Playing for all the marbles
One game.
The postseason for the men and women basketball teams hinges on one game – the first.
Competing in the WAC Basketball Tournament in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the Aggie basketball teams will face off against tough WAC foes in one of the most challenging basketball conferences in the country. The tournament is single elimination so the performance in the first game is the fine line between success and a plane ride home.
“We have a tough row to hoe, there’s no question about that,” said men’s basketball head coach Stew Morrill in a press conference earlier this week. “That’s the nature of the WAC.”
After losing at home on Saturday to Fresno State, the Aggies dropped to the fourth seed, pitting them against the Hawaii Warriors. The Aggies are 1-1 against the Warriors, winning at home and losing on the road. Both games were decided by a slim margin of eight points.
Hawaii is led by senior guard Matt Lojeski, who averages 16.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He is joined in scoring by forward Ahmet Gueye with 12.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and Matt Gibson, a guard, who averages 10.3 points a game. The Warriors post a 46.2 percent field goal average and shoot 34.5 percent from beyond the arc.
“[Lojeski’s] on a roll and he’s a really good player, and capable of a lot of big nights,” Morrill said. “We’ve got to do something to get him stopped. Ahmet Gueye is a load down low, and we’ve had to double him a lot, but Matt Gibson is kind of the kicker. When Gibson really has a good game, now you’re in trouble because they’ve got three guys that can jump up and get 20-plus. They’ve got a lot of good players. That’s what you face in this league is a lot of good players.”
The Aggies are led in scoring by junior guard Jaycee Carroll who averages 21.0 points per game and 6.2 rebounds a game. Carroll was named first-team all-WAC for his performance on the court this year.
Commenting on Carroll’s selection, Morrill said, “For him to move up to first-team, with the talent level of that team is tremendous, and a great accomplishment by him. Every one of his coaches and teammates are just tickled for him. I wish we would have had a few more guys get some recognition.”
Carroll is not alone in shooting. He is joined in a double-digit average by senior forward Chaz Spicer at 10.9 points and 3.6 rebounds and junior forward Stephen DuCharme who averages 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
“Obviously, the tournament is another phase of your season,” Morrill said. “It’s a one-week opportunity to get to the NCAA Tournament for everyone in our league for an automatic berth. Nevada pretty much knows they’re in, but other than that here’s everybody else’s chance.”
The women’s basketball team gets its first shot at victory tonight against the Nevada Wolf Pack. The Aggies are 1-1 on the season against the Wolf Pack. The last time the Lady Ags squared off against Nevada they lost 61-49 on the road. But on Feb. 15 the Lady Ags dominated the Wolf Pack in a 59-44 home victory.
This marks the fourth consecutive year the Lady Ags have competed in conference postseason play. However, the women’s basketball team has not won a conference postseason game since 1977 in the AIAW Playoffs.
Last season the Lady Ags didn’t make it past the play-in game, losing to 8th seed Idaho, 70-59. This year the Aggies look to fix that and gain their first conference postseason win.
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu