Aggie basketball looks to avenge conference losses
With his team riding a six-game winning streak, Utah State Head Coach Stew Morrill said he can’t remember having a team play as well, for as long as the Aggies have.
“But my memory is getting bad,” he said.
However, with No. 24 Pacific coming to town Saturday, Morrill does remember his team’s heartbreaking, double-overtime loss to the Tigers Jan. 13.
“We had a heck of a battle down there,” Morrill said. “I suspect it will be similar [in Logan].”
In their last meeting, senior forward Spencer Nelson carried the Aggies on his back, scoring almost all of his team’s second half points. Nelson leads the Aggies in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.6 points and 8.1 boards per game.
Still, Morrill isn’t surprised by Nelson’s performance.
“To be honest with you, I would have been surprised if he hadn’t this kind of a senior year,” Morrill said. “More than anything, he wants to win.”
While Nelson, Nate Harris and freshman Jaycee Carroll lead the team in scoring, Morrill said depth and contributions from other players have been the difference in the Aggies’ recent success.
“We’ve just had a lot of different guys step up and play well,” Morrill said. “That’s really helped our team at this point.”
Pacific comes into the Spectrum nationally ranked for the first time in school history – a similar scenario to last year when the Aggies, ranked in the Top 25, traveled to Stockton, Calif., and lost to the Tigers.
But Morrill said he expects Pacific to be motivated by its national ranking.
“We embraced it and enjoyed it and I think they’re doing the same thing,” he said. “If anything, it probably boosts their confidence. I don’t think it’s going to make them uptight at all.”
Before the Ags tipoff with Pacific, they’ll have to deal with Cal State Northridge Thursday.
The Matadors handed the Aggies a 70-67 loss when they last faced each other.
Morrill said Northridge’s defensive game plan forces teams into abnormal preparation and causes a high number of turnovers.
“They’ve had a ton of success with the half-court trap,” he said. “It’s not a type of game where you get to go in and run your stuff. You have to adapt to a variety of different looks.”
Both games will tip off at 7 p.m. in the Spectrum.
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