Aggies get a chance for revenge vs. UC Irvine
Revenge will be on the minds of USU fans Thursday night in the Spectrum.
University of California at Irvine gave USU its only Big West loss in the past few years at Irvine Wednesday. Now the Aggies want payback – even if their head coach Morrill likes to play it down.
“I want to be the first one to beat them, like they were the first ones to beat us,” said forward Dion Bailey. “That’s a challenge I get, and I’m sure it’s a challenge the team wants.”
But it’s not what Morrill wants.
“I think you get distracted if you start talking about this being a must-win game and the revenge,” Morrill said. “Let’s just be ready to pay and go play hard like we always do.”
The Aggies will have to play well if they want to win the rematch vs. the Anteaters, who are on a 13-game win streak in the Spectrum. In Irvine, USU shot 35 percent from the field and 14 percent from the line.
The poor shooting was probably because the Aggie big men Shawn Daniels, Dimitri Jorssen and Jeremy Vague were all in foul trouble, disabling the USU offense that relies on an inside-outside strategy.
“We had foul troubles big-time, and we did not make some plays down the stretch,” Morrill said. “And [the Anteaters] made a couple, and that was the difference.”
Morrill said he wants to keep Jorssen out of foul trouble so he can get back on track. In the past two games, the 7-foot-0 center scored just six points and was shut out in the Irvine game.
“If we can keep him on the floor, he has a better chance of having a good game,” Morrill said.
USU also has to do a better job guarding guard Jerry Green. He energized the Aggies for 22 points and was the only Irvine player in double figures.
“The best thing we can do is not let him get to the basket, and that’s a lot easier said than done,” Morrill said.
Green only scored four points in Saturday’s game vs. Long Beach State University, but did hit the game-winning jump shot. So even without Green playing his best for most of the game, USU could win.
Morrill pointed out Ben Jones and Malachi Edmond combined for 17 points, and the Anteaters’ freshman center Adam Parada hit some big shots down the stretch Wednesday.
“It’s not just a one-man show by any means; it’s a well-balanced basketball team that happens to have one premier player,” Morrill said.
The Anteaters broke an attendance record with a 5,231 sellout of the Bren Events Center when USU visited there last week.
“That’s respect for us,” Bailey said.
USU supporters hope to return the favor and sell out the 10,270-seat Spectrum Thursday.
The Aggies will continue their homestand on Saturday when they host Cal State Fullerton. USU dispatched the Titans, 72-56, when the two teams played last Saturday.
USU’s next homestand will be March 1 and 3 when they host the University of California at Santa Barbara and Cal Poly to finish up the Big West season. The contest against the Mustangs will be televised on ESPN.The Aggies will next be seen on television on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain when they travel to Long Beach on Feb. 17.