Looking to rebound
After losing in double overtime at Fresno State last Saturday, the Utah State men’s basketball team will return to the Spectrum to face the Boise State Broncos Thursday at 7 p.m.
Head Coach Stew Morrill said the Aggies cannot get stuck on that loss.
“The key thing when you lose a double-overtime game is where you’re going to be mentally and how you’re going to respond,” he said. “What’s going to be your outlook in terms of your effort level, your concentration level? Those kind of things.”
With that said, Morrill said he expects his team to be at its best Thursday.
“I would be surprised if our guys are not ready to go,” he said.
They are a good group of guys and they played very, very well against Fresno State in a lot of areas. We can’t afford to have a hangover from the Fresno game. We need to get our engines running.”
The loss to FSU dropped the Aggies to 1-2 in conference play with a 9-4 record overall. They will play five of their next six games at home, matching up with BSU, Idaho and Louisiana Tech before traveling to Nevada.
The Broncos are 8-5 so far this season with a 1-1 record in conference play after splitting a homestand against Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State. BSU has never won in Logan.
Morrill said it will still be a challenge to beat the Broncos.
“Boise is very difficult to play,” he said. “Their style of play is very conducive to their personnel. They play very fast, and they cause you lots of match-up problems trying to figure out who is where on their break. They’re very good at pushing the ball and making plays.”
The Broncos are led by Coby Karl. The junior is averaging 15.3 points and 5.3 rebonds per game.
“I knew Coby Karl was good, but I didn’t know he was as good as he is until I watched him on tape,” Morrill said. “He’s a great shooter. He’s an unbelievable passer. He’s got a great feel, and he’s much quicker than I anticipated.”
Morrill said USU has struggled against quicker opponents in the WAC this season.
“What’s hurt us the most is our inability to defend off the dribble against very quick players,” he said. “We’re seeing a higher level of quickness and athleticism in this league, and that’s exactly what I expected, having been in this league before. Trying to defend guys off the dribble and then trying to rebound with the quickness and athleticism is the two biggest concerns.”
Morrill said the key to defend against quick players is to make fewer errors than your opponent.
“When you’re not quite as quick as the other guy, then you have to make a lot fewer errors,” he said. “Quickness covers up a lot of mistakes. We’ve just got to get where we are more disciplined and make fewer errors.”
The backbone of the Aggies during their last road trip was Nate Harris, averaging 28.5 points and 10.5 rebounds against San Jose State and FSU.
“Nate’s having success because Nate’s playing damn good basketball,” he said. “He’s very confident, and obviously we go to him a lot. People are having to figure out how to guard him. And when they double him, he’s a very good passer.”
The player USU wants him to pass to on the perimeter is Jaycee Carroll, but the sophomore hasn’t been as explosive as he was last season when he was the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year.
Morrill said teams are guarding him different than last season.
“They are knocking the you-know-what out of him,” he said. “They are showing off of screens, switching on him, doubling him. Their whole deal is make him have to do something other besides get open shots. He’ll adjust, but it’s been a little bit of a shock to the system, I think.
“He’s having to earn everything he gets, and it will only make him better.”
-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu
Utah State’s Cass Matheus dunks over a Binghamton player on Dec. 30.