Feb. 21, 2008
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game 28
Utah State (18-9) vs. UC Santa Barbara (20-6)
Friday, Feb. 22, 2008 • 7:02 p.m. (MT)
Logan, Utah • Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270)
Aggie Radio Network • ESPNU
GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 103rd season of basketball and has an overall record of 1,364-987 (.580). 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 75.3 (216-71) winning percentage during the last nine years.
• Utah State has lost three straight games for the first time since the end of the 1998-99 season, a span of 287 games. USU is now 5-3 (.625) this year and 47-15 (.758) during the last nine years following a loss. When the Aggies play at home following a loss over the last nine years their record is 33-1 (.971).
• Utah State is 139-12 (.921) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under head coach Stew Morrill, which includes a 65-4 (.942) record against non-league opponents. Overall, USU is 433-105 (.805) in 37 years in the building.
• Utah State has won 52 straight regular season non-conference home games, which is the second-longest streak in the nation behind Duke who has won 57 straight. The last time Utah State lost a non-conference home game during the regular season was on Jan. 8, 2000 against BYU, 82-73.
• 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.
• Utah State is leading the WAC in free throw shooting (.784), three-point shooting (.401) and scoring defense (68.9), and is second in the conference in overall shooting (.503) and assists (17.67). Nationally, USU ranks third in free throw shooting, third in overall shooting, 10th in three-point shooting and 12th in assists.
• Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is currently leading the WAC with 22.3 points per game. He also ranks first in the WAC in free throw shooting (92.0) and three-point shooting (51.7), and is eighth in overall shooting (52.8) and ninth in rebounding (6.2). Nationally, Carroll ranks second in three-point shooting, third in free throw shooting and 13th in scoring.
UP NEXT
Utah State (18-9, 8-4) will play its first of three straight home game on Friday, Feb. 22 when it hosts UC Santa Barbara (20-6, 9-4) at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum as part of the sixth annual ESPNU O'Reilly BracketBusters. The game will be televised nationally by ESPNU.
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 18-9 on the season and in fourth-place in the WAC with an 8-4 record after dropping a pair of road games at Hawai'i (71-66) and at San Jose State (70-67) last weekend. USU is led by senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll who is averaging 22.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and shooting 52.8 percent from the field, 51.7 percent from three-point range and 92.0 percent from the free throw line, while junior forward Gary Wilkinson is averaging 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds and shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the free throw line. Two other players score nearly 10 points a game for USU as freshman forward Tai Wesley is averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds and senior forward Stephen DuCharme is averaging 9.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. As a team, Utah State is averaging 72.7 points and shooting 50.3 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three-point range and 78.4 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 68.9 points and shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point range and 70.2 percent from the free throw line.
UTAH STATE DURING ITS THREE-GAME LOSING STREAK
During its current three-game losing streak, Utah State is averaging 71.0 points and shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 42.2 percent from three-point range and 80.0 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 75.3 points and shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent from the free throw line. Utah State also has 43 turnovers during its last three games as compared to 20 for its opponents and USU is just 32-40 from the free throw line, while its opponents are 48-72.
UTAH STATE HAS HAD FOUR STRAIGHT SELLOUTS IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
During each of its last four home games, Utah State has played in front of a sold-out Dee Glen Smith Spectrum crowd of 10,270, marking the first time in the 37-year history of the building that USU has had four straight sellouts. On the season, USU is averaging 8,832 fans which ranks second in the WAC and is the highest average in school history.
VERSUS THE BIG WEST CONFERENCE
Utah State spent 27 years in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association/Big West Conference and won six tournament championships and seven regular season titles from 1979-2005. USU's overall league record while a member of the Big West was 283-177 (.615), while its record against current members of the conference is 214-115 (.650) as Utah State has a winning record against every team in the league.
UTAH STATE UNDEFEATED IN BRACKETBUSTER PLAY
Utah State is 2-0 all-time in BracketBuster games as it defeated Northwestern State, 66-63, in Logan on Feb. 18, 2006 and then won at Oral Roberts, 71-65, on Feb. 17, 2007.
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, including this season as USU is 18-9 overall. He is also one of just 13 active coaches to notch 12 20-win seasons.
AGGIES IN FEBRUARY
Utah State is 50-21 (.704) in the month of February under Coach Morrill, which includes a 29-4 (.879) home record.
COMPUTER RANKINGS
As of Thursday, Feb. 21, Utah State has an RPI of 92 and a strength of schedule of 167, while the WAC is currently ranked 17th in the nation out of 32 conferences.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following its BracketBuster game, Utah State will return to WAC play and host Louisiana Tech (4-20, 1-11) on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. and then host Fresno State (12-15, 5-8) in its final home game of the regular season on Monday, Mar. 3 at 7 p.m.
RECAPPING THE SAN JOSE STATE GAME
Despite a game-high 31 points from Jaycee Carroll, including 18 in the second-half, Utah State lost its third-straight game falling at San Jose State, 70-67, Monday night. It is the first time since the end of the 1998-99 season that a Utah State team has lost three straight contests, a span of 287 games. Chris Oakes led San Jose State with a career-high 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds, while Tim Pierce scored 16 points and C.J. Webster added 15 points for the home team. Kris Clark and Tyler Newbold joined Carroll in double-figures for Utah State as Clark had 12 points and seven assists, while Newbold recorded 10 points and four assists. San Jose State took its biggest lead of the game at 47-32 with 17:34 to play on a jumper by Webster and the Spartans led by 12 with just over 13 minutes to play before Utah State went on a 13-4 run to get within 60-57 with 8:42 remaining. SJSU was able to extend its margin back to eight and led 70-63 with 1:01 remaining before USU made one last charge as Clark made two free throws and Carroll scored on a baseline jumper to get the visitors within three. San Jose State kept the game interesting by missing three straight free throws in the final 49 seconds, but Utah State missed three straight three's by Carroll, Clark and Gary Wilkinson that would have tied the game. Following Wilkinson's three-point attempt, San Jose State's Pierce grabbed the rebound but ran out of bounds with three seconds remaining giving Utah State one last chance, but Carroll's inbounds pass was intercepted and USU was never able to get another shot to tie the contest. Utah State finished the game by shooting just 42.1 percent from the field (24-57) and just 35.0 percent from three-point range (7-20), while San Jose State shot 43.9 percent overall (25-57) and 41.7 percent from behind the arc (5-12). USU was also 12-of-14 (.857) from the free throw line, while SJSU was 15-28 (.536) from the charity stripe. Wilkinson got the visitors on the board first with a pair of free throws, but San Jose State scored the next six points to take the lead. SJSU's margin grew to 12 at 23-11 on a three-pointer by Pierce with 9:51 to play and the Spartans took its biggest lead of the half with 2:40 to go on a pair of free throws from Lance Holloway to extend the margin to 39-24. USU did cut the lead to nine at 39-30 but gave up a layup just before the half to Oakes to trail by 11 at intermission. In the first-half, San Jose State shot 46.2 percent from the field (12-26) as compared to 38.5 percent (10-26) for Utah State. The Spartans were also 4-of-9 (.444) from three-point range and 13-of-21 (.619) from the free throw line, while USU was just 1-of-5 (.200) from behind the arc and 9-of-10 (.900) from the charity stripe. Carroll led the Aggies with 13 points at the break, while Pierce had 13 for the Spartans.
UTAH STATE DROPS THIRD STRAIGHT CLOSE GAME
Prior to playing at Nevada last Monday, Utah State was 6-0 on the season and had won 23 of its last 30 games decided by six or fewer points. However, since then Utah State has lost three straight games decided by six points or less with a pair of five-point setbacks at Nevada (85-80) and at Hawai'i (71-66), followed by a three-point loss at San Jose State (70-67). USU, has however, won four straight games decided by a single point.
UTAH STATE HELD UNDER 70 FOR SECOND STRAIGHT GAME
Utah State had scored at least 70 points in 15 straight games before being held below 70 points in each of its last two games.
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 4-9 when its opponent scores 70 or more points in a 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 (.638), Gary Wilkinson who is fourth (.565), Stephen DuCharme who is fifth (.560), and Jaycee Carroll who is eighth (.528).
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 12 of its last 17 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 17 games, USU is shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 41.8 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 eight of its last 10 games. During its last 10 games, USU is shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range.
UTAH STATE NOT FORCING MANY TURNOVERS
Utah State has not forced many turnovers recently as its opponents are averaging just 8.8 turnovers during its last nine games, while USU is averaging 14.2 turnovers during that stretch.
AGGIES ON FRIDAY
Utah State is 23-4 (.852) in games played on Friday under Coach Morrill, which includes a 2-1 record this year. USU is also 8-1 (.889) in known games played on Feb. 22.
SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
UC Santa Barbara is 20-6 on the season and in third-place in the Big West Conference with a 9-4 league record following its 60-53 win at Pacific Wednesday night. The Gauchos, who are 8-3 on the road this year, are led by senior guard Alex Harris who is averaging 20.2 points, while junior forward Chris Devine is averaging 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds and sophomore guard James Powell is averaging 11.7 points per game. As a team, UC Santa Barbara is scoring 70.6 points per game and shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 41.4 percent from three-point range and 77.0 percent from three-point range, while its opponents are scoring 64.0 points and shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from three-point range and 65.7 percent from three-point range. UCSB returns 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. Bob Williams is 160-128 in his ninth year as the Gauchos head coach and 349-228 in 20 years as a collegiate head coach.
UTAH STATE-UC SANTA BARBARA SERIES
Utah State and UC Santa Barbara will be meeting for the 59th time this weekend with the Aggies owning a 36-22 all-time advantage, which includes a 20-6 record at home. The first game played in the series was on Dec. 7, 1970 in Logan with USU recording a 66-64 win. USU won the last meeting between the two teams in Logan on Jan. 6, 2005 by the final score of 80-70. The last time the two teams played one another was on Feb. 5, 2005 in Santa Barbara with Utah State notching an 80-50 win. Overall, Utah State has won 10 of the last 12 games played, including each of the last four. USU has also won five straight games in the series at home. The last time UCSB defeated Utah State was on Feb. 6, 2003 in Santa Barbara, 62-50.
VERSUS THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Utah State is 92-24 (.793) against teams from the state of California during the last nine years, which includes a 53-5 (.914) home record.
CARROLL VERSUS THE GAUCHOS
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll will be playing his third career game against UC Santa Barbara as he played the Gauchos twice during his freshman season of 2004-05. In two career games against UCSB, Carroll is averaging 22.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 64.0 percent from the field (16-25) and 68.4 percent from three-point range (13-19). He also set a Utah State freshman single-game scoring record against the Gauchos in Logan on Jan. 6, 2005 as he scored 28 points in USU's 80-70 win. In that game, he was 10-of-16 from the field and 8-of-12 from three-point range.
LAST MEETING AGAINST THE GAUCHOS
Spencer Nelson scored a game-high 19 points and Utah State shot 71.1 percent from the field to set a new Thunderdome record as the Aggies rolled over UC Santa Barbara, 80-50, on Feb. 5, 2005. After Utah State scored the first two points of the game, UC Santa Barbara took an early 10-4 lead before USU scored 10 straight points to take the lead for good at 14-10 with 14:49 remaining. Leading 21-17 with 10:48 remaining in the half, USU went on a 25-11 run to extend its advantage to 46-28 at the break. Jason Williams led the Aggies as he scored all 12 of his points in the first half, while Jaycee Carroll and Nelson each had 11 as USU shot 65.4 percent from the field and made 8-of-11 three-pointers. Nate Harris, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to go along with a game-high nine rebounds, scored the first two points of the second half to give Utah State a 20-point lead. The Aggies biggest lead of the game came on a jumper by reserve center Ian McVey with 1:47 remaining to put USU up by 33 at 80-47. Along with his 19 points, Nelson also added a season-high nine assists to go along with six rebounds, while Carroll made 6-of-9 shots, including 5-of-7 from three to finish with 17 points. Along with shooting over 70 percent from the field, USU also made 66.7 percent (10-15) of its three-point attempts, while limiting the Gauchos to just 36.4 percent from the field. USU also out-rebounded UCSB 33-16.
CARROLL HAS FIVE STRAIGHT 20-POINT GAMES
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has scored 20 or more points in each of his last five games, including 31 at San Jose States in his last outing. During his last five games, Carroll is averaging 27.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 52.8 percent from the field, 56.8 percent from three-point range and 90.9 percent from the free throw line. During the 2006-07 season, Carroll had 20-plus points in seven straight games in November and December which was the longest streak by a USU player since Brian Jackson scored 20-plus points in the final nine games of the 1980-81 season.
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 52.8 percent of his field goals, 51.7 percent of his three-pointers and 92.0 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.
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 22.3 points per game on just 14.30 shots, which averages out to 1.56 points per attempt. Of the 25 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 23.1 points on just 13.26 shots, while Gordon is averaging 21.7 points on just 13.04 shots per game.
NO REST FOR CARROLL
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll hasn't been getting much rest as of last as he has played all 40 minutes in each of Utah State's last three games. In his last six games, Carroll has played all but two minutes as he has played 40 minutes four times and 39 minutes twice.
CARROLL CLIMBING UP THE SINGLE-SEASON TOP-10 LISTS
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has scored 602 points thus far this year, which ranks 14th all-time in school history for a single season. He also ranks third for a single-season with his 90 made three-pointers, eighth with his 174 three-point attempts, and first in three-point shooting at 51.7 percent. He also ranks tied for 10th all-time in single-season scoring with his 22.3 points per game average.
CLARK SIXTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN ASSISTS
Senior point guard Kris Clark now has 322 assists in his Utah State career to rank sixth all-time in school history. Clark is now 42 assists shy of tying Jay Goodman (1991-93) for fifth-place on USU's all-time list with 364 career assists. This season, Clark has 176 assists to rank fourth all-time at USU for a single-season and is just 10 assists shy of passing Oscar Williams and Goodman for the single-season school record. Clark also has a career average of 5.19 assists per game, which ranks second all-time in school history.
WILKINSON'S DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK ENDS AT 10 GAMES
Junior forward Gary Wilkinson had scored in double-figures in 10 straight games before scoring just three points at San Jose State Monday night. Despite scoring just three points in his last game, Wilkinson is still averaging 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds during his last 11 games, while shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range. Overall, Wilkinson has scored in double-figures in 13 of his last 15 games and in 20 games this year.
CLARK HITS DOUBLE-DIGITS AGAIN
Senior point guard Kris Clark scored 12 points against San Jose State Monday night, marking the third time in his last seven games that he has scored in double-figures. During his last seven games, Clark is averaging 9.4 points, 7.0 assists and 2.1 rebounds. In his first 55 games of his Utah State career, he never scored in double-figures.
CLARK CONTINUES TO DISH IT OUT
Senior point guard Kris Clark continues to record assists at a record setting pace as he has recorded at least five assists in each of his last 11 games. In his last three games, all of which have been on the road, he has averaged 8.7 assists per game and tied his career-high with 10 assists at Nevada.
NEWBOLD AND WESLEY MUCH IMPROVED SINCE BEING INSERTED INTO STARTING LINEUP
Freshmen Tyler Newbold and Tai Wesley have been putting up solid numbers since being inserted into the starting lineup on Dec. 8 prior to USU's game at Cal State Bakersfield. In 17 games as a starter, Wesley is averaging 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds and is shooting 66.4 percent from the field, while Newbold is averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds and is shooting 54.2 percent from the field. Prior to inserting the two freshmen into the starting lineup, USU was 5-5 on the season but has since gone 13-4.
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 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 2,339 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 THIRD ALL-TIME IN SCORING IN THE STATE OF UTAH
With his 2,339 career points, senior guard Jaycee Carroll currently ranks third 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), and Carroll's 2,339 points. Other 2,000 point scorers from the state include Utah's Billy McGill (2,321), BYU's Michael Smith (2,319), BYU's Devin Durrant (2,285), 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 (2,339), three-pointers made (345), three-pointers attempted (738), three-point percentage (.467), 10-point games (113), games started (124), and total minutes played (4,285). Overall, Carroll currently holds seven school records, which is the most in school history. With five 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 (817), second in field goals attempted (1,599), second in games played (126), third in free throw percentage (.857) and fifth in minutes per game (34.0). He also ranks eighth in steals (114), eighth in points per game (18.6), 17th in rebounding (639) and 18th in assists (251).
CARROLL RANKS THIRD IN NCAA HISTORY IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is shooting 46.7 percent from three-point range during his career, which ranks third 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 Carroll at 46.7 percent (345-738).
CARROLL BECOMES 26TH PLAYER IN NCAA HISTORY TO MAKE 345 THREE-POINTERS
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has made 345 three-pointers in his career and is now tied with Ronnie McCollum (Centenary) and Brendan Plavich (Vanderbilt/Charlotte) for 25th-place all-time in NCAA Division I history for most made three-pointers in a career. Duke's J.J. Redick holds the NCAA record with 457 made three-pointers.
RANKING CARROLL IN THE WAC
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll ranks second all-time in the WAC in three-point shooting at 46.5 percent (266-572), is fourth in free-throw shooting at 87.7 percent (315-359), and seventh in three-pointers made (266). If Utah State had joined the WAC a year earlier so Carroll's freshman stats would count, he would rank fourth in scoring (2,339), first in three-pointers made (345), second in three-point shooting (.467), third in three-pointers attempted (738), fifth in free throw percentage (.857), sixth in field goals made (817) and 10th in field goals attempted (1,599).
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 2,339 points, behind Bo McCalebb of New Orleans who has 2,570 career points and Reggie Williams of VMI who has 2,430 career points. Carroll also ranks first in the nation among active players in career three-point shooting at 46.7 percent.
CARROLL HAS 52 CAREER 20-POINT GAMES
Jaycee Carroll has scored 20 or more points in a game 52 times during his Utah State career, including 18 times thus far this year. He also has eight 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 14-4 this season and 42-10 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 27 games this year and in 31 straight games dating back to last season. Overall, Carroll has scored in double-figures in 61 of his last 62 games and in 113 games during his Utah State career.
DID YOU KNOW?
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has made at least one three-point basket in 48 straight games and in 115 of his 126 career games at Utah State.
UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Averaging 1.7 points and 0.8 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 59 games at Utah State... Scored a career-high 16 points at Fresno State... Tied his career-high with 10 assists at Nevada... Averaging 5.9 points, 6.5 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.7 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from three-point range and 75.6 percent from the free throw line... Has recorded at least four assists in 26 of USU's 27 games this year... Ranks first in the WAC in assists and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.41)... Averaging 9.4 points and 7.4 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 3.0 points and 1.1 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 eight 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 2.9 points and 1.5 assists, while shooting 30.3 percent from the field, 29.8 percent from three-point range and 71.0 percent from the free throw line... Has scored just eight points in his last eight games.
#20 Jaycee Carroll - Scored a season-high 33 points against Northern Arizona... Averaging 22.3 points and 6.2 rebounds, while shooting 52.8 percent from the field, 51.7 percent from three-point range and 92.0 percent from the free throw line... Is playing a team-high 36.8 minutes per game... Has scored in double-figures in all 27 games this year, including 18 20-point games... Tied his career-high with eight assists against Austin Peay... Ranks first in the WAC in scoring, free throw shooting and three-point shooting... Averaging 27.0 points and 8.0 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 52.8 percent from the field, 56.8 percent from three-point range and 90.9 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 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.4 percent from the field, 46.5 percent from three-point range and 84.6 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds as a starter, and 6.6 points and 3.2 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 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 73.2 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fifth in the WAC in field goal shooting... During his last five games he is averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 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 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and shooting 63.8 percent from the field and 73.3 percent from the free throw line... Ranks second in the WAC in field goal shooting... Averaging 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 60.0 percent from the field.
#44 Matt Formisano - Recorded season-highs with eight points and four rebounds in 25 minutes at New Mexico State... Averaging 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds and is shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 60.0 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 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds, while shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fourth in the WAC in overall shooting, is seventh in free throw shooting, seventh in rebounding and 13th in scoring.... Averaging 12.4 points and 6.8 rebounds during his last five games.
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 216-71 (.753) record. Those 216 wins are the seventh-most in the country, while the 75.3 percent winning percentage is fifth-best behind Duke (.836), Kansas (.801), Gonzaga (.800) and Florida (.771). 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 112-36 (.757) 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 28-16 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 178-21 when leading at the half.
• USU is 190-19 when shooting better from the field than its opponent.
• USU is 156-33 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• USU is 147-17 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.
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.
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.
VERSUS THE WAC
Utah State is 174-99 (.637) 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 90-73 (.552) all-time in WAC games, which includes a 28-16 (.636) record at Utah State and a 62-57 (.521) record at Colorado State. Morrill is 89-64 (.582) all-time against current members of the WAC, which includes a 60-26 (.698) record at USU.
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.
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 231-84 (.733) record, including a 120-44 (.732) 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 75.3 percent with an overall record of 216-71. Against conference opponents, Utah State has a 137-49 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 66.9 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 (231-84) 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 (315) 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 231-84 (.733) overall record, a 120-44 (.732) conference record and a 17-5 (.773) record in conference postseason play. Overall, Morrill owns a 449-222 (.669) 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 66.9 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.
