In a fight for first place, USU tries to cool the Gauchos
From a coaching standpoint, Utah State’s Stew Morrill said he is irritated his squad isn’t in first place with its 21-3 overall and 10-1 league record. As it stands now, USU is in a dead heat with University of California at Irvine in the race for the league title.
The team was riding a 12-game winning streak earlier this season before running into the Anteaters in Irvine. Going into Thursday’s game against the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Aggies hope to be the spoilers that snap the Gauchos’ five-game winning streak.
“We are catching them at their hottest time,” said USU head coach Stew Morrill. “They did a good job of not getting down when they struggled a little bit earlier in the year.”
Hot, as defined by the Gauchos, is holding opponents to 42.9 percent shooting or lower while shooting 45.3 percent or higher in the last five games. Over the last five contests they are 58 percent from they field. In the last five games UCSB has outrebounded its opponents by an average of 3.8 a game. The five-game winning streak is the longest of head coach Bob Williams’ career.
USU is hot as well.
The Aggies are currently tied for the second-most wins in the nation with 21. Since Jan. 1, 2000, USU has the second-best record in the country at 41-5. The Aggies have won 15 of their last 17 road games.
The Aggies go into their battle with the Guachos holding their last six opponents to fewer than 60 points. USU foes have averaged 57.7 points a game this season, which is the third-best mark in the nation.
The Gauchos have three players averaging in double figures – forward Mark Hull (14.3), forward Branduinn Fullove (11.8) and center Mike Vukovich (11.6).
Morrill said Vukovich is a good low post player who can hit the15-footer.
“Every guy they’ve got has gotten better,” he said.
The Gauchos play an “up and down” style and are fast off the break, Morrill said.
“I don’t think our players know how good Santa Barbara is,” he said. “They get the ball up the floor extremely fast; if they get any crack at the basket at all they shoot it.”
Morrill said UCSB is well organized. The squad has four taller players who can shoot from the perimeter, which will present matchup problems for USU, he said.
With the team’s next three games on the road, Morrill is a little weary.
“I think we’ve got a tremendous challenge with three straight road games,” he said. “The best thing we can do, right now, is kind of go back to last year when we just tried to focus on our next game.”
All-time USU is 28-21 against UCSB, including a 10-12 mark in Santa Barbara. The Aggies defeated the Gauchos in the two team’s only meeting last season by a score of 61-57.