Feb. 14, 2008
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME 26
Utah State (18-7, 8-2) vs. Hawai'i (10-12, 6-4)
Satuday, Feb. 16, 2008 • 10:05 p.m. (MT) • Honolulu, Hawai'i
Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) • Aggie Radio Network
GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 103rd season of basketball and has an overall record of 1,364-985 (.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 75.8 (216-69) winning percentage during the last nine years.
• Utah State is 5-1 (.833) this year and 47-13 (.783) during the last nine years following a loss. When the Aggies play on the road following a loss during the last nine years, their record is 12-10 (.545).
• Utah State is 119-42 (.739) in conference play under head coach Stew Morrill, which includes a 27-14 (.659) WAC record. USU is also 63-56 (.529) on the road under Coach Morrill, which includes a 46-34 (.575) road record in conference games. This year, Utah State is 3-6 on the road which includes a 2-2 road record in WAC play.
• Utah State is leading the WAC in free throw shooting (.781) and three-point shooting (.402), and is second in the conference in overall shooting (.506), scoring defense (68.8) and assists (18.00). Nationally, USU ranks third in free throw shooting, fourth in overall shooting, 11th in assists and 23rd in three-point shooting.
• Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is currently leading the WAC with 21.8 points per game. He also ranks first in the WAC in free throw shooting (92.4), and is in second three-point shooting (50.9), ninth in overall shooting (52.7) and 10th in rebounding (6.1). Nationally, Carroll ranks fifth in three-point shooting, fifth in free throw shooting and 15th in scoring.
• Senior guard Kris Clark ranks first in the WAC and 15th in the nation with 6.4 assists per game and second in the WAC and 20th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.62.
• Utah State is 50-19 (.725) in the month of February under Coach Morrill, which includes a 23-15 (.605) road record.
• Utah State has won 13 of its last 15 games after starting the season with a 5-5 record. USU has also won three of its last five road games after starting the year with an 0-4 road record.
UP NEXT
Utah State (18-7, 8-2) will stay on the road this weekend as it plays at Hawai'i (10-12, 6-4) on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 10 p.m. (MT), and at San Jose State (10-13, 2-8) on Monday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. (MT). In all, USU will have played four of its last five and six of its last eight games on the road after its two games this weekend.
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 18-7 on the season and in first-place in the WAC with an 8-2 record after dropping an 85-80 decision at Nevada Monday night. USU is led by senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll who is averaging 21.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 50.9 percent from three-point range and 92.4 percent from the free throw line, while junior forward Gary Wilkinson is averaging 13.2 points and 6.4 rebounds and shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the free throw line. Two other players score nearly 10 points a game for USU as freshman forward Tai Wesley is averaging 9.8 points and 4.1 rebounds and senior forward Stephen DuCharme is averaging 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. As a team, Utah State is averaging 73.2 points and shooting 50.6 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from three-point range and 78.1 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 68.8 points and shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 71.1 percent from the free throw line.
CARROLL NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week it was announced by the league office on Monday. It is the third time this year and sixth time in his career Carroll has been named WAC Player of the Week and he is now tied with Greg Grant for the most player of the week honors in school history. Grant won six Big West Conference Player of the Week honors during his Aggie career which ran from 1983-86. Overall, it is the eighth time that a Utah State player has received the weekly honor from the league office in the past three years. Carroll led Utah State to a 2-0 record last weekend with a 77-72 win at Fresno State and a 78-73 win against San Jose State. Against the Bulldogs, Carroll scored 22 points to go along with nine rebounds and two assists. Against the Spartans, he recorded his second double-double of the season and seventh of his career with 26 points and 11 rebounds to go along with two steals. For the week, Carroll averaged 24.0 points and 10.0 rebounds and shot 50.0 percent from the field (16-32), 53.3 percent from three-point range (8-15) and 88.9 percent from the free throw line (8-9).
VERSUS THE WAC
Utah State is 174-97 (.642) 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 90-71 (.559) all-time in WAC games, which includes a 28-14 (.667) record at Utah State and a 62-57 (.521) record at Colorado State. Morrill is 89-62 (.589) all-time against current members of the WAC, which includes a 60-24 (.714) record at USU.
COMPUTER RANKINGS
As of Thursday, Feb. 14, Utah State has an RPI of 78 and a strength of schedule of 171, while the Western Athletic Conference is currently ranked 19th in the nation out of 32 conferences.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following its road trip to Hawai'i and San Jose State, Utah State will play its final three home games of the regular season. USU will begin the homestand on Friday, Feb. 22 against UC Santa Barbara (17-6, 6-4) as part of ESPN's BracketBusters. The game against the Gauchos will be televised nationally by ESPNU and begin at 7 p.m. USU will then host Louisiana Tech (4-18, 1-9) on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m., and Fresno State (11-13, 4-6) on Monday, March 3 at 7 p.m. USU's game against LTU will be televised regionally by ESPN.
RECAPPING THE NEVADA GAME
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll scored 29 points, including 24 in the second-half as Utah State lost to Nevada, 85-80, at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno Monday night. Marcelus Kemp scored a career-high 35 points to lead Nevada, while Armon Johnson scored 16 points and JaVale McGee added 12 points and six blocks. Kemp scored 22 of his points in the second-half, including making 5-of-6 free throws in the final 35 seconds. Freshman forward Tai Wesley recorded his second double-double of the season for Utah State with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while junior forward Gary Wilkinson added 12 points and eight rebounds, to extend his double-figure scoring streak to nine straight games. Senior guard Kris Clark added seven points and 10 assists for the Aggies, tying his career-high. Leading by eight at the break, Nevada scored the first four points of the second-half before Utah State scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to five at 42-37. The Wolf Pack then went on a 16-4 run to lead 58-41. The margin grew to 18 at 64-46 with 10:17 to play before the Aggies slowly chipped away and cut the lead to four at 78-74 on a dunk by Wilkinson with 46 seconds left. Nevada then made 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Utah State finished the game by shooting 51.6 percent from the field (33-64) and 46.7 percent from three-point range (7-15), while Nevada shot 47.6 percent overall (30-63) and 42.1 percent from behind the arc (8-19). The Wolf Pack also made 17-of-23 (.739) free throws, while the Aggies were just 7-of-10 (.700) from the charity stripe. USU did out-rebound UN 36-33. Nevada scored the first five points of the game before Utah State got on the board courtesy of a jumper by Wesley. USU then took its first lead of the game at the 9:43 mark via a layup by Wilkinson to make the score 16-14. UN regained the momentum and led 25-20 only to see the Aggies go on an 8-2 run to lead 28-27. Nevada answered the Aggies' run with an 11-0 spurt to take its biggest lead of the half at 38-28. In the first-half, Utah State 46.7 percent from the field (14-30), while Nevada shot 48.4 percent (15-31). The Wolf Pack were also 5-of-9 (.556) from three-point range, while USU was just 1-of-3 (.333). Kemp led Nevada with 13 first-half points, while Wesley had eight for the Aggies.
CARROLL CLIMBING UP THE SINGLE-SEASON TOP-10 LISTS
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has scored 544 points thus far this year, which ranks tied for 24th all-time in school history for a single season. He also ranks fifth for a single-season with his 81 made three-pointers and first in three-point shooting at 50.9 percent, while his 21.8 points per game scoring average ranks 13th.
AGGIES CONTINUE TO START TWO FRESHMEN
Utah State is 13-2 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 15 games since changing the starting lineup, USU is averaging 78.7 points and shooting 53.2 percent from the field, 42.0 percent from three-point range and 79.0 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 69.1 points and shooting 42.7 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 70.0 percent from the free throw line. During its first 10 games USU had a 5-5 record, but has since won 13 of its last 15 games including three of its last five on the road.
UTAH STATE SCORING THE BALL AT A HIGH RATE UNDER MORRILL
Utah State is averaging 73.2 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 15 games which is also the longest streak under Morrill. In league play, USU ranks fourth in the WAC in scoring with 77.4 points per game.
FOUR AGGIES RANK AMONG TOP NINE SHOOTERS IN THE WAC
Utah State has four of the top nine field goal shooters in the WAC in Tai Wesley who is third (.629), Stephen DuCharme who is fourth (.575), Gary Wilkinson who is fifth (.574), and Jaycee Carroll who is ninth (.527).
UTAH STATE EXCELS IN CLOSE GAMES
Utah State has played well in close games as it has won 23 of its last 31 games decided by six or fewer points, including four straight wins in games decided by a single point. USU is also 6-1 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 3-7 when its opponent scores 70 or more points in a game.
SCOUTING HAWAI'I
Hawai'i is 10-12 on the season and in fifth-place in the WAC with a 6-4 league record following an 88-68 loss at Nevada last weekend. The Rainbow Warriors are 8-7 at home this year, but 4-1 at home in league games. Hawai'i is led by senior guard Matt Gibson who is averaging 16.9 points and 5.2 assists per game, while senior forward Bobby Nash is averaging 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds. Senior guard Riley Luettgerodt is also scoring in double-figures as he is averaging 12.0 points per game. As a team, Hawai'i is scoring 70.8 points and shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three-point range and 73.8 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are scoring 71.1 points and shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from three-point range and 67.9 percent from the free throw line. Hawai'i returns three starters and seven letterwinners from last year's team that went 18-13 during the year and finished in a tie for fifth-place in the WAC with an 8-8 league record. Bob Nash is in his first year as a collegiate head coach at Hawai'i after spending 20 years as a Rainbow Warrior assistant.
UTAH STATE-HAWAI'I SERIES
Utah State and Hawai'i will be meeting for the 10th time this weekend, with USU holding a 6-3 advantage. USU has won each of the last three games played in the series, including an 86-80 win in Logan on Jan. 3 in both teams WAC opener. Hawai'i won the last meeting between the two teams in Honolulu, 69-61, on Jan. 29, 2007. All-time, Utah State is 0-2 at Hawai'i.
DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State's Stew Morrill recorded his 400th career victory as a collegiate head coach against Hawai'i (63-52) on Jan. 30, 2006 in Logan. All-time, Morrill is 9-12 against Hawai'i, which includes a 4-3 record at Utah State.
LAST MEETING AGAINST THE RAINBOW WARRIORS
Freshman forward Tai Wesley and senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll's 53 combined points paved the way for Utah State to open Western Athletic Conference action with a hard-fought 86-80 win against Hawai'i on Jan. 3 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Wesley netted a career-high 27 points including USU's first eight of the game. His 27 points were the second-most for a USU freshman in school history behind Carroll's 28 in his freshman season of 2004-05. Wesley also becomes the fourth-different Aggie to lead the team in scoring this season. Carroll tallied 26 points, 13 in each half, and hit all four of his three-pointers while playing all 40 minutes of the game. Wesley was a whopping 13-of-16 at the free throw line, both career highs, and nearly single-handedly out-shot Hawai'i from the charity stripe, who was 16-of-18 (88.9 percent) as a team. Overall, USU was 31-of-41 (75.6 percent) at the charity stripe, both season-highs. Four Hawai'i players posted double-digits, led by Matt Gibson's 25, while Bobby Nash tallied 19, Riley Luettgerodt added 16 and Jared Dillinger tossed in 12. UH out-rebounded USU, 28-24, including 14 offensive rebounds, which led to a 12-2 second chance advantage. Carroll and junior forward Gary Wilkinson led the home team with six boards apiece, while Luettgerodt had a team-high six for the visitors. The Aggies shot 25-of-41 (.610) from the field, including 5-of-12 (.417) behind the three-point arc. The Warriors shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the field and 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from three-point land. Wesley slammed home a dunk just 3:05 into the contest to outscore Hawai'i, 8-6, by himself up to that point. A Carroll three-pointer from the right corner at the 12:31 mark gave USU its largest lead of the first half at 20-14, but Hawai'i later took a four-point advantage at 26-22 with 7:49 left on a trey from Gibson. USU charged back to take a 36-33 lead at intermission, improving to 10-2 when leading at the half with the win. The Aggies couldn't seem to pull away from the Warriors in the second half, but wouldn't let them take the lead either, holding UH off with timely layups and free throws. After Hawai'i pulled to 65-63, a 9-0 USU run started and finished by Carroll with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer, respectively, put the game out of reach at 74-63 with 4:20 left to play and the Aggies kept the Warriors at bay for the win.
AGGIES ON SATURDAY
Utah State is 92-34 (.730) in games played on Saturday under Coach Morrill and 8-1 (.889) in known games played on Feb. 16.
WESLEY CONNECTIONS WITH HAWAI'I
Tai Wesley's dad, Hiagi, is an education teacher at BYU-Hawai'i, and his mother, Susan, is a counselor at BYU-Hawai'i. He also has a sister that lives in Hawai'i and attends Kahuku High School.
SCOUTING SAN JOSE STATE
San Jose State is 10-13 on the season and in seventh-place in the WAC with a 2-8 league record following a 78-73 loss at Utah State in its last game. The Spartans, who are 5-3 at home 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. Three other players are scoring in double-figures for San Jose State as junior forward Tim Pierce is averaging 10.9 points, sophomore center C.J. Webster is averaging 10.8 points and 6.3 rebounds and sophomore forward Chris Oakes is averaging 10.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. As a team, SJSU is scoring 65.6 points and shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 31.7 percent from three-point range and 70.2 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are scoring 70.9 points and shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from three-point range and 64.5 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 21-65 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 60th on Monday with the Aggies owning a 39-20 all-time advantage, which includes an 11-12 road record. Utah State has won six straight games against SJSU, including a 78-73 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 21 of the last 24 games played in the series.
AGGIES ON MONDAY
Utah State is 7-4 (.636) in games played on Monday under Coach Morrill, including a 1-1 record this year. USU is also 8-3 (.727) in known games played on February 18.
VERSUS THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Utah State is 92-23 (.800) against teams from the state of California during the last nine years, which includes a 32-19 (.627) road record.
LAST MEETING AGAINST THE SPARTANS
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll had a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead Utah State to a 78-73 home win against San Jose State inside a sold-out Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Saturday night. Carroll, who finished the game 8-of-16 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, registered his second double-double of the season and seventh of his career for Utah State. Junior forward Gary Wilkinson added 15 points and seven rebounds for USU, while freshman forward Tai Wesley had 13 points. C.J. Webster scored 21 points to lead a quarter of double-figure scorers for San Jose State. Tim Pierce added 15 points for the Spartans, while DaShawn Wright scored 12 and Chris Oakes finished the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Trailing 40-38 with 16:09 remaining, Utah State broke open a close game with a 15-2 run as Carroll scored seven points during the Aggie spurt. USU pushed its advantage to a game-high 15 on a free throw by senior forward Stephen DuCharme with 7:44 to play before SJSU slowly chipped away at the deficit and closed to within three at 76-73 with four ticks left in the game on a three-pointer by Pierce. The Aggies made 8-of-10 free throws in the final minute, including two by senior guard Kris Clark with two seconds to play to preserve the win. Utah State opened the contest with an early 13-7 advantage before San Jose State went on an 11-4 run to take its first lead of the game midway through the first-half. The Aggies then scored six straight points, followed by nine straight points from the Spartans to give the visitors its largest lead of the game at 27-23 with 4:45 to play before the break. USU responded again and scored seven of the final 10 points of the opening period to go into the locker room tied at 32. In the first-half, Utah State shot just 38.7 percent from the field (12-31), while San Jose State shot 48.1 percent (13-27). Carroll led the Aggies with 10 points at the break, while Pierce had eight for the Spartans. Utah State finished the game by shooting just 44.2 percent from the field (23-52) and just 25.0 percent from three-point range (4-16), but held San Jose State to 46.0 percent shooting (29-63), including 29.4 percent from behind the arc (5-17). The Aggies won the game at the free throw line as it converted 28-of-32 (.875) foul shots as compared to 10-of-15 (.667) for the visitors. USU also committed a season-low tying seven turnovers, while the Spartans out-rebounded the home team 37-29.
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 2,281 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 2,281 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 (2,281), three-pointers made (336), three-pointers attempted (723), three-point percentage (.465), 10-point games (111), games started (122), and total minutes played (4,205). Overall, Carroll currently holds seven school records, which is the most in school history. With seven 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 (796), third in field goals attempted (1,560), third in games played (124), third in free throw percentage (.857) and fifth in minutes per game (33.9). He also ranks eighth in steals (113), ninth in points per game (18.4), 17th in rebounding (623) and 19th in assists (249).
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 at 46.6 percent (262-562). Carroll is also nine 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 (257-557), is fourth in free-throw shooting at 87.7 percent (308-351), and ninth in three-pointers made (257). If Utah State had joined the WAC a year earlier so Carroll's freshman stats would count, he would rank seventh in scoring (2,281), first in three-pointers made (336), second in three-point shooting (.465), fourth in three-pointers attempted (723), fifth in free throw percentage (.857), sixth in field goals made (796) and 10th in field goals attempted (1,560).
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 2,281 points, behind Bo McCalebb of New Orleans who has 2,491 career points and Reggie Williams of VMI who has 2,380 career points. Carroll also ranks first in the nation among active players in career three-point shooting at 46.5 percent.
CARROLL HAS 50 CAREER 20-POINT GAMES
Jaycee Carroll has scored 20 or more points in a game 50 times during his Utah State career, including 16 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 14-2 this season and 42-8 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 25 games this year and in 29 straight games dating back to last season. Overall, Carroll has scored in double-figures in 59 of his last 60 games and in 111 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 21.8 points per game on just 13.88 shots, which averages out to 1.57 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 22.8 points on just 13.04 shots, while Gordon is averaging 21.3 points on just 12.82 shots per game.
DID YOU KNOW?
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has made at least one three-point basket in 46 straight games and in 113 of his 124 career games at Utah State.
UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Averaging 1.8 points and 0.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 27.9 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from three-point range and 58.3 percent from the free throw line... Scored a season-high eight points against Montana-Western... Had four points at Nevada, his first in eight games.
#10 Kris Clark - Has started 57 games at Utah State... Scored a career-high 16 points at Fresno State... Tied his career-high with 10 assists at Nevada... Averaging 5.7 points, 6.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.6 percent from the field, 23.8 percent from three-point range and 74.4 percent from the free throw line... Has recorded at least four assists in 24 of USU's 25 games this year... Ranks first in the WAC in assists and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.62)... Averaging 10.0 points and 6.6 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 3.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 36.8 percent from the field, 28.1 percent from three-point range and 72.4 percent from the free throw line... Has scored just four points in his last six 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 3.2 points and 1.6 assists, while shooting 31.3 percent from the field, 31.1 percent from three-point range and 71.0 percent from the free throw line... Has scored just eight points in his last six games.
#20 Jaycee Carroll - Scored a season-high 33 points against Northern Arizona... Averaging 21.8 points and 6.1 rebounds, while shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 50.9 percent from three-point range and 92.4 percent from the free throw line... Is playing a team-high 36.5 minutes per game... Has scored in double-figures in all 25 games this year, including 16 20-point games... Tied his career-high with eight assists against Austin Peay... Ranks first in the WAC in scoring and free throw shooting, and is second in three-point shooting... Averaging 23.6 points and 6.0 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 48.1 percent from the field, 48.6 percent from three-point range and 88.9 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 4.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.9 percent from the field, 48.7 percent from three-point range and 82.6 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds as a starter, and 9.4 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 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 57.5 percent from the field and 73.1 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fourth in the WAC in field goal shooting... During his last four games he is averaging 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds.
#42 Tai Wesley - Scored a career-high 27 points against Hawai'i... Recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds at Nevada... Had a season-high six assists against Utah Valley... Averaging 9.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and shooting 62.9 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the free throw line... Ranks second in the WAC in field goal shooting... Averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 47.5 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 6.4 rebounds, while shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fifth in the WAC in overall shooting, is seventh in free throw shooting, seventh in rebounding and 13th in scoring.... Averaging 15.2 points and 7.2 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 11 of its last 15 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 15 games, USU is shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 42.0 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 seven of its last eight games. During its last eight games, USU is shooting 44.7 percent from three-point range.
UTAH STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Utah State is averaging 20.3 free throw attempts per game, while its opponents are averaging just 15.8. In fact, Utah State has made more free throws this year (396-507) than its opponents have even attempted (280-394).
UTAH STATE CONTINUES TO PASS THE BALL
Utah State continues to be a good passing team as it ranks second in the WAC and 11th in the nation with 18.00 assists per game. Overall, USU has recorded 20 or more assists in eight different games this year.
CLARK EIGHTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN ASSISTS
Senior point guard Kris Clark has 306 assists in his Utah State career, to rank eighth all-time in school history. Clark is now two assists shy of tying Greg Grant (1983-86) and Lance Washington (1980-83) for sixth-place on USU's all-time list with 308 career assists. This season, Clark has 160 assists to rank seventh 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. As a junior, Clark recorded 146 assists.
WILKINSON'S DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK NOW AT NINE GAMES
Junior forward Gary Wilkinson has scored in double-figures in each of his last nine games and in 19 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 nine games, Wilkinson is averaging 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, while shooting 61.8 percent from the field. Overall, Wilkinson has scored in double-figures in 12 of his last 13 games.
DUCHARME RANKS 10TH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN SHOOTING PERCENTAGE
Senior forward Stephen DuCharme has a career-shooting percentage of 55.5 percent (239-431), 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, 50.9 percent of his three-pointers and 92.4 percent of his free throws. 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 RECORDS SECOND DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF THE SEASON
Freshman forward Tai Wesley recorded his second double-double of the season against Nevada as he had 13 points and 10 rebounds. In 15 games as a starter, Wesley is averaging 12.3 points and 5.4 rebounds, while shooting 65.4 percent from the field. 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.
CLARK TIES CAREER-HIGH IN ASSISTS AGAIN
Senior point guard Kris Clark tied his career-high with 10 assists at Nevada Monday night, marking the third time this year he has recorded 10 assists in a game.
CLARK STARTING TO SCORE THE BALL
Senior point guard Kris Clark is scoring the ball at a much higher rate during his last five games as he is averaging 10.0 points and is shooting 48.6 percent from the field. During his last five games, Clark has scored in double-figures three times, including a career-high 16 points at Fresno State. In his first 55 games of his Utah State career, he never scored in double-figures.
CARROLL HAS FOUR STRAIGHT 20-POINT GAMES
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has scored 20 or more points in each of his last four games, including 29 at Nevada in his last outing. During his last four games, Carroll is averaging 25.3 points and 7.0 rebounds, while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range.
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.
CARROLL NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK THREE TIMES, DUCHARME ONCE
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has been named the WAC Player of the Week three times 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). Carroll's third honor came on Feb. 11 as he averaged 24.0 points and 10.0 rebounds and shot 50.0 percent from the field (16-32), 53.3 percent from three-point range (8-15) and 88.9 percent from the free throw line (8-9) in a pair of wins at Fresno State (77-72) and against San Jose State (78-73). 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).
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.
UTAH STATE IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
Utah State is 139-12 (.921) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under head coach Stew Morrill, which includes a 74-8 (.902) record against conference opponents and a 19-3 (.864) record against WAC teams. Overall, USU is 433-105 (.804) in 37 years in the building. Utah State is 14-0 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 14 game winning streak at home is tied for the 12th-longest in the nation.
MORRILL RECORDS 17 WINS YET AGAIN
Utah State's Stew Morrill has won at least 17 games 19 times during his 22 years as a collegiate head coach. He is also one of just 13 active coaches to notch 12 20-win seasons.
AGGIES TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Utah State is doing a good job of taking care of the ball recently as it is averaging just 9.8 turnovers during its last four games. During its last four games, USU has committed 12 or fewer turnovers in each game.
CARROLL NAMED FINALIST FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Jaycee Carroll is one of 10 finalists for the men's 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award it was recently announced. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I male and female senior basketball player who excel both on and off the court. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving college early to turn professional. Ten finalists in both the men's and women's division were selected from a list of 30 candidates based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. The four primary areas of criteria include: classroom, community, character and competition. The other men's finalists are: Shan Foster of Vanderbilt, A.J. Graves of Butler, Roy Hibbert of Georgetown, Chris Lofton of Tennessee, Drew Neitzel of Michigan State, DeMarcus Nelson of Duke, Brian Roberts of Dayton, Sean Singletary of Virginia and Peyton Stovall of Ball State. The 10 finalists will be placed on the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award ballot for a nationwide vote beginning February 6 and concluding March 21. Fan balloting, available on the award's official web site www.seniorclassaward.com will be combined with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the NCAA Men's and Women's Final Four, scheduled on April 5-7 in San Antonio, Texas, for men and April 6-8 in Tampa, Fla., for women. The Lowe's All-Senior All-America Team will also be recognized.
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 216-69 (.758) record. Those 216 wins are the seventh-most in the country, while the 75.8 percent winning percentage is fifth-best behind Duke (.841), Kansas (.803), Gonzaga (.798) and Florida (.775). 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 112-34 (.767) 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 28-13 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 190-18 when shooting better from the field than its opponent.
• USU is 156-32 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• USU is 147-16 when shooting better from three-point range than its opponent.
• USU is 111-17 when blocking more shots than its opponent.
• USU is 90-18 when scoring 70-plus points in a game.
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 231-82 (.738) record, including a 120-42 (.741) 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 75.8 percent with an overall record of 216-69. Against conference opponents, Utah State has a 137-47 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 139-12 (.921) at home, which includes a 74-8 (.902) 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 19 times. Overall, Morrill ranks 23rd in the nation among active coaches and 96th all-time with his 449 career wins, while his career winning percentage of 67.` 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 (231-82) 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 (313) 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 231-82 (.738) overall record, a 120-42 (.741) conference record and a 17-5 (.773) record in conference postseason play. Overall, Morrill owns a 449-220 (.671) 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 449 career wins and 28th in winning percentage at 67.1 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 139-12 (.921) 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.
