7-0 Aggies take on 7-0 Anteaters for first place
One team will come out of Wednesday’s game having suffered its first league loss of the season.
This will be one of the biggest tests for the Aggies this season, but as the Utah State basketball team travels to the Bren Events Center to play the University of California at Irvine Wednesday, guard Tony Brown is low key.
No one on the team really cares that USU is 7-0 in conference this season, nor that the squad has won 26 straight against league opponents, nor even that USU is off to its best start since the 1959-60 season, Brown said.
What Brown is worried about is the team’s sluggishness after a win against the University of Idaho on Saturday.
“We’ve got to get it out of us,” he said. “Everybody should get their own energy. If everybody handles their job, we should be fine.”
Last February the Aggies faced a similar situation heading into the Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State University – a venue infamous among league members as one of the most difficult places to play. USU, then 9-0 in conference action, and LBSU were both unbeaten up to that point. The Aggies passed the test, defeating the 49ers, 71-63.
All-time USU is 23-22 against UC Irvine; 8-13 on the road. The last time the teams played in Irvine was in 1998 when the Aggies posted a 60-51. USU’s last loss in Irvine was in 1996. The Aggies took care of the Anteaters last year in Logan with a score of 81-46.
No current Aggies have played in the Bren Events Center, Brown said. From what USU head coach Stew Morrill has heard, the game will be a sell-out.
“I hope there is a crowd,” Morrill said. “It makes it more fun.”
Morrill was less than enthused by the scheduling of the game on Wednesday.
“That’s really nice of the league to do that,” he said sarcastically. “I’d rather have a little bit longer prep time. We’re a little bit rushed.”
The reason they’re rushed is California State University at Fullerton, their opponent for Friday, is having a big celebration in the Pond in Anaheim, forcing the games to be moved up one day, Morrill said.
Forcing his is players to miss so much school is also disconcerting, he said. But there is one thing about the trip Morrill is excited about – the team will stay at the same hotel the whole trip.
“We don’t have to move our stuff,” Morrill said.
That beats late night bus rides from city to city and no time to practice, Morrill said.
The USU-UCI matchup will pit the two best defensive teams in the league against each other. UCI has held its opponents to just 38.6 percent shooting, while USU isn’t far behind at 38.9. The Anteaters are holding foes to 60.2 points per game, while the Aggies have been holding opponents to an average score of 59.
“They’re probably a lot like us in a lot of ways,” Morrill said of the Anteaters. “They have balance.”
One Anteater Morrill is specifically worried about is guard Jerry Green.
“He might be the premier player in the league right now, and it is a huge challenge trying to guard him,” he said. “One thing a lot of people don’t realize is how much he gets to the free throw line. If you foul him, it’s basically points.”
Green, who stands at 6-foot-3, averages 17.7 points a game and 21.7 points per game in league action this season. Forward Ben Jones is the Anteaters’ only other double-figure scorer at 11.9 per game.
Green’s size presents a problem for anyone guarding him, Morrill said. He said Green will try to post up on USU’s Bernard Rock, who only stands at 5-foot-10.
Morrill will switch up on guarding Green, but he’s not too worried if Rock draws the assignment most of the game.
“Bernard did such a good job last year,” he said. “[Green’s] quickness level makes you want to put Bernard on him rather than Tony.”
Morrill is also high on UC Irvine freshman center Adam Parada, who is averaging 7.9 points and 5.9 rebounds this year.
“He can pass. He can shoot. He can jump inside,” Morrill said of Parada. “He can play over either shoulder.”
Morrill said he believes Dimitri Jorssen will have the edge in the matchup because of his experience.
“You’d like to see an experienced player assert himself and be physical with a young redshirt freshman, and hopefully he will do that,” Morrill said.