After 4 games at home, USU takes act on the road
The USU basketball team will be on the road Thursday for a rematch with the University of the Pacific. The Aggies defeated the Tigers earlier this season, 73-59.
Head coach Stew Morrill said the road game may prove more of a challenge. The Aggies have lost their last three games against Pacific on the road.
In their Jan. 13 contest, the Aggies were able to shut down forward Mike Hahn, thanks to Shawn Daniels’ career-high seven blocks. Morrill expects a better game out of Hahn on Thursday.
“[Hahn] is a rugged tough guy,” Morrill said. “I love his game.”
Morrill said the team may have to double team Hahn, but they cannot focus solely on him.
“[The Tigers] have a really good balance,” he said.
Other Pacific team members to watch for include guard Peter Heizer, forward Tom Cockle and center Ross Mills.
“They’re aggressive off the dribble,” Morrill said. “Mills is a post shooter.”
The Tigers are currently fourth in the Big West Conference standings.
The Aggies certainly have plenty of skills to boast about as well. Four of the five probable USU starters (Daniels, Curtis Bobb, Bernard Rock and Tony Brown) average 10 or more points per game. Three Aggies lead the Big West in one or two statistical categories. Brown leads the league in free throw percentage and assists/turnover ratio, Bobb leads in three-point field goal percentage and Rock leads the BWC in assists.
After its win against Boise State University, USU remains unbeaten in the league. The Aggies sit atop the conference standings with a 5-0 mark in BWC action, 16-2 overall. USU will be looking to make 25 wins in a row against BWC opponents, dating back to last year when the Aggies were undefeated in conference games. Morrill said the team is not expecting a perfect record again this season. He added that although he cannot guess which games the Aggies will fall short in, he does think USU will lose a few games.
“The winner of the league [this year] is going to have some losses. We were riding a charmed horse last year,” Morrill said. “My greatest satisfaction comes from working with great kids like these guys are.”
USU returns home on Saturday to host the University of Idaho. The Aggies already defeated the Vandals, 80-58, earlier this season.