March 2, 2008
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
GAME 30
Utah State (20-9, 9-4) vs. Fresno State (13-16, 5-9)
Monday, Mar. 3, 2008 • 7:05 p.m. (MT) • Logan, Utah
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) • Aggie Radio Network
GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 103rd season of basketball and has an overall record of 1,366-987 (.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 75.4 (218-71) winning percentage during the last nine years.
• Dating back to the 1957-58 season, Utah State is 39-11 (.780) all-time on Senior Night. USU had won 13 straight games on Senior Night prior to losing to Fresno State, 71-66, last year. The Bulldogs are the last team to defeat Utah State at home.
• Utah State is 141-12 (.922) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Coach Morrill, which includes a 75-8 (.904) record against conference opponents and a 20-3 (.870) record against WAC teams. Overall, USU is 435-105 (.806) in 37 years in the building.
• Utah State is 16-0 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 16 game winning streak at home is tied for the eighth-longest in the nation.
• Utah State is looking to record its fourth undefeated home season in the modern era (since the 1957-58 season). The other three times USU has gone undefeated at home was in 1973-74 (14-0), 1997-98 (15-0), and 2000-01 (15-0). USU's 16 home wins this year are tied with the 1977-78 team (16-1) for the most in a single season.
• Utah State is leading the nation in overall shooting at 51.1 percent and in free throw shooting at 78.7 percent, and is eighth in the nation with 18.1 asssits per game. USU also leads the WAC and ranks 20th in the nation in three-point shooting at 39.7 percent and is allowing 68.2 points per game to rank first in the WAC as well.
• Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is currently shooting 50.3 percent from three-point range which ranks first in the nation. Carroll also ranks fifth nationally in free throw shooting at 91.7 percent and is 13th in the nation in scoring with 22.3 points per game, all of which lead the WAC. Carroll also ranks 10th in the WAC in overall shooting at 53.0 percent.
UP NEXT
Utah State (20-9, 9-4) will play its final home game of the regular season as it hosts Fresno State (13-16, 5-9) on Monday, Mar. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Fifteen minutes prior to the start of the game USU will recognize its three seniors in Jaycee Carroll, Kris Clark and Stephen DuCharme.
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 20-9 on the season and in fourth-place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 9-4 league record following its 86-59 home win against Louisiana Tech Thursday night. USU is led by senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll who is averaging 22.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and shooting 53.0 percent from the field, 50.3 percent from three-point range and 91.7 percent from the free throw line, while junior forward Gary Wilkinson is averaging 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds and shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 82.2 percent from the free throw line. Freshman forward Tai Wesley is also scoring in double-figures for USU as he is averaging 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds and shooting 65.1 percent from the field. As a team, Utah State is averaging 73.1 points and shooting 51.1 percent from the field, 39.7 percent from three-point range and 78.7 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 68.2 points and shooting 43.5 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from three-point range and 70.4 percent from the free throw line.
UTAH STATE DURING ITS TWO-GAME WINNING STREAK
During its current two-game winning streak, Utah State is averaging 79.0 points and shooting 61.2 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from three-point range and 83.9 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 59.0 points and shooting 37.0 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.
VERSUS THE WAC
Utah State is 175-99 (.639) 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 91-73 (.555) all-time in WAC games, which includes a 29-16 (.644) record at Utah State and a 62-57 (.521) record at Colorado State. Morrill is 90-64 (.584) all-time against current members of the WAC, which includes a 61-26 (.701) record at USU.
MORRILL RECORDS 20 WINS YET AGAIN
Utah State's Stew Morrill has now won at least 20 games 13 times as a collegiate head coach. In his 22 years as a head coach, he has had 21 winning seasons and won at least 17 games 19 times. Entering the 2007-08 campaign, Morrill was one of just 13 active coaches to notch 12 20-win seasons, while his streak of eight straight 20-win seasons entering the year was tied for the ninth-longest active streak in the nation.
AGGIES IN MARCH
Utah State is 29-16 (.644) in the month of March under Coach Morrill, which includes a 10-4 (.714) home record.
COMPUTER RANKINGS
As of Sunday, Mar. 2, Utah State has an RPI of 89 and a strength of schedule of 180, while the WAC is currently ranked 20th in the nation out of 32 conferences.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following its game against Fresno State, Utah State will conclude the regular season with a pair of road games at Boise State (22-7, 12-3) on Thursday, Mar. 6 at 7 p.m., and at Idaho (8-19, 5-10) on Saturday, Mar. 8 at 8 p.m.
RECAPPING THE LOUISIANA TECH GAME
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll's 30 points helped Utah State pull away for an 86-59 rout against Louisiana Tech Thursday night in Western Athletic Conference men's basketball action at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. It was the Aggies' 16th win in a row at home this season as USU remains the only team in the WAC with a perfect home mark. Utah State improves to 141-12 at home under head coach Stew Morrill, including 20-3 against WAC foes. Carroll tallied his fifth 30-point game this season and extended his streak with at least one three-pointer to 50 consecutive games, netting 24 points after halftime in helping the Aggies pull away from a 36-31 intermission lead. Junior forward Gary Wilkinson posted his second double-double in a row and team-leading fifth of the season with 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, as well as tying a career-high with three assists. Freshman forward Tai Wesley added 16 points and seven rebounds, helping USU to a 31-23 rebounding edge. Senior guard Kris Clark dished out nine assists, leading USU to 25 helpers on the night, one shy of its season-high. The Aggies did set a new season-high for field goal percentage, shooting a smoldering 67.3 percent (37-of-55), despite shooting just 2-of-10 (20.0 percent) from three-point range. The Aggies were also a perfect 10-of-10 (100 percent) at the free throw line, tying a school record. Kyle Gibson led Louisiana Tech with 17 points while Dwayne Lathan tossed in 15 off the bench. LTU hit 23-of-57 (40.4 percent) of its shots from the floor, including 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) behind the arc. The Bulldogs were also 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) at the free throw line, as the Aggies made more free pitch shots than their opponent attempted for the second game in a row. A Wesley layup gave USU a 17-7 lead at the 14:28 mark before Louisiana Tech tied the game at 23-all at 6:47 after a Gibson three-pointer. Wilkinson then spearheaded an Aggie charge with seven straight points, part of his 14 first half points and USU took a 36-31 lead at the break. The Aggie advantage swelled to 13 after back-to-back buckets from Carroll gave USU a 53-40 lead with 11:32 remaining and the margin was double-digits from there on out. A hoop and free throw from Carroll put Utah State ahead by its largest margin of the night of 27 at 81-54 with 1:35 left and USU coasted to the win.
UTAH STATE RECORDS SEVENTH-BEST SHOOTING PERCENTAGE IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah State shot a season-high 67.3 percent from the field (37-55) against Louisiana Tech in its last game. That shooting percentage also ranks tied for the seventh-highest shooting percentage in a single-game in school history and the highest since USU shot 71.1 percent from the field at UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 5, 2005. It was also the highest shooting percentage for a USU team at home since Nov. 27, 2004 when that Aggie team shot a school-record 77.8 percent (28-36) against UC Davis.
UTAH STATE RECORDS NINTH-STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON
Utah State has now won at least 20 games for the ninth straight year, extending its current school record. Overall, it is the 23rd time in school history that USU has won at least 20 games. The previous school record for consecutive 20-win seasons was three from 1962-64.
UTAH STATE ONE OF JUST EIGHT TEAMS WITH NINTH-STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASONS
Utah State is one of just eight teams in the country to win at least 20 games in each of the last nine seasons joining Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State and Texas. Entering the 2007-08 season there were 12 teams in the country that had at least eight straight 20-win seasons. Those teams with at least eight straight 20-win seasons who have yet to reach 20-wins this year include Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky and Syracuse.
AGGIES NEED TO KEEP THEIR OPPONENT UNDER 70 POINTS
Utah State's magic number, defensively, seems to be 70 as it is 16-0 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 second (.651), Gary Wilkinson who is fourth (.574), Stephen DuCharme who is sixth (.561), and Jaycee Carroll who is 10th (.530).
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 14 of its last 19 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 19 games, USU is shooting 53.4 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from behind the arc.
UTAH STATE HAS HAD SIX STRAIGHT SELLOUTS IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
During each of its last six 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 six straight sellouts. On the season, USU is averaging 9.012 fans which ranks second in the WAC and is the highest average in school history.
DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State is 121-44 (.733) in conference play under Coach Morrill, which includes a 29-16 (.644) WAC record.
SCOUTING FRESNO STATE
Fresno State is 13-16 on the season and in sixth-place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 5-9 league record following a 69-64 home loss to New Mexico State Saturday night. The Bulldogs, who are 2-10 on the road this year, are led by senior guard Kevin Bell who is averaging 18.3 points and 6.0 assists, and fellow senior guard Eddie Miller who is averaging 15.3 points per game. Two other players are scoring near double-figures for FSU as senior guard Dwight O'Neil is averaging 10.2 points and senior forward Hector Hernandez is averaging 9.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. As a team, Fresno State is scoring 69.4 points and shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from three-point range and 70.6 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 68.9 points and shooting 43.5 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from three-point range and 68.6 percent from the free throw line. The Bulldogs return three starters and five letterwinners from last year's team that went 22-10 overall and finished in third-place in the WAC with a 10-6 league record. Steve Cleveland is 50-39 in his third year at Fresno State and 188-147 in 11 years as a collegiate head coach.
UTAH STATE-FRESNO STATE SERIES
Utah State and Fresno State will meet for the 42nd time on Monday with the Aggies owning a 22-19 all-time advantage, which includes a 16-5 record at home. Utah State won the first meeting between the two teams this year, 77-72, in Fresno on Feb. 7. Fresno State won the last meeting between the two teams in Logan with a 71-66 win on Mar. 3, 2007, as the Bulldogs are the last team to beat USU at home.
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) record at home.
AGGIES ON MONDAY
Utah State is 7-5 (.583) in games played on Monday under Coach Morrill, including a 1-2 record this year. USU is also 4-6 (.400) in known games played on March 3.
LAST MEETING AGAINST THE BULLDOGS
Senior guards Jaycee Carroll and Kris Clark combined to score 38 points as Utah State held on for a hard-fought 77-72 road win against Fresno State at the Save Mart Center on Feb. 7, 2008. Carroll finished the game with 22 points and Clark had a career-high 16 as the duo was 13-of-22 from the field and 7-of-11 from three-point range. Carroll added nine rebounds as he played the entire game, while Clark recorded a season-high five boards to go along with five assists. Junior forward Gary Wilkinson extended his double-figure scoring streak to seven consecutive games with 16 points, including 10 in the second-half, and freshman forward Tai Wesley added eight points, four rebounds and four assists. Fresno State was led by senior forward Hector Hernandez's 22 points and 13 rebounds, while senior guards Kevin Bell and Eddie Miller each scored 20 points, including 29 after intermission. After leading by 14 at the break, Utah State extended its margin to 17 on a three-pointer from Carroll with 17:43 to play and led 55-39 with 13:18 remaining before Fresno State went on an 11-2 run to get with 57-50. The Bulldogs continued to close the gap and trailed 65-60 with just over five minutes to go on a three-pointer by Miller. USU then scored five straight points on a jumper by Carroll and a three-pointer by Wilkinson to increase its margin back to 10 with 2:43 left. FSU then scored seven straight points to get within 73-70 with 1:10 to play and had the ball with a chance to tie but a three-pointer from the left-wing by Miller was off the mark. The Aggies then finished the game by scoring four of the final six points and held on for the five-point win. For the game, Utah State shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field (28-48), including 57.1 percent shooting from three-point range (8-14). Fresno State finished the contest by shooting 45.5 percent from the field (25-55), including making 58.6 percent of its shots in the second-half (17-29). In that second period the Bulldogs converted 10-of-14 (.714) three-pointers and ended up shooting 50.0 percent (11-22) from behind the arc after making just 1-of-8 three's in the opening period. Utah State, who never trailed in the game, opened an early 10-point lead at the 12:59 mark of the first-half on a jumper by Tyler Newbold to give the visitors a 17-7 advantage. USU's led grew to 17 on a three-pointer by Carroll to make the score 33-16 with 6:13 to play and the Aggies went into the locker room up 14 at 39-25. Utah State shot 55.2 percent from the field (16-29) and 50.0 percent from three-point range (4-8) in the first-half, while Fresno State was just 8-of-26 (.308) overall. Carroll and Clark both scored in double-figures in the opening half with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
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 53.0 percent of his field goals, 50.3 percent of his three-pointers and 91.7 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 HAS SCORED AT LEAST 20 IN SEVEN OF HIS LAST EIGHT GAMES
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has been on fire as of late, scoring at least 20 points in seven of his last eight games and at least 30 points in two of his last three games. During his last eight games, Carroll is averaging 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from three-point range and 88.9 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 14.45 shots, which averages out to 1.54 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 13.34 shots, while Gordon is averaging 21.4 points on just 12.89 shots per game.
NO REST FOR CARROLL
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll hasn't been getting much rest as of late as he had played all 40 minutes in each of Utah State's last four games before playing 38 minutes against Louisiana Tech. In his last eight games, Carroll has played all but four minutes as he has played 40 minutes five times, 39 minutes twice and 38 minutes once.
CARROLL CLIMBING UP THE SINGLE-SEASON TOP-10 LISTS
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has scored 647 points this year, which ranks seventh all-time in school history for a single season. He also ranks third for a single-season with his 92 made three-pointers, eighth with his 183 three-point attempts, and first in three-point shooting at 50.3 percent. He also ranks 10th all-time in single-season scoring with his 22.3 points per game.
CLARK EIGHTH IN THE NATION IN ASSISTS
Senior guard Kris Clark is averaging 6.55 assists per game which leads the WAC and ranks eighth nationally. Clark also ranks second in the WAC and 35th in the nation with a 2.24-to-1.00 assist to turnover ratio.
CLARK SETS SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS RECORD
Senior guard Kris Clark has 190 assists this year setting a new single-season record at Utah State. The previous record was 185 set by Jay Goodman (1992-93) and Oscar Williams (1976-77).
CLARK SIXTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN ASSISTS
Senior point guard Kris Clark has 336 assists in his Utah State career to rank sixth all-time in school history. Clark is now 28 assists shy of tying Jay Goodman (1991-93) for fifth-place on USU's all-time list with 364 career assists. Clark also has a career average of 5.25 assists per game, which ranks second all-time in school history.
WILKINSON RECORDS SECOND STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLE AND FIFTH OF THE SEASON
Junior forward Gary Wilkinson recorded his second straight and team-leading fifth double-double of the season against Louisiana Tech as he had 19 points and 10 rebounds. The last Aggie to record back-to-back double-doubles was Stephen DuCharme in 2006-07 and the last player to do it in three straight games was Spencer Nelson during the 2004-05 season.
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 19 games as a starter, Wesley is averaging 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds and is shooting 67.6 percent from the field, while Newbold is averaging 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds and is shooting 52.6 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 15-4.
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 2,384 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 2,384 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 2,384 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 (2,384), three-pointers made (347), three-pointers attempted (747), three-point percentage (.465), field goals attempted (1,632), 10-point games (115), games started (126), games played (128) and total minutes played (4,363). Overall, Carroll currently holds nine school records, which is the most in school history. With three 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 (835), fourth in free throw percentage (.857) and fourth in minutes per game (34.1). He also ranks eighth in steals (117), eighth in points per game (18.5), 15th in rebounding (649) and 18th in assists (257).
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), David Olson of Eastern Illinois at 46.6 percent (262-562), and Carroll at 46.5 percent (347-747).
CARROLL 22ND ALL-TIME IN NCAA HISTORY IN THREE-POINTERS MADE
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has made 347 three-pointers in his career to rank 22nd 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 46.1 percent (268-581), is fourth in free-throw shooting at 87.7 percent (322-367), and seventh in three-pointers made (268). If Utah State had joined the WAC a year earlier so Carroll's freshman stats would count, he would rank fourth in scoring (2,384), first in three-pointers made (347), second in three-point shooting (.465), third in three-pointers attempted (747), fifth in free throw percentage (.857), fourth in field goals made (835) and ninth in field goals attempted (1,632).
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 2,384 points, behind Bo McCalebb of New Orleans who has 2,634 career points and Reggie Williams of VMI who has 2,526 career points. Carroll also ranks first in the nation among active players in career three-point shooting at 46.5 percent.
CARROLL HAS 53 CAREER 20-POINT GAMES AND NINE CAREER 30-POINT GAMES
Jaycee Carroll has scored 20 or more points in a game 53 times during his Utah State career, including 19 times thus far this year. He also has nine 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 15-4 this season and 43-10 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 29 games this year and in 33 straight games dating back to last season. Overall, Carroll has scored in double-figures in 63 of his last 64 games and in 115 games during his Utah State career. His 33 game streak of double-figure scoring ranks sixth all-time in school history. As a junior he scored in double-figures in 31 straight games, which ranks eighth all-time in school history.
DID YOU KNOW?
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has made at least one three-point basket in 50 straight games and in 117 of his 128 career games at Utah State.
UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Averaging 2.0 points and 0.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 34.0 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 3.3 points during his last four games.
#10 Kris Clark - Has started 61 games at Utah State... Scored a career-high 16 points at Fresno State... Tied his career-high with 10 assists at Nevada... Averaging 5.8 points, 6.6 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.6 percent from the field, 26.0 percent from three-point range and 76.7 percent from the free throw line... Has recorded at least four assists in 28 of USU's 29 games this year... Ranks first in the WAC in assists and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.24)... Averaging 6.4 points and 8.0 assists during his last five games.
#11 DeUndrae Spraggins - Scored a season-high 14 points against Iowa and had a season-high five assists against Vanderbilt... Averaging 2.9 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 - Had a season-high four assists against Louisiana Tech... 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 1.6 assists, while shooting 31.9 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from three-point range and 71.0 percent from the free throw line.
#20 Jaycee Carroll - Scored a season-high 33 points against Northern Arizona... Averaging 22.3 points and 6.1 rebounds, while shooting 53.0 percent from the field, 50.3 percent from three-point range and 91.7 percent from the free throw line... Is playing a team-high 36.9 minutes per game... Has scored in double-figures in all 29 games this year, including 19 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 26.4 points and 6.0 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 54.4 percent from the field, 48.4 percent from three-point range and 90.5 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 2.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.9 percent from the field, 47.8 percent from three-point range and 85.7 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds as a starter, and 5.8 points and 3.8 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, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 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 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 74.0 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fifth in the WAC in field goal shooting... During his last five games he is averaging 5.8 points and 2.8 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 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and shooting 65.1 percent from the field and 72.0 percent from the free throw line... Ranks second in the WAC in field goal shooting and 10th in blocked shots (0.76)... Averaging 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 65.1 percent from the field.
#44 Matt Formisano - Recorded season-highs with eight points and four rebounds in 25 minutes at New Mexico State... Averaging 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds and is shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from the free throw line.
#55 Gary Wilkinson - Recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Louisiana Tech... 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 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds, while shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 82.2 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fourth in the WAC in overall shooting, is sixth in free throw shooting, eighth in rebounding and 13th in scoring.... Averaging 12.8 points and 8.8 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 218-71 (.754) record. Those 218 wins are the seventh-most in the country, while the 75.4 percent winning percentage is fifth-best behind Duke (.838), Gonzaga (.801), Kansas (.800) and Florida (.769). 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 113-36 (.758) 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 29-16 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 90-6 when holding its opponents below 60 points.
• USU is 180-21 when leading at the half.
• USU is 192-19 when shooting better from the field than its opponent.
• USU is 158-33 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• USU is 148-17 when shooting better from three-point range than its opponent.
• USU is 113-17 when blocking more shots than its opponent.
• USU is 92-18 when scoring 70-plus points in a game.
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.
LEFTOVERS FROM THE LOUISIANA TECH GAME
Utah State record 20-plus assists for the 10th time this year, while its 25 assists were the second-most in a single game this season... It's seven blocks tied a season-high and were as many blocks as the team had in its previous five games combined... USU's bench scored 16 points which were the most by its reserves in 13 games... It's two made three-pointers tied for the fewest in a single game this year... It's nine steals were the most in a single-game since USU had a season-high 14 against Prairie View A&M, a span of 17 games.
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.
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.
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 233-84 (.735) record, including a 121-44 (.733) conference mark in the Big West and WAC. While at Utah State, he has guided the Aggies to nine 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 75.4 percent with an overall record of 218-71. Against conference opponents, Utah State has a 138-49 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 141-12 (.922) at home, which includes a 75-8 (.904) record in league play. As for Morrill, he has won 20 or more games on 13 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 451 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 13 20-win seasons. His current streak of nine 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 (233-84) 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 (317) 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 233-84 (.735) overall record, a 121-44 (.733) conference record and a 17-5 (.773) record in conference postseason play. Overall, Morrill owns a 451-222 (.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 451 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 13 20-win seasons, while his current streak of nine 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 141-12 (.922) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Morrill.
• Morrill has led Utah State to nine 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.
