Men’s hoops set to clash with SDSU
Hot off a big home win over Wyoming Tuesday night, Utah State next faces a 6-2 San Diego State team in one of the most hostile venues in the Mountain West.
The Aggies, picked to finish 10th in the conference, currently boast a 5-3 record and sit in the middle of a five-way tie for third place in league play.
USU’s ability to steal a road win from the Aztecs will be tested by a San Diego State squad that typically represents the class of the Mountain West. Coming off of a double-digit victory over a good Fresno State team, SDSU will look to grab sole possession of first place with a win.
But first, they’ll have to find a solution for freshman forward David Collette.
“Right now the way things are going, we’ve competed in every game,” Collette said. “We’ve beaten the top team in our conference, and right now we know we’re a huge contender to finish at the top of the league.”
Following last season’s exodus, expectations for head coach Stew Morrill and the Aggies dropped with no clear answer for the gaping holes in USU’s roster. Collette, alongside returning sophomore Jalen Moore and a host of quality transfers, have made the young team competitive in each of its seven conference games this year.
“We’ve made a lot of strides and I’m pleased with our guys along those lines,” Morrill said before facing Wyoming. “We’re defending pretty well. We’re taking care of the ball, and we have a lot of guys that can step up and have good nights.”
Averaging 13.3 points per game this season, Collette played a key role in Tuesday’s matchup against the Cowboys. Frequently assigned to defend all-conference starter Larry Nance Jr., Collette got the best of Nance in his most complete game of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing five rebounds while committing just one foul.
5-3 might even be a relief to some, but Collette said his team won’t be satisfied with simply exceeding expectations.
“We know in the eyes of the people around us it would seem like a decent finish,” Collette said. “We know that’s not what we want. We talk about if we finish 9-9 in league, we’ve done a pretty good job, but you know that’s not what we’re going for. For us that’s settling.”
USU will have its hands full with the Aztecs, who badly out-rebounded Fresno 40-28 on Tuesday. The Aggies have only recently begun winning the rebounding battle, grabbing more boards than their opponents in their last two games.
“We just had everybody really focus on that,” Morrill said. “There’s not a lot you can do differently. You can work on it. You can emphasis block-outs. You can emphasis five guys to the boards, but it has to be guys stepping up.”
SDSU will be led by Marvelle Harris, currently tied for second in the MWC with 17.9 points per games. Coached by Steve Fisher, the Aztecs frustrate opponents with suffocating defense and multiple scoring threats on the offensive end. Four players scored in double figures in SDSU’s victory over Fresno.
As good as the Aztecs are cleaning up the glass, they’re also turnover-prone, which bodes well for the Aggies who scored 14 points off of turnovers, including 10 in transition Tuesday. A faster pace means less time for SDSU to set its defense and a chance for USU to knock off two first-place teams in a row.
“We keep getting better every day,” Collette said. “Every game we come out and improve on things.”
— logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @logantj