Ag hoopsters up to challenge
Basketball is a goofy game. At least that is what Utah State hoops coach Stew Morrill thinks.
And his most recent evidence came in the form of a 68-67 UC Santa Barbara loss at Long Beach State.
“Santa Barbara was unbelievable at Irvine [on Jan. 30],” Morrill said. “I told Al [Lewis] that I have never seen a better road performance in this league. They just played flawless basketball and dominated the game.
“You assume [the Gauchos] are going to go to Long Beach and continue to be on a roll, but it didn’t happen.”
Utah State hopes the same will be true as it heads to Southern California for two games. The Aggies will take on UCSB Thursday at 8:05 p.m. and Cal Poly Saturday at 8:05 p.m.
Following a 60-56 victory at Idaho last Saturday, the Aggies (7-2 in league, 16-4 overall) are still in first place in the Big West Conference at the halfway point.
“After the first half of the year, to be in the position we are, is certainly a pleasant one,” Morrill said.
The Gauchos, however, would certainly like to change Morrill’s tune, as well as avenge the 75-59 embarrassment on Jan. 11 at the Spectrum.
The Aggies held Branduinn Fullove to seven points, while Mark Hull and Nick Jones recorded 15 and 11, respectively.
“This will be a fun game for us,” Morrill said. “They are in a situation, I’m sure, where they feel they have to protect their home court. I’m sure we’re going to find a very hostile environment and a very hostile Gaucho team.”
And Fullove in particular will likely be out to get the Aggies.
Following the espn2 game in Logan, the starting forward let it be known that he wasn’t going to make it easy for USU to succeed on his turf.
“At the end of the game he was pretty vocal about that,” Morrill said of Fullove seeking revenge. “Maybe he’ll try too hard though.”
In the last two Gaucho games, Fullove has had the type of performances that he is most known for. In the win at Irvine, the junior recorded 22 points, and in the loss at Long Beach he racked up 20.
Jones has also been somewhat of a hot hand for UCSB, finishing with 16 and 13 points, respectively in his latest outings.
Prior to the meeting in Logan, the Gauchos had lost six out of their eight previous games. The trend is a little different this time. UCSB is 4-1 since Jan. 16.
The reason?
“They had a better schedule than they did in the preseason — they got into league play,” Morrill said. “That helped them, certainly. They’re good. They are picked to win our league for a reason and they’ve shown that they’re very capable of winning our league.”
Morrill said he finds UCSB a difficult team to defend because not only does it shoot the long ball, but it also drives to the hoop.
On the defensive end, the hardest thing about going up against the Gauchos is their tough man-to-man defense, Morrill said.
A major difference between this game and the last three contests at Santa Barbara will likely be the influence of the crowd. Morrill said he expects the students to be into the game similar to the atmosphere at Idaho.
After the road trip, the Aggies will return to the Spectrum where they will host five of their final seven games.
Morrill a Gaucho?
Gonzaga wasn’t always a given for Morrill — the fifth-year Aggie coach was also recruited by UC Santa Barbara.
“There was some good thinking,” Morrill said of his final decision to become a Bulldog. “You’ve got to understand — I was a conservative Utah boy that went to Provo High and then to Ricks College. When I went to Santa Barbara they had some stuff going on — it was the ’70s. [The students] blew up the bank when I was on my visit. That didn’t impress me a whole lot.
“It was a nice visit but just not where I thought I belonged.”
Shooting for five
The Aggies will look to extend their four-game winning streak in league play Thursday. It is the longest winning streak since an eight-game run last season.
UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara have also held four-game winning streaks in league this season.
–juag@cc.usu.edu