Basketball takeaways against Missouri State
A few thoughts on Utah State’s 69-68 win over Missouri State (and the season at large):
THE AGGIES ARE STILL TRYING TO FIND THEIR RHYTHM
After using the same starting lineup in each of the first five games, head coach Tim Duryea mixed things up against the Bears. Juniors Shane Rector and Lew Evans got the nod, replacing Julion Pearre and Elston Jones, respectively. The Aggies started the game with a scoring drought, not getting their first bucket until more than three minutes into the game. Unfortunately, offensive droughts have been a recurring problem for USU this year, regardless of the lineup.
It looks like the Aggies haven’t quite found their groove yet; the timing between the players is off. Evans was open under the hoop on consecutive possessions in the first half, but the pass was thrown too far in front of him as he rolled to the hoop on the first possession and was too high to catch on the next.
Timing is critical to success for a basketball team, especially one that moves the ball as much as Utah State does. The Aggies have a number of new players in new roles this year, so it’s natural that timing isn’t fully developed yet.
THE AGGIES WILL GO AS FAR AS JALEN MOORE CARRIES THEM
Senior Chris Smith is the leading scorer for USU right now (14.7 points per game), but Moore is the engine that runs the team. Particularly on the defensive side of the ball, his length and quickness cause matchup problems for opponents. On one play in the first half, Missouri State attempted to inbound the ball to a guard beyond the 3-point line. Moore jumped the pass and tipped the ball into the air. The Bears recovered the loose ball, but Moore’s effort disrupted the offense and prevented a bucket on the possession.
Offensively, too, the Aggies are dependent on Moore. He scored nearly a third of USU’s points (20 on 7 of 18 shooting) and carried the team for large stretches. After the Bears took a 53-49 lead, Moore scored eight of the next 12 points for the Aggies over a four-minute stretch. Other players have the ability to lead the team on any given night, but Moore is the glue that holds the offense and defense together.
THE AGGIES CAN SCORE IN BUNCHES
I mentioned the scoring droughts already, but USU can string a lot of buckets together in a short amount of time when the offense is humming. The Aggies scored only seven points in the first seven minutes of the game, then scored 11 on the next five possessions. Evans started the run with a mid-range jump-shot, then Smith, Pearre and Smith again hit 3-pointers on the next three possessions. The scoring bursts are a small vision of the potential this offense has once the players get their timing down.
The next game for USU is a road game against BYU on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
— thomas.sorenson@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @tomcat340