 points, behind Bo McCalebb of New Orleans who has 2,471 career points and Reggie Williams of VMI who has 2,325 career points. Carroll also ranks first in the nation among active players in career three-point shooting at 46.5 percent.
CARROLL HAS 48 CAREER 20-POINT GAMES
Jaycee Carroll has scored 20 or more points in a game 48 times during his Utah State career, including 14 times thus far this year. He also has seven career 30-point games and one career 40-point game as he scored 44 points against New Mexico State on Feb. 5, 2007. Overall, Utah State is 13-1 this season and 41-7 all-time when Carroll scores 20-plus points in a game.
CARROLL CONTINUES DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has scored in double-figures in all 23 games this year and in 27 straight games dating back to last season. Overall, Carroll has scored in double-figures in 57 of his last 58 games and in 109 games during his Utah State career.
CARROLL ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY
Jaycee Carroll is one of the most efficient players in the country as he scores 21.3 points per game on just 13.61 shots, which averages out to 1.56 points per attempt. Of the 21 players nationally who average at least 21.0 points, only Eric Gordon of Indiana and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina are more efficient than Carroll. On the year, Hansbrough is averaging 22.1 points on just 12.83 shots, while Gordon is averaging 21.8 points on just 12.95 shots per game.
DID YOU KNOW?
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has made at least one three-point basket in 44 straight games and in 111 of his 122 career games at Utah State.
UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Averaging 1.8 points and 0.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 26.3 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from three-point range and 58.3 percent from the free throw line... Scored a season-high eight points against Montana-Western... Has scored just eight points in his last 13 games.
#10 Kris Clark - Has started 55 games at Utah State... Scored a career-high 16 points at Fresno State... Tied his career-high with 10 assists against Boise State... Averaging 5.6 points, 6.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.4 percent from the field, 25.6 percent from three-point range and 74.3 percent from the free throw line... Has recorded at least four assists in 22 of USU's 23 games this year... Ranks first in the WAC in assists and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.53)... Averaging 8.8 points and 6.0 assists during his last five games.
#11 DeUndrae Spraggins - Scored a season-high 14 points against Iowa and had a season-high five assists against Vanderbilt... Averaging 3.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.5 percent from the field, 29.0 percent from three-point range and 72.4 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 1.6 points during his last five games.
#15 Desmond Stephens - Tied his season-high with nine points against New Mexico State... Also had a season-high five boards against NMSU... Averaging 3.3 points and 1.7 assists, while shooting 30.6 percent from the field, 30.2 percent from three-point range and 71.0 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 1.8 points during his last five games.
#20 Jaycee Carroll - Scored a season-high 33 points against Northern Arizona... Averaging 21.3 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 51.4 percent from three-point range and 92.3 percent from the free throw line... Is playing a team-high 36.3 minutes per game... Has scored in double-figures in all 23 games this year, including 14 20-point games... Tied his career-high with eight assists against Austin Peay... Ranks first in the WAC in scoring, three-point shooting and free throw shooting... Averaging 20.0 points and 5.8 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 50.7 percent from the field, 53.1 percent from three-point range and 86.7 percent from the free throw line.
#24 Tyler Newbold - Scored a career-high 20 points at New Mexico State, to go along with a career-high seven rebounds... Averaging 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 55.9 percent from the field, 48.6 percent from three-point range and 84.2 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 6.8 points and 3.3 rebounds as a starter, and 11.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in his last five games.
#34 Modou Niang - Had season-highs in points (4), rebounds (3), blocked shots (3) and minutes played (17) against Cal Poly... Averaging 0.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.
#40 Stephen DuCharme - Tied his career-high with 22 points at Cal Poly and had a season-high 11 rebounds at UC Irvine... Recorded his fifth career double-double against Santa Clara as he had 12 points and 10 rebounds... Has scored in double-figures 11 times this season and 29 times in his career... In his career, he has five 20-point games, six double-figure rebounding games and five double-doubles... This season he is averaging 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and is shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 75.4 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fourth in the WAC in field goal shooting... During his last five games he is averaging 5.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.
#42 Tai Wesley - Scored a career-high 27 points against Hawai'i... Recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Prairie View A&M... Had a season-high six assists against Utah Valley... Averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and shooting 64.5 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the free throw line... Ranks third in the WAC in field goal shooting and 10th in blocks (0.65)... Averaging 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 57.1 percent from the field.
#44 Matt Formisano - Recorded season-highs with eight points and four rebounds in 25 minutes at New Mexico State... Averaging 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds and is shooting 31.6 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from the free throw line.
#55 Gary Wilkinson - Recorded his third double-double of the season with a career-high 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds against Nevada... Had a season-high 13 rebounds against Idaho... Recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a season-high 10 rebounds at Utah... Averaging 13.2 points and 6.3 rebounds, while shooting 57.5 percent from the field and 80.5 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fifth in the WAC in overall shooting, is seventh in free throw shooting, eighth in rebounding, 10th in blocked shots (0.68) and 12th in scoring.... Averaging 15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds during his last five games.
UTAH STATE FINDING ITS RHYTHM OFFENSIVELY
Utah State is executing much better on the offensive end as it has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 10 of its last 13 games and over 60 percent in five of its last 13 games. USU began the year by shooting 50.0 percent or better in just two of its first 10 games. During its first 10 games of the season, Utah State was shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range. During its last 13 games, USU is shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from behind the arc.
AGGIES HITTING FROM THREE
Utah State is shooting very well from three-point range as of late as it has shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc in each of its last six games. During its last six games, USU is shooting 48.2 percent from three-point range (40-83), not to mention making 55.7 percent of its field goals (161-289).
UTAH STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Utah State is averaging 20.2 free throw attempts per game, while its opponents are averaging just 15.5. In fact, Utah State has made more free throws this year (361-465) than its opponents have even attempted (253-356). USU has also made more free throws than its opponents have attempted in six of its last eight games. Overall, Utah State ranks fourth in the nation in free throw shooting at 77.6 percent, while its opponents are shooting 71.1 percent.
CLARK 11TH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN ASSISTS
Senior point guard Kris Clark has 290 assists in his Utah State career, to rank 11th all-time in school history along with Mark Brown (2003-04). Clark is now five assists shy of passing Jeff Tebbs (294) for 10th-place on USU's all-time list. This season, Clark has 144 assists to rank tied for 13th all-time at USU for a single-season. Clark also has a career average of 5.00 assists per game, which ranks second all-time in school history.
WILKINSON 30TH IN THE NATION IN SHOOTING
Junior forward Gary Wilkinson is shooting 57.5 percent from the field this year, which ranks fifth in the WAC and 30th in the nation.
WILKINSON'S DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK NOW AT SEVEN GAMES
Junior forward Gary Wilkinson has scored in double-figures in each of his last seven games and in 17 games this year. Wilkinson had perhaps his best game as an Aggie against Nevada on Feb. 2 as he scored a career-high 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds to notch his third double-double of the season. During his last seven games, Wilkinson is averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds, while shooting 63,0 percent from the field. Overall, Wilkinson has scored in double-figures in 10 of his last 11 games.
DUCHARME RANKS 10TH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN SHOOTING PERCENTAGE
Senior forward Stephen DuCharme has a career-shooting percentage of 56.2 percent (235-418), which ranks 10th all-time in school history.
STATISTICALLY, CARROLL IS THE BEST SHOOTER IN THE NATION
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll is without a doubt one of the best shooters in the nation as he is making 52.7 percent of his field goals (165-313), 51.4 percent of his three-pointers (75-146) and 92.3 percent of his free throws (84-91). Overall, Carroll is the only player in the nation to shoot over 50 percent from both the field and three-point range, and over 90 percent from the free throw line.
WESLEY PLAYING MUCH BETTER AS A STARTER
Since being inserted into the starting lineup 13 games ago against Cal State Bakersfield, freshman forward Tai Wesley is averaging 12.2 points and 5.5 rebounds, and shooting 68.2 percent from the field and 72.2 percent from the free throw line. In his first 10 games of the season as a reserve, he averaged 6.0 points and 2.2 rebounds, and shot 55.6 percent from the field.
NEWBOLD EXPANDING HIS GAME
Freshman guard Tyler Newbold continues to improve and expand his game in his first year at Utah State and has now scored in double-figures in three of his last five games. During his last five games, he is averaging 11.0 points and 3.6 rebounds, while shooting 72.0 percent from the field (18-25), 62.5 percent from three-point range (10-16), and 81.8 percent from the free throw line (9-11).
CLARK SCORES CAREER-HIGH 16 POINTS AT FRESNO STATE
Senior point guard Kris Clark scored a career-high 16 points at Fresno State Thursday night, as he was 5-of-6 from the field, 1-of-2 from three-point range and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. In his first 55 games of his Utah State career, he never scored in double-figures, but has since scored in double-figures twice in his last three games. During his last three games, he is averaging 11.7 points, 5.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field (12-23), 37.5 percent from three-point range (3-8) and 72.7 percent from the free throw line (8-11).
CARROLL NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK TWICE, DUCHARME ONCE
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has been named the WAC Player of the Week twice this season and senior forward Stephen DuCharme has won it once. Carroll's first honor came on Dec. 24 as he averaged 32.5 points and 5.5 rebounds en route to being named the Most Valuable Player of the Gossner Classic as USU defeated Utah Valley (87-65) and Northern Arizona (78-62). During the tournament he shot an unbelievable 74.2 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from three-point range. He was also a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. His second honor came on Jan. 21 after averaging 25.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in a pair of wins against Boise State (82-78) and Idaho (79-64). DuCharme was named the WAC Player of the Week on Nov. 26 as he helped Utah State record a 2-1 record and a third-place at the 2007 South Padre Island Invitational with wins against Austin Peay (71-68) and Iowa (75-62) and a loss to Vanderbilt (77-56). DuCharme was named to the all-tournament team as he averaged 20.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 64.3 percent from the field (18-28).
CARROLL NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK BY ESPN'S DICK VITALE
Two days after earning WAC Player of the Week honors, Jaycee Carroll received more recognition as he was named the National Player of the Week by ESPN's Dick Vitale on Dec. 26. It is the second time in as many years that Carroll has been named National Player of the Week by Vitale, as he also received the honor following a career-high 44-point performance against New Mexico State on Feb. 5, 2007, when he was 12-of-16 from the field, 5-of-7 from three-point range and 15-of-15 from the free throw line.
HISTORIC WEEK IN UTAH STATE BASKETBALL
The weekend of Jan. 17-19 was without a doubt one of the most historic times in Aggie Basketball history as Stew Morrill became the school's all-time winningest coach in Utah State's 82-78 win against Boise State, and senior guard Jaycee Carroll became the school's all-time scoring leader in USU's 79-64 win against Idaho. Morrill passed E. Lowell Romney's (1920-41) 225 career wins, while Carroll passed Greg Grant's (1983-86) 2,127 career points.
UTAH STATE PICKED TO WIN THE WAC ACCORDING TO LEAGUE COACHES
Utah State is picked to finish first in the Western Athletic Conference according to the league's coaches and second by the media in the preseason polls, while senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll was named the preseason Player of the Year by both groups.
AGGIES ON THE ROAD
Utah State is 63-55 (.534) on the road under Coach Morrill, which includes a 46-33 (.582) road record in conference games. This year, Utah State is 3-5 on the road which includes a 2-1 road record in WAC play.
AGGIES TRADITIONALLY BOUNCE BACK WELL FROM A LOSS
Over the last nine years, Utah State is 47-13 (.783) following a loss and 9-0 following consecutive losses. The last time USU lost three straight games was at the end of the 1998-99 season, a span of 269 games. When Utah State plays at home following a loss under Coach Morrill, its record is 33-1 (.971), with its lone loss coming against Idaho (52-51) on Mar. 1, 2003.
UTAH STATE EXCELS IN CLOSE GAMES
Utah State has played well in close games as it has won 22 of its last 29 games decided by six or fewer points, including four straight wins in games decided by a single point. USU is 5-0 this year in games decided by six or fewer points.
AGGIES NEED TO KEEP THEIR OPPONENT UNDER 70 POINTS
Utah State's magic number, defensively, seems to be 70 as it is 14-0 on the season when allowing fewer than 70 points, but 2-6 when its opponent scores 70 or more points in a game.
UTAH STATE CONTINUES TO PASS THE BALL
Utah State continues to be a good passing team as it ranks second in the WAC and 10th in the nation with 18.13 assists per game. Overall, USU has recorded 20 or more assists in seven different games this year.
DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State will play 32 games during the regular season, which is the most by any Division I team in the nation.
UTAH STATE AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Over the last nine years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 215-68 (.760) record. Those 215 wins are the seventh-most in the country, while the 76.0 percent winning percentage is fifth-best behind Duke (.841), Kansas (.803), Gonzaga (.797) and Florida (.774). USU has also been among the top-13 teams in the country in points allowed in six of the last eight years and among the top-35 teams in the country in winning percentage in six of the last eight seasons.
UTAH STATE HAS DOMINATED CONFERENCE PLAY SINCE 2000
Utah State has had tremendous success in league play over the last nine years recording a 111-33 (.771) record, which includes an 84-20 record in the Big West Conference as it won three regular season championships and four tournament titles and a 27-13 record in the WAC. Here is a look at how the current members of the Western Athletic Conference has done in league play dating back to the 1999-2000 season. Note: Utah State and Idaho's league record includes six years in the Big West Conference (2000-2005); Boise State's record includes two years in the Big West (2000-2001); Nevada's record includes one year in the Big West (2000); Louisiana Tech's record includes two years in the Sun Belt Conference (2000-01); and New Mexico State's record includes one year in the Big West (2000) and five years in the Sun Belt (2001-05).
UTAH STATE TRENDS DURING THE LAST NINE YEARS
• USU is 88-6 when holding its opponents below 60 points.
• USU is 178-20 when leading at the half.
• USU is 190-17 when shooting better from the field than its opponent.
• USU is 156-31 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• USU is 147-15 when shooting better from three-point range than its opponent.
• USU is 111-17 when blocking more shots than its opponent.
• USU is 89-17 when scoring 70-plus points in a game.
DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State has seven freshmen on its 2007-08 roster, which is the most-ever on a USU team dating back to the 1957-58 season.
HEAD COACH Stew Morrill
In his 22nd season as a collegiate head coach and 10th year at Utah State, Stew Morrill became the winningest coach in school history on Jan. 17, 2008 in the Aggies' 82-78 win against Boise State, passing E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) who won 225 games in 22 seasons. In his 10th year at USU, Morrill has taken the Aggie Basketball program to unprecedented heights leading it to an incredible 230-81 (.749) record, including a 119-41 (.744) conference mark in the Big West and WAC. While at Utah State, he has guided the Aggies to eight straight 23-win seasons and eight straight postseason appearances (NCAA-5, NIT-3), both of which are school records. Morrill has also led Utah State to the fifth-best winning percentage in the nation during the last nine years at 76.0 percent with an overall record of 215-68. Against conference opponents, Utah State has a 136-46 record with three regular season league championships and four tournament titles during that time, including appearances in its league's tournament championship game seven times in the last eight years. Under Morrill, Utah State has notched eight of the top 10 seasons in school history during the last eight years as the Aggies set a school record with 28 wins during the 2000 season, tied that record with 28 wins during the 2001 season and notched the eighth-most wins in school history during the 2007 season with 23 victories. During the 2006-07 season, Morrill guided Utah State to a fourth-place finish in the WAC during the regular season, followed by its second straight appearance in the WAC Tournament championship game. The 2006-07 Aggie basketball team also set a school record by shooting 78.0 percent from the free throw line, which ranked second in the nation. For the eighth straight year, USU had at least one player earn first-team all-league accolades as Jaycee Carroll received the honor. Overall, Morrill has coached 10 first-team all-league players at Utah State who have won the award a total of 14 times. Morrill has also taken full advantage of the home court at USU, the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. In Morrill's 10 years, USU is an amazing 138-12 (.920) at home, which includes a 73-8 (.901) record in league play. As for Morrill, he has won 20 or more games on 12 different occasions during his career, and he has won at least 17 games 18 times. Overall, Morrill ranks 23rd in the nation among active coaches and 96th all-time with his 448 career wins, while his career winning percentage of 67.2 percent ranks 28th among active coaches and 100th all-time. He is also one of 27 active coaches with 400 career wins at the Division I level and one of just 13 active coaches to notch at least 12 20-win seasons. His current streak of eight straight 20-win seasons ranks ninth among active coaches and is tied for the 13th-longest streak ever at the Division I level. Morrill has also been named Coach of the Year (2000 BWC, 2002 BWC) twice in his eight years at USU, along with winning the Big Sky award while the head coach at Montana in 1991.
• Head coach Stew Morrill (230-81) is the winningest coach in school history as he recorded his 226th win on Jan. 17, 2008 in an 82-78 home win against Boise State, passing E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) who won 225 games in 22 seasons at USU. Morrill is also second all-time in games coached (311) at USU and is the longest tenured coach at Utah State (entering 10th season) since the Ladell Andersen era (1962-71).
• Entering his 10th season with the Aggies, Morrill has a 230-81 (.740) overall record, a 119-41 (.744) conference record and a 17-5 (.773) record in conference postseason play. Overall, Morrill owns a 448-219 (.672) record in 22 years as a collegiate head coach.
• Among active coaches at the Division I level, Morrill ranks 23rd in the nation with his 448 career wins and 28th in winning percentage at 67.2 percent.
• Morrill is one of just 27 active coaches with 400 career wins at the Division I level and one of just 13 active coaches to notch 12 20-win seasons, while his current streak of eight straight 20-win seasons is tied for the ninth-longest active streak in the nation.
• Morrill has been named conference coach of the year three times during his career, winning the award in 1991 while at Montana, and in 2000 and 2002 while at Utah State.
• Morrill has coached 10 first-team all-league players who have won the award a total of 14 times. Those players are Shawn Daniels (twice), Troy Rolle, Bernard Rock, Tony Brown, Desmond Penigar (twice), Mark Brown, Cardell Butler, Nate Harris (three times), Spencer Nelson and Jaycee Carroll,
• Utah State is 138-12 (.920) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Morrill.
• Morrill has led Utah State to eight straight 20-win seasons and eight straight postseason appearances, both of which are school records.
• Morrill led Utah State to its first NCAA Tournament win in 31 years when USU defeated fifth-seeded Ohio State 77-68 in overtime during the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
• Morrill has been involved in postseason action 11 times in his career, including the NCAA Tournament at Utah State in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006 and the National Invitation Tournament in 2002, 2004 and 2007.
