Could be a record night
The Utah State record book could look much different after Thursday night’s game against Boise State in the Spectrum.
With a win, head coach Stew Morrill would pass E. Lowell Romney, who coached the Aggies from 1920-41, for the most wins in school history. Also, senior guard Jaycee Carroll is 31 points away from breaking USU’s all-time scoring record, held by Greg Grant, who recorded 2,127 points in the mid-’80s for the Aggies.
But if he could only choose one record to be broken Thursday, Carroll has no doubt about which one it would be.
“The one record that is on my mind is coach Morrill’s record, because we need to win,” he said. “That would be very meaningful for myself and for our team. That would mean we are 3-0 in the WAC and we beat a very good team on our home court.”
Carroll said he is not going to press and force himself into mistakes just to get his 31 points.
Associate coach Don Verlin also said he sees Thursday night as just another game the Aggies need to win.
“In our notebook, we have one team goal, and that’s win our next game,” he said. “That’s all we focus on. That’s what we live and die by.”
It certainly won’t be easy against a very good Boise State team (12-4 overall, 3-1 in the WAC). Verlin said to win, the Aggies will have to compete as well as or better than they did in their 74-62 win over New Mexico State Saturday night in the Spectrum.
Boise is leading the WAC in field goal percentage, at 52.3, and on 3-pointers, at 37.1 percent, while scoring 81.8 points per game.
“They can’t come to the Spectrum and get those numbers,” Verlin said.
BSU has also been able to get it done on the road, racking up a six-game road winning streak. Utah State is on a seven-game winning streak and is 10-0 in the Spectrum this year. So something has to give.
“To win this league-and that’s what we’re planning on doing, it’s our goal every year to compete at the top of the league-you have to take care of your home court,” Verlin said.
Carroll agreed.
“The WAC is such a competitive conference, with teams that are at the same level, so you really don’t want to lose one at home,” he said. “You want to protect your home court and get those wins under your belt so you can go on the road and try to steal some road wins away for some people.”
The key to an Aggie win Thursday night lies in the team’s ability to slow the Broncos’ potent transition game, Verlin said.
“We’ve got to get back and get our defense established so we can contest their shots and protect our end and not let them shoot the percentage they’ve been shooting against everyone else in the league,” he said.
Carroll said Boise State gets 75-80 percent of their points from early offense.
Stopping some of the transition game comes down to being able to rebound with BSU’s front court, which consists of two senior forwards-6-foot-9-inch Matt Nelson and 6-foot-6-inch Reggie Larry. Nelson averages eight rebounds per game, and Larry brings down 8.9.
The Bronco duo also poses problems on the defensive end-Larry is good for 19.4 points per game, while Nelson pours in 16.5.
“Our defense has to start from the inside out,” Verlin said. “Our post guys, Wilkinson, DuCharme and Tai Wesley, have to play their best defensive game of the year if we’re going to come out on top.”
Wilkinson also sees the match-up with Nelson as a test of his post defense, something he said he has to work on. Wilkinson added that because BSU moves the ball so well, it will be harder for USU to double down on their post players.
With two hot teams and several marquee players on the floor, the crowd could be in for a barn burner-especially if last year’s game, which ended on a last second Chaz Spicer 3-pointer, is any indication of what’s to come.
“If I was a fan, I’d want to be at this game, the way it finished last year,” Verlin said. “If it’s not the best game coming to the Spectrum this year, it’s one of the top two.”
-da.bake@aggiemail.usu.edu