State your case:
Women
If you’ve watched the USU women at all this season, you know they’re much better than their record shows and that Jennifer Schlott has the Aggies playing their best ball of the season.
Schlott is currently the No. 4 scorer in the nation, averaging 26.1 points per game, and is a matchup nightmare for both of USU’s potential first round opponents.
The Aggies will face either New Mexico or San Jose State on Monday. Schlott burned New Mexico for 30 points in a road victory earlier in the season and beat them in the Spectrum on a late drive to keep the Lobos winless against the Aggies this year.
USU also deconstructed SJSU on both ends of the floor in its most dominant win of the season Saturday. The Aggies held the Spartans to just six field goals in the second half and led by as many as 31 points.
The Aggies can certainly expect to move past the first round of the tournament to seek revenge against a Colorado State team that couldn’t miss in the Spectrum in their last meeting. Combining the momentum from the past two weeks of excellent play with a better gameplan, USU could potentially upset the top-ranked Rams.
Knocking off a No. 1 seed is a daunting task, but If there’s one thing I’ve learned watching USU play this season, it’s to never bet against Schlott and her teammates when they believe that they can win.
– logan.jones@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @logantj
Men
A first glance at conference records would suggest the women’s basketball team has a better shot at winning the Mountain West Tournament, but a tournament is all about matchups.
The men’s team will likely face Colorado State in the first round, a team USU has beaten both times. The second round game, then, would probably be against a tough San Diego State team, but it’s a team USU took to overtime and has confidence against.
If USU can pull the upset there, it gets a bit easier with a semifinal game against the No. 4 or No. 5 seed. That would be against either Boise State, Nevada or a Nance-less Wyoming, all teams that USU has beaten except Wyoming.
Three straight wins would send the Aggies to the championship game, most likely against New Mexico or UNLV. Both teams have swept USU, but the Aggies played New Mexico extremely tough in the Pit and had a halftime lead against UNLV at home.
The women, on the other hand, face a giant road block. Assuming they win their first game like they should, they would have to play No. 1-seed CSU in the second round, a team that beat them by 25 points in their last meeting.
Even if they did pull the upset, they rely so heavily on Jennifer Schlott that an off night from her dooms their hopes. The men, however, have three potent offensive weapons any given night in Spencer Butterfield, Preston Medlin and Jarred Shaw.
– cmakelky@gmail.com
Twitter: @cmakelky