Feb. 26, 2008
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME 29
Utah State (19-9, 8-4) vs. Louisiana Tech (4-21, 1-11)
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008 • 8:05 p.m. (MT)
Logan, Utah • Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270)
Aggie Radio Network • ESPN Regional
GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 103rd season of basketball and has an overall record of 1,365-987 (.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 (217-71) winning percentage during the last nine years.
• Utah State (19-9) is looking to win 20 games for the ninth straight year, extending its current school record, and for the 23rd time in school history. Under head coach Stew Morrill, USU is 8-4 (.667) when attempting to win its 20th game of the year, while Utah State is 22-12 (.647) all-time when going for its 20th win of the season.
• Utah State is 140-12 (.921) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Coach Morrill, which includes a 74-8 (.902) record against conference opponents and a 19-3 (.864) record against WAC teams. Overall, USU is 434-105 (.805) in 37 years in the building.
• Utah State is 15-0 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 15 game winning streak at home is tied for the eighth-longest in the nation.
• Utah State is 120-44 (.732) in conference play under Coach Morrill, which includes a 28-16 (.636) WAC record.
• Utah State is leading the WAC in free throw shooting (.783), three-point shooting (.401) and scoring defense (68.5), and is second in the conference in overall shooting (.505) and assists (17.82). Nationally, USU ranks second in free throw shooting, fourth in overall shooting, 11th in assists, 13th in three-point shooting and 23rd in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.25).
• Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is currently shooting 51.4 percent from three-point range which ranks first in the nation. Carroll also ranks fifth nationally in free throw shooting at 91.5 percent and is 12th in the nation in scoring with 22.0 points per game, all of which lead the WAC. Carroll also ranks 10th in the WAC in overall shooting at 52.4 percent and is 10th in the league with 6.2 rebounds per game.
UP NEXT
Utah State (19-9, 8-4) will return to Western Athletic Conference play this week as it hosts Louisiana Tech (4-21, 1-11) on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game will be televised regionally by ESPN and can be viewed live in Cache Valley on Altitude Ch. 61.
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 in fourth-place in the Western Athletic Conference with an 8-4 record and 19-9 on the season after notching a 72-59 home win against UC Santa Barbara Saturday night. USU is led by senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll who is averaging 22.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 51.4 percent from three-point range and 91.5 percent from the free throw line, while junior forward Gary Wilkinson is averaging 13.0 points and 6.6 rebounds and shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 81.4 percent from the free throw line. Freshman forward Tai Wesley is also scoring in double-figures for USU as he is averaging 10.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. As a team, Utah State is averaging 72.6 points and shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three-point range and 78.3 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 68.5 points and shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 70.3 percent from the free throw line.
UTAH STATE HAS HAD FIVE STRAIGHT SELLOUTS IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
During each of its last five 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 five straight sellouts. On the season, USU is averaging 8,928 fans which ranks second in the WAC and is the highest average in school history.
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.
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 19-9 overall. He is also one of just 13 active coaches to notch 12 20-win seasons.
AGGIES IN FEBRUARY
Utah State is 51-21 (.708) in the month of February under Coach Morrill, which includes a 30-4 (.882) home record.
COMPUTER RANKINGS
As of Tuesday, Feb. 26, Utah State has an RPI of 84 and a strength of schedule of 160, while the WAC is currently ranked 20th in the nation out of 32 conferences.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following its game against Louisiana Tech, Utah State will play its final home game of the regular season as it hosts Fresno State (13-15, 5-8) on Monday, Mar. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Prior to the game, USU will recognize its three seniors in Jaycee Carroll, Kris Clark and Stephen DuCharme. Utah State will then conclude the regular season with a pair of road games at Boise State on Thursday, Mar. 6 and at Idaho on Saturday, Mar. 8.
RECAPPING THE UC SANTA BARBARA GAME
Tai Wesley and Gary Wilkinson combined for 38 points and 21 rebounds to lead Utah State past UC Santa Barbara, 72-59, in an ESPNU BracketBuster men's basketball game Friday night at a soldout Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The win snaps USU's three-game losing streak as the Aggies improved to 19-9 overall while UCSB is now 20-7 with the loss. It was Utah State's 53rd home win in a row over a non-conference opponent, the second-longest in the country behind Duke's 57 in a row. The Aggies also remain unbeaten at home this season, improving to 15-0, the only team in the WAC with an unblemished home ledger on the year. USU's 15-game home winning streak is the 12th-longest in the country. Wesley, a freshman forward, tallied a game-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds, while junior forward Wilkinson posted 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. It was Wilkinson's team-leading fourth double-double of the season in helping USU improve to 140-12 at home under head coach Stew Morrill. Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll was held to just six points in the first half but netted nine in the second half to finish with 15. Alex Harris and James Powell were the only two Gauchos in double-digits, netting 20 points apiece, as Powell hit a game-high six three-pointers to tie a career-high. USU out-rebounded UCSB, 41-28, including 34 on the defensive end as the Gauchos shot just 21-of-62 (33.9 percent) from the field, including 39.1 percent (9-23) from behind the arc. The Aggies hit 54.2 percent (26-48) of their shots, making four of their 10 three-pointers (40.0 percent). USU also made more free throws than UCSB attempted, hitting 16-of-21 (76.2 percent), while UCSB was 8-of-11 (72.7 percent). The first half was back-and-forth, as Powell hit a three-pointer at the 4:12 mark to knot the score at 21-all, the seventh tie of the half. The Aggies pulled away to lead 28-24 at intermission, improving to 17-3 when leading at halftime, while the Gauchos fell to 1-5 when trailing at the break. Senior guard Kris Clark hit a three-pointer from the left wing at 13:34 for a 39-29 USU lead but UCSB countered with six unanswered points to pull within 39-35 on a Harris layup. Wesley sparked and capped a 12-0 run to give USU its largest lead of the night at 63-48 with 2:54 left and the Aggies coasted to the victory.
AGGIES STILL UNDEFEATED IN BRACKETBUSTER GAMES
Utah State continued its winning streak in BracketBuster games against UC Santa Barbara Friday night, as USU is now 3-0 all-time in the event.
AGGIES TRADITIONALLY BOUNCE BACK WELL FROM A LOSS
Over the last nine years, Utah State is 48-15 (.762) following a loss and 9-1 following consecutive losses. This season, Utah State lost three straight games for the first time since the end of the 1998-99 season, a span of 287 games. When Utah State plays at home following a loss under Coach Morrill, its record is 34-1 (.971), with its lone loss coming against Idaho (52-51) on Mar. 1, 2003.
AGGIES NEED TO KEEP THEIR OPPONENT UNDER 70 POINTS
Utah State's magic number, defensively, seems to be 70 as it is 15-0 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 10 SHOOTERS IN THE WAC
Utah State has four of the top 10 field goal shooters in the WAC in Tai Wesley who is third (.644), Gary Wilkinson who is fifth (.571), Stephen DuCharme who is sixth (.560), and Jaycee Carroll who is 10th (.524).
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 13 of its last 18 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 18 games, USU is shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 41.7 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 nine of its last 11 games. During its last 11 games, USU is shooting 43.5 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 8.7 turnovers during its last 10 games, while USU is averaging 14.4 turnovers during that stretch. In its last four games, USU opponents have just 28 turnovers, for an average of 7.0 per game.
AGGIES FINALLY BLOCK A FEW SHOTS
Utah State blocked three shots against UC Santa Barbara in its last game, which were the most blocked shots for USU in eight games. In fact, in its previous six games Utah State had a total of five blocked shots.
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.
SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH
Louisiana Tech is 4-21 on the season following a 73-70 overtime loss to Samford at home in its last game. The Bulldogs are in last-place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 1-11 record and are 0-10 on the road this year. Louisiana Tech has lost three straight and 12 of its last 13 overall. LTU is led by sophomore guard Kyle Gibson who is averaging 15.9 points and 5.3 rebounds, while junior guard JC Clark is averaging 9.4 points per game. As a team, the Bulldogs are scoring 59.6 points and shooting 38.9 percent from the field, 32.5 percent from three-point range and 72.0 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are scoring 70.9 points and shooting 49.0 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from three-point range and 67.2 percent from the free throw line. Louisiana Tech returns one starter and four letterwinners from last year's team that went 10-20 overall and finished in seventh-place in the WAC with a 7-9 league record. Kerry Rupp is in his first season as a collegiate head coach.
UTAH STATE-LOUISIANA TECH SERIES
Utah State and Louisiana Tech will meet for the seventh time this week with the Aggies owning a 5-1 all-time advantage, which includes a 2-0 record at home. Utah State won the first four games played in the series, including a 68-64 win in the semifinals of the 2006 WAC Tournament. The last time the two teams met was on Feb. 24, 2008 in Ruston with USU notching a 71-61 win.
VERSUS THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
Utah State is 14-7 all-time against teams from the state of Louisiana as it is 5-1 against Louisiana Tech, 2-1 against Centenary, LSU and Tulane, 1-1 against New Orleans, 1-0 against Grambling, 1-1 against Northwestern State and 0-1 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
UTAH STATE-LOUISIANA TECH CONNECTIONS
Louisiana Tech assistant coach Curtis Condie graduated from Utah State in 1994 and served as an administrative assistant for the men's basketball team under then head coach Larry Eustachy. Condie was also an assistant coach at Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah during his time in the Cache Valley.
AGGIES ON THURSDAY
Utah State is 63-15 (.808) in games played on Thursday under Coach Morrill, including a 5-1 record this year. USU is also 3-10 (.231) in known games played on February 28.
LAST MEETING AGAINST THE BULLDOGS
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll led a quartet of double-figure scorers for Utah State with 16 points and eight rebounds as the Aggies notched a 71-61 win against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 24 in Ruston. Junior forward Gary Wilkinson had 15 points and nine rebounds for Utah State, while freshman guard Tyler Newbold scored 12 points and senior forward Stephen DuCharme added 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Kyle Gibson scored 17 points to lead Louisiana Tech, while Dwayne Lathan had 14 points. Utah State scored the first seven points of the game and led 26-6 with 9:23 to play on a dunk by DuCharme. Louisiana Tech then scored 22 of the next 25 points during a six-minute span to get within one before USU finished the half with seven straight points to lead by eight, 36-28, at the break. In the first-half, Utah State shot 66.7 percent from the field (14-21) as compared to 39.3 percent shooting (11-28) for Louisiana Tech. USU also dominated the boards as it out-rebounded the Bulldogs 17-6, but the Aggies also committed 12 first-half turnovers. Newbold led the Aggies with 10 first-half points, while Gibson paced Louisiana Tech with 11 points. Utah State began the second-half much like the first as it scored 10 of the first 12 points beginning with a layup by Wilkinson and ending with a three-pointer by senior guard Kris Clark to extend the visitors led to 48-30 with 15:30 remaining. The Aggies increased its margin to 23 on jumper by DuCharme with 4:33 to play and led by 20 with 1:44 remaining before the Bulldogs ended the game with a 13-3 run against USU's reserves to make the final margin 10 points. Utah State finished the game by shooting 64.3 percent from the field (27-42) and 41.7 percent from three-point range (5-12), while Louisiana Tech was 40.4 percent overall (23-57) and 36.0 percent from behind the arc (9-25). USU also dominated the boards, 39-14, but committed a season-high 24 turnovers to keep the game somewhat close.
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 52.4 percent of his field goals, 51.4 percent of his three-pointers and 91.5 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 RANKS AMONG TOP ALL-AROUND SHOOTERS IN NCAA HISTORY
Along with being the only player in the nation to shoot over 50 percent from both the field and three-point range, and better than 90 percent from the free throw line this season, senior guard Jaycee Carroll is on the verge of becoming just the second player in NCAA history to accomplish that feat along with Arizona's Salim Stoudamire. During Stoudamire's senior season of 2004-05, he shot 50.4 percent from the field (210-417), 50.4 percent from three-point range (120-238), and 91.0 percent from the free throw line (122-134).
CARROLL'S STREAK OF FIVE STRAIGHT 20-POINT GAMES STOPS
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll had scored 20 or more points in five straight games before scoring 15 against UC Santa Barbara. 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.
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 22.0 points per game on just 14.25 shots, which averages out to 1.55 points per attempt. Of the 23 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 23.4 points on just 13.25 shots, while Gordon is averaging 21.5 points on just 12.77 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 four games. In his last seven games, Carroll has played all but two minutes as he has played 40 minutes five times and 39 minutes twice.
CARROLL CLIMBING UP THE SINGLE-SEASON TOP-10 LISTS
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has scored 617 points thus far this year, which ranks ninth all-time in school history for a single season. He also ranks third for a single-season with his 91 made three-pointers, eighth with his 177 three-point attempts, and first in three-point shooting at 51.4 percent. He also ranks 11th all-time in single-season scoring with his 22.0 points per game average.
CLARK SIXTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN ASSISTS
Senior point guard Kris Clark now has 327 assists in his Utah State career to rank sixth all-time in school history. Clark is now 37 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 181 assists to rank fourth all-time at USU for a single-season and is just five 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 RECORDS FOURTH DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF THE SEASON
Junior forward Gary Wilkinson recorded his team-leading fourth double-double of the season against UC Santa Barbara as he had 14 points and 12 rebounds. It was also the 21st time this year that Wilkinson has scored in double-figures.
CLARK BECOMING MORE OF A SCORING THREAT
Senior point guard Kris Clark did not score in double-figures once in his first 55 games at Utah State, but has since scored in double-figures three times in his last eight games. During his last eight games, Clark is averaging 9.1 points, 6.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds.
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 18 games as a starter, Wesley is averaging 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds and is shooting 66.9 percent from the field, while Newbold is averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds and is shooting 51.9 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 14-4.
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 2,354 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 2,354 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 2,354 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 (2,354), three-pointers made (346), three-pointers attempted (741), three-point percentage (.467), field goals attempted (1,612), 10-point games (114), games started (125), games played (127) and total minutes played (4,325). Overall, Carroll currently holds nine school records, which is the most in school history. With four regular season games still to play for Carroll, he will likely break the school's all-time record for field goals made 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 (822), fourth in free throw percentage (.856) and fourth in minutes per game (34.1). He also ranks eighth in steals (114), eighth in points per game (18.5), 17th in rebounding (644) and 18th in assists (256).
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 (346-741).
CARROLL TIED FOR 22ND ALL-TIME IN NCAA HISTORY IN THREE-POINTERS MADE
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has made 346 three-pointers in his career and is now tied with Allan Houston (Tennessee) and Jobey Thomas (Charlotte) for 22nd-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 46.4 percent (267-575), is fourth in free-throw shooting at 87.6 percent (319-364), and seventh in three-pointers made (267). If Utah State had joined the WAC a year earlier so Carroll's freshman stats would count, he would rank fourth in scoring (2,354), first in three-pointers made (346), second in three-point shooting (.467), third in three-pointers attempted (741), fifth in free throw percentage (.856), sixth in field goals made (822) and 10th in field goals attempted (1,612).
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 2,354 points, behind Bo McCalebb of New Orleans who has 2,592 career points and Reggie Williams of VMI who has 2,461 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 28 games this year and in 32 straight games dating back to last season. Overall, Carroll has scored in double-figures in 62 of his last 63 games and in 114 games during his Utah State career.
DID YOU KNOW?
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has made at least one three-point basket in 49 straight games and in 116 of his 127 career games at Utah State.
UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Averaging 1.8 points and 0.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 29.5 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from three-point range and 58.3 percent from the free throw line... Scored a season-high eight points against Montana-Western... Averaging 1.6 points during his last five games.
#10 Kris Clark - Has started 60 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 1.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.0 percent from the field, 26.5 percent from three-point range and 76.7 percent from the free throw line... Has recorded at least four assists in 27 of USU's 28 games this year... Ranks first in the WAC in assists and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.29)... Averaging 7.6 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 2.8 points and 1.5 assists, while shooting 29.9 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from three-point range and 71.0 percent from the free throw line... Has scored just eight points in his last nine games.
#20 Jaycee Carroll - Scored a season-high 33 points against Northern Arizona... Averaging 22.0 points and 6.2 rebounds, while shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 51.4 percent from three-point range and 91.5 percent from the free throw line... Is playing a team-high 36.9 minutes per game... Has scored in double-figures in all 28 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 25.6 points and 7.2 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 51.2 percent from the field, 51.6 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 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from three-point range and 85.7 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds as a starter, and 6.8 points and 4.0 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 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 74.0 percent from the free throw line... Ranks sixth in the WAC in field goal shooting... During his last five games he is averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 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 10.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and shooting 64.4 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the free throw line... Ranks third in the WAC in field goal shooting and 10th in blocked shots (0.71)... Averaging 12.4 points and 4.6 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 64.1 percent from the field.
#44 Matt Formisano - Recorded season-highs with eight points and four rebounds in 25 minutes at New Mexico State... Averaging 1.4 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 fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds against UC Santa Barbara... Scored a season-high 23 points against Nevada and had a season-high 13 rebounds against Idaho... Recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Utah... Averaging 13.0 points and 6.6 rebounds, while shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 81.4 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 12.0 points and 8.2 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 217-71 (.753) record. Those 217 wins are the seventh-most in the country, while the 75.3 percent winning percentage is fifth-best behind Duke (.836), Gonzaga (.800), Kansas (.799) 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 89-6 when holding its opponents below 60 points.
• USU is 179-21 when leading at the half.
• USU is 191-19 when shooting better from the field than its opponent.
• USU is 157-33 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• USU is 148-17 when shooting better from three-point range than its opponent.
• USU is 112-17 when blocking more shots than its opponent.
• USU is 91-18 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.
UTAH STATE DROPS THIRD STRAIGHT CLOSE GAME
Prior to playing at Nevada on Feb. 11, 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.
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 232-84 (.734) 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 217-71. 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 140-12 (.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 450 career wins, while his career winning percentage of 67.0 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 (232-84) 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 (316) 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 232-84 (.734) overall record, a 120-44 (.732) conference record and a 17-5 (.773) record in conference postseason play. Overall, Morrill owns a 450-222 (.670) 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 450 career wins and 28th in winning percentage at 67.0 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 140-12 (.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.
