Feb. 18, 2011

LOGAN, Utah -

Complete Release in PDF Format

Game 28No. 24/25 Utah State (24-3) vs. No. 23 Saint Mary's (22-5)Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 • 7 p.m. (MT) • Moraga, Calif.McKeon Pavilion (3,500) • Aggie Radio Network • ESPN2

GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 106th season of basketball this year and has an overall record of 1,452-1,005 (.591). USU hasn't had a losing season since 1993, a span of 17 years.

• Utah State's 24-3 record is the third-best start to a season in school history trailing the 2003-04 and 2008-09 teams that each won 25 of its first 27 games.

• Utah State has won 39 of its last 42 regular season games dating back to last year with all three losses coming on the road at No. 23 BYU (78-72), at No. 14 Georgetown (68-51) and at Idaho (64-56).

• Utah State is 4-1 all-time in BracketBuster games as it defeated Northwestern State (66-63) at home during the 2005-06 season, won at Oral Roberts (71-65) during the 2006-07 campaign, defeated UC Santa Barbara (72-59) at home during the 2007-08 season, lost at Saint Mary's (75-64) during the 2008-09 season and defeated Wichita State (68-58) last year.

• Utah State is 92-71 (.564) in road games under head coach Stew Morrill including a 27-28 (.491) record against non-conference opponents. During the last four years, Utah State is 27-11 (.711) on the road and 31-15 (.674) away from home. USU is 8-3 (.727) on the road this year and those eight road wins rank tied for the eighth-most in school history.

• Utah State's eight road wins are tied for the 11th-most in the nation behind Long Island (12-3), Belmont (10-4), Coastal Carolina (9-1), San Diego State (9-1), Murray State (9-2), Fairfield (9-3), Hofstra (9-3), Vermont (9-3), Rider (9-4) and James Madison (9-6). Overall, USU's 72.7 winning percentage on the road ranks tied for 18th in the nation.

• Utah State's 24 wins are tied for the third-most in the nation behind San Diego State (26) and Ohio State (25). Utah State, BYU, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Kansas and Pittsburgh all have 24 wins this year.

• Utah State (24-3) is one of just nine teams in the nation with three or fewer losses along with San Diego State (26-1), Ohio State (25-1), BYU (24-2), Duke (24-2), Kansas (24-2), Pittsburgh (24-2), Coastal Carolina (24-3) and Texas (22-3).

• As of Thursday, Feb. 17, Utah State has an RPI of 25 and a strength of schedule of 141 according to RealTimeRPI.com, while the Western Athletic Conference is ranked 13th.

UP NEXT
Utah State (24-3), who is ranked No. 24 in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and No. 25 in this week's Associated Press Poll, plays at No. 23 Saint Mary's (22-5) as part of the Sears BracketBusters on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. (MT). The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with Dave Flemming (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be aired live on KVNU 610 AM/95.9 FM in Cache Valley and 1320 AM along the Wasatch Front.

UTAH STATE ON ESPN
Utah State will be making its sixth of seven regular season appearances on the ESPN family of networks at Saint Mary's Saturday on ESPN2. USU is 3-2 in games played on ESPN this year and has won 31 of its last 42 games on the Entertainment Sports Network.

UTAH STATE VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
Utah State is 11-58 (.159) all-time against ranked opponents, which includes a 5-15 (.250) record under head coach Stew Morrill. The last time USU played a ranked opponent was on Dec. 4, 2010 when it lost at No. 14 Georgetown, 68-51. USU also lost at No. 23 Brigham Young this year, 78-72. The last time USU beat a ranked team was on Mar. 9, 2007 when it defeated No. 9 Nevada, 79-77, in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament. The last time USU played three ranked teams was during the 2006-07 season when it played a ranked Nevada team three teams, beating the Wolf Pack twice. USU also played three games against ranked opponents during the 2005-06 and 2004-05 seasons.

UTAH STATE NATIONALLY RANKED FOR THIRD TIME IN LAST EIGHT YEARS
Utah State is ranked 24th in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll released Monday and 25th in the latest Associated Press poll. USU was ranked 17th in last week's coaches' poll and 21st in the AP poll. The No. 17 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll is the highest-ever ranking for Utah State in that poll which expanded from 20 to 25 teams prior to the 1990-91 season. USU was also ranked 17th in coaches' poll during the 2008-09 season. The No. 21 ranking in this week's AP poll is the highest by an Aggie team since the 2008-09 team was also ranked 21st. USU was ranked 19th in the weekly AP poll during the 2003-04 season. Overall, it is the second time in the last three years and the third time in the past eight seasons that Utah State has been ranked in both polls. The last time a Utah State team was ranked higher than 17th in any poll was at the end of the 1974-75 season when it was ranked 13th in the final United Press International Coaches' poll.

UTAH STATE'S RECORD AS A RANKED TEAM UNDER MORRILL
With its No. 24/25 national ranking this week, Utah State has now been ranked during three different seasons (2004, 2009, 2011) under Morrill. In those three seasons, Utah State has played a total of 25 games as a top 25 team and went 8-3 as a ranked team during the 2003-04 season, 4-3 during the 2008-09 campaign and 6-1 thus far this year for a combined record of 18-7 (.720) as a top 25 team.

UTAH STATE WINS SHARE OF FOURTH-STRAIGHT WAC TITLE
With its 71-55 win against Fresno State on Feb. 12, Utah State won a share of its fourth-straight Western Athletic Conference regular season championship. The Aggies can win the title outright with a victory in its next WAC game against Idaho at home on Saturday, Feb. 26. USU shared the 2008 title with Boise State, Nevada and New Mexico State as all four teams had 12-4 league records, and won the 2009 and 2010 WAC titles outright with identical 14-2 conference records. Prior to USU's current run, Nevada won five straight regular season WAC titles from 2004-08.

UTAH STATE'S FOUR-STRAIGHT WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS A SCHOOL RECORD
Utah State's current run of winning four-straight Western Athletic Conference regular season championships is the longest in school history. The previous record for consecutive conference titles was two during the 1935-36 seasons in the Rocky Mountain Athletics Conference and the 1997-98 seasons in the Big West Conference.

UTAH STATE NOTCHES 12TH STRAIGHT 23 WIN SEASON
With its 71-55 win against Fresno State on Feb. 12, Utah State has now won 23 or more games in each of the last 12 seasons to extend its current school record. The previous USU record for consecutive 20-win seasons was three from 1962 to 1964. Overall, it is the 26th time in school history that USU has won 20 games.

UTAH STATE WINS 24 GAMES FOR 11TH TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY
With its 100-66 win against Montana Western in its last game, Utah State has now won 24 games for the 11th time in school history and its 24 wins this year are tied for the seventh-most in a single season at Utah State. It is also the ninth time that USU has won at least 24 games under Morrill.

UTAH STATE ONE OF THREE TEAMS NATIONALLY TO NOTCH 11 STRAIGHT 23-WIN SEASONS
Entering the 2010-11 season, Utah State was one of just three teams in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of the last 11 seasons along with Gonzaga and Kansas. Thus far this year, USU is 24-3 overall, Kansas is 24-2 and Gonzaga is 18-9. During the last 11 years, Utah State has averaged 25.4 wins per season.

UTAH STATE ONE OF NINE TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY TO WIN THREE-STRAIGHT LEAGUE TITLES
Entering the 2010-11 season, Utah State was one of nine teams in the nation to win at least three-straight regular season conference championships. Gonzaga has the longest active streak as it has won 10 straight West Coast Conference titles, while Kansas is second with six straight Big 12 titles. Butler (Horizon) and Xavier (Atlantic 10) are tied for third as each school has won four-straight league championships, while Utah State (WAC), Cornell (Ivy), Morgan State (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), Robert Morris (Northeast Conference) and Siena (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) have all won three-straight league titles.

CURRENT SENIOR CLASS WINNINGEST GROUP IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah State's current senior class that includes four-year players Matt Formisano, Tyler Newbold, Tai Wesley and Pooh Williams are the winningest players in school history with a four-year record of 104-27 (.794). Nate Harris (2003-06) was the winningest player in school history as he had a four-year record of 96-30 (.762).

LOOKING AT UTAH STATE
Utah State is 24-3 on the season and 12-1 in the Western Athletic Conference following its 100-66 non-conference home win against Montana Western Wednesday. USU is led by senior forward Tai Wesley who is averaging 14.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, while shooting 59.7 percent from the field and 71.8 percent at the free throw line. Senior guard Brian Green is averaging 11.0 points and shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 46.4 percent from three-point range and 76.1 percent at the free throw line. Junior guard Brockeith Pane is averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists and shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 21.2 percent from three-point range and 78.1 percent at the free throw line. Senior guard Pooh Williams is averaging 9.0 points and shooting 38.7 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 79.3 percent at the free throw line. And junior forward Brady Jardine is averaging 8.4 points and 7.8 rebounds, while shooting 55.7 percent from the field and 63.0 percent at the free throw line. As a team, Utah State is averaging 72.5 points and shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 72.7 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, USU is allowing 58.6 points and its opponents are shooting 38.7 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from three-point range and 66.5 percent at the free throw line.

UTAH STATE DURING ITS LAST FIVE GAMES
Utah State is averaging 74.2 points during its last five games, while shooting 47.8 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from three-point range and 76.9 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, USU is allowing 55.8 points during its last five games while its opponents are shooting 37.5 percent from the field, 22.9 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent at the line.

RANKING UTAH STATE IN THE WAC
As of Thursday, Feb. 17, Utah State ranks first in the WAC in scoring defense (58.6), first in scoring margin (+13.9), first in assists (15.44), first in field goal percentage (.471), first in field goal percentage defense (.387), first in three-point field goal percentage defense (.307), first in rebound margin (+9.0), second in three-point field goal percentage (.377), second in free throw shooting (.727), second in rebounding (37.8), third in scoring (72.5) and fifth in blocked shots (3.37). Individually, senior forward Tai Wesley ranks second in field goal shooting (.597), fourth in rebounding (7.9), seventh in scoring (14.3) and eighth in blocked shots (0.93). Senior guard Brian Green ranks first in three-point shooting (.464) and 10th in overall shooting (.476). Senior guard Tyler Newbold ranks eighth in assists (2.89) and 14th in three-point shooting (.367). Junior guard Brockeith Pane ranks fifth in free throw shooting (.781), fifth in assists (3.33) and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.25). Junior forward Brady Jardine ranks fourth in blocked shots (1.15), fourth in field goal shooting (.557) and fifth in rebounding (7.8). Senior guard Pooh Williams ranks 10th in three-point shooting (.385) and 14th in assists (2.37), and senior forward Nate Bendall ranks 12th in rebounding (5.6).

UTAH STATE RANKS FIFTH IN THE NATION IN SCORING DEFENSE
As of Monday, Feb. 14, Utah State ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense (58.3), eighth in rebound margin (+8.6), eighth in winning percentage (.885), 11th in field goal percentage defense (.388), 17th in scoring margin (+13.1), 26th in three-point field goal percentage defense (.305), 33rd in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.27), and 39th in fewest turnovers per game (11.8).

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State is the only team in the nation to have winning streaks of at least 10 games in each of the last four seasons as it had a 10-game winning streak in 2008, a school-record tying 19-game winning streak in 2009, a 17-game winning streak in 2010 and a 17-game winning streak in 2011.

RECAPPING THE MONTANA WESTERN GAME
Utah State hit the century mark for the first time since 2005 on the way to a 100-66 rout of Montana Western Wednesday night. The start of the second half was delayed 45 minutes to replace a backboard that shattered during warm-ups. Senior guard Brian Green tallied his fourth 20-point game of the season with 20 points as he tied a season and career-high by netting six three-pointers on 6-of-8 shooting, leading USU to a season-best 13 treys. Senior forward Tai Wesley matched Green with 20 points, his fifth outing of the year. Fellow senior forward Nate Bendall added a season-high 15 points to go with nine rebounds, one board shy of his third double-double of the year. Fellow forward, junior Brady Jardine added 11 points off the bench, as the Aggie reserves out-scored their counterparts, 48-28, a season-high scoring output for the USU bench. Montana Western was led by Cody Thueringer's 17 points, hitting five three-pointers, while Brandon Brown added 11 points. Bridger Chambers led the Bulldogs with four rebounds. USU had a 46-27 rebounding advantage over Montana Western. The Aggies also dished out a season-best 27 assists, and just shy of the top 10 in the record books. Junior guard Brockeith Pane distributed six helpers, and senior guard Pooh Williams dished out five, while senior guard Tyler Newbold and freshman guard James Walker III had four assists each. The Aggies made a season-high field-goals on the way to a 37-of-65 (56.9 percent) field goal shooting effort, hitting 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from three-point range. It was USU's seventh game hitting at least half of its shots from behind the arc. Utah State was also 13-of-17 (76.5 percent) at the free throw line. Montana Western shot 37.5 percent (24-of-64) from the field, making just 11-of-33 (33.3 percent) from three-point range. The Bulldogs were also 63.6 percent (7-of-11) at the charity stripe. The Aggies opened an 11-2 lead on a Jardine dunk at the 15:52 mark. Walker later had a block on the defensive end, then went coast-to-coast for the layup to put USU on top by double-digits for the first time at 18-7, the Aggies' eighth field goal of the game, but first without an assist. Green capped a 13-0 USU run with a three-pointer from the right corner with 7:10 to go for a 31-10 Aggie advantage, their first 20-point lead of the night. Newbold hit his second trey of the night, netting one from the right wing with 36 seconds left to send USU into halftime leading, 44-25. After the extended intermission, which included swapping out the basket standard and bringing in a back-up, USU opened a 26-point lead at 53-27 on back-to-back buckets by Bendall and Wesley. The Bulldogs clawed at the gap, cutting it to 16 at 59-43 with 13:26 remaining after Thueringer hit a three-pointer on four-straight possessions and Brown scored four points. That would be the closest they would get as Green netted consecutive treys. Jardine netted his first career three-pointer from the top of the arc for USU's first 30-point lead at 79-47 with 9:26 remaining and the Aggies coasted to the win. Sophomore guard E.J. Farris hit an up-and-under layup for Utah State's biggest advantage of the night at 97-59 with 2:21 to go and senior forward Matt Formisano made a free throw with 1:03 remaining to hit the century mark.

NOTE-ABLES FROM THE MONTANA WESTERN GAME
USU shot 50 percent from the field (.569) for the eighth time this season and 50 percent from three-point range (.591) for the seventh time... USU had two players scored 20 points in a game for the second time this year as senior guard Brian Green and senior forward Tai Wesley each scored 20 points. Wesley had 21 points against Utah, while junior forward Brady Jardine scored 20... USU had a season-high 27 assists and a season-high 37 made field goals... USU also tied its season-high with 65 field goal attempts... USU's bench scored a season-high 48 points... The 56 second-half points scored by Utah State are the most in either half since scoring 60 second-half points against Houston Baptist on Dec. 30, 2008... The 11 made three-pointers by Montana Western are tied for the most by a USU opponent this year along with 11 treys made by Denver, and the 33 three-point attempts are the most by an Aggie opponent this year.

AGGIES HIT CENTURY MARK AGAINST THE BULLDOGS
Utah State's 100-66 win against Montana Western on Feb. 16, 2011 marked the first time it has scored 100 points in a game since defeating Lewis & Clark College, 102-65, on Nov. 26, 2005. Overall, it was the 96th time in school history hanging triple digits on the scoreboard and USU is now 87-9 when doing so.

AGGIES MAKE SECOND-MOST TREYS IN A GAME IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah State was 13-of-22 (.591) from three-point range in its last game against Montana Western and those 13 made threes are tied for the second-most in a single game in school history. Overall, it is the eighth time that USU has made 13 treys in a game.

AGGIES GUARDING THREE-POINT LINE IN LAST FIVE GAMES
Utah State has done a great job guarding the three-point line as of late as it has held four of its last five opponents to less than 23 percent shooting from behind the arc. In its last five games, USU's opponents are shooting a combined 22.9 percent from behind the arc (25-109).

UTAH STATE'S BENCH SCORES SEASON-HIGH 48 POINTS AGAINST MONTANA WESTERN
Utah State's bench scored a season-high 48 points in its last game against Montana Western and USU's reserves are now averaging 23.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Those 23.8 points rank first in the WAC ahead of Fresno State's bench (23.2). On the season, USU is now 16-2 when its bench outscores its opponents bench and 7-1 when its bench is outscored.

AGGIES HAVE HAD SEVEN DIFFERENT PLAYERS LEAD THE TEAM IN SCORING THIS YEAR
Utah State has had seven players lead the team in scoring this year led by senior forward Tai Wesley who has led the team nine times and senior guard Brian Green who has led the team eight times. Junior guard Brockeith Pane has led the team in scoring six times and senior guard Pooh Williams has led the team in scoring three times, while senior forward Nate Bendall has led the team twice. Senior guard Tyler Newbold and junior forward Brady Jardine have led the team in scoring once each.

AGGIES UNDEFEATED THIS YEAR WHEN HOLDING ITS OPPONENTS UNDER 60 POINTS
Utah State is 16-0 this year and has won 24 straight games dating back to last season when allowing fewer than 60 points. The last time USU lost a game when allowing fewer than 60 points was on Jan. 2, 2010 at New Mexico State, 55-52. Overall, USU is 173-9 (.951) under Morrill when holding its opponents under 60 points.

UTAH STATE FROM THREE-POINT RANGE
Utah State has made at least one three-pointer in 155 straight games and the last time it did not make a three-pointer was on Dec. 16, 2006 in Provo as BYU defeated the Aggies, 75-62.

AGGIES HARD TO BEAT WHEN SCORING 70 POINTS
Utah State is 17-1 this year and has won 58 of its last 60 games when scoring at least 70 points.

LEADING AT THE HALF
Utah State is 21-0 this year and has won 45 straight games when leading at the half. The last time USU lost when leading at the half was on Nov. 21, 2009 at Northeastern. Over the last 12 years, USU is 252-23 (.916) when leading at the half and 41-62 (.398) when trailing at the half.

UTAH STATE FOLLOWING A LOSS
Utah State improved to 59-19 (.756) over the last 11 years following a loss including a 3-0 record this season with its 71-55 win against Fresno State in its last game. USU has also won 24 straight home games following a loss dating back to the 2003 season. During the last 11 years, USU has lost back-to-back games just 16 times and three games in a row just once during the 2007-08 season.

UTAH STATE WINS DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAGUE GAMES AGAIN
With its 12-1 Western Athletic Conference record, Utah State has now won at least 12 league games in each of the last four seasons and in 13 of the last 17 seasons overall. Overall, it is the 14th time in school history that Utah State has won at least 12 conference games in a season.

UTAH STATE IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
Utah State is 192-13 (.937) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Morrill, which includes a 93-5 (.949) record against non-conference opponents and a 99-8 (.925) record against league teams. USU is also 44-3 (.936) at home in Western Athletic Conference games. Utah State has won 31 straight WAC games at home, which is a school record, and 40 of its last 41 overall. The last WAC team to beat USU at home was Fresno State (71-66) on March 3, 2007. Overall, USU is 487-106 (.821) in this its 41st year in the building.

UTAH STATE HAS THIRD-LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAK IN THE NATION
Utah State has won 30 straight home games, which is the third-longest active winning streak in the nation behind Duke (33) and Kentucky (31). Overall, USU has won 82 of its last 84 home games, including 15 straight non-conference games at home. The Aggies last home loss came against Saint Mary's (68-63) on Dec. 5, 2009 as the Gaels snapped USU's school-record 37-game home winning streak.

UTAH STATE ONE OF THE MOST EXPERIENCED TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY
Utah State entered the 2010-11 season as one of the most experienced teams in the country as its six seniors are tied for the third-most in the country with Texas State. St. John's leads the nation with 10 seniors, while Cincinnati has seven seniors.

AGGIES ROSTER FULL OF SENIORS
After having just one senior on each of its last two teams, Utah State has six seniors on its 2010-11 roster which are the most for a USU team since the 2004-05 and 2000-01 teams also had six seniors, and the 1995-96 team had seven seniors.

UTAH STATE TRADITIONALLY ONE OF THE BEST SHOOTING TEAMS IN THE NATION
Utah State has led the nation in field goal shooting three times in the last six years as it shot 52.5 percent during the 2004-05 season, 51.4 percent during the 2007-08 season, and 49.6 percent during the 2008-09 season. Utah State finished the 2009-10 season ranking third in the nation in three-point shooting (.414), ninth in overall shooting (.488) and 10th in free throw shooting (.758), and was the only team in the nation to rank among the top 10 nationally in all three shooting categories.

SCOUTING SAINT MARY'S
Saint Mary's is 22-5 on the season and 10-2 in the West Coast Conference following its 74-66 road loss at San Diego Wednesday. The Gaels, who are ranked No. 23 in the nation in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, are 13-0 at home this year. Saint Mary's is led by senior guard Mickey McConnell who is averaging 16.9 points and 6.2 assists, while shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 47.3 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent at the free throw line. Junior forward Rob Jones is averaging 13.8 points and 7.7 rebounds, sophomore guard Matthew Dellavedova is averaging 12.7 points, and sophomore forward Mitchell Young is averaging 10.3 points per game. As a team, the Gaels are scoring 80.3 points per game and shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from three-point range and 75.1 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, SMC is allowing 65.0 points and its opponents are shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from three-point range and 67.6 percent at the free throw line. Saint Mary's returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team that went 28-6, finished in second-place in the WCC with an 11-3 league record, and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with wins against Richmond (80-71) and Villanova (75-68). Randy Bennett is in his 10th year as the Gaels head coach and has an overall record of 205-108.

UTAH STATE-SAINT MARY'S SERIES HISTORY
Utah State and Saint Mary's will be meeting for the eighth time this weekend with USU currently holding a 4-3 all-time advantage in the series, which includes a 1-1 road record. Last year, Saint Mary's snapped USU's school record 37-game home winning streak with a 68-63 victory on Dec. 5, 2009. The last time the two teams played one another in Moraga was on Feb. 21, 2009 as part of ESPNU BracketBusters, with the Gaels winning 75-64. The last time Utah State won a game in the series was on March 3, 1978 in Moraga, 96-80. The first game played in the series was during the 1939-40 season with Utah State winning at home, 41-32. Saint Mary's other win in the series was during the 1940-41 season when it won in Logan, 44-42.

VERSUS THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE
Utah State is 33-19 (.635) all-time against current members of the West Coast Conference as it is 13-2 against Portland, 4-1 against Gonzaga, 4-3 against Saint Mary's, 4-3 versus Santa Clara, 2-0 against San Diego, 2-2 against Pepperdine, 1-0 versus Loyola Marymount, and 3-8 against San Francisco. USU head coach Stew Morrill is 13-7 (.650) all-time against the WCC, which includes a 5-3 (.625) record while at Utah State. Morrill is also 2-4 all-time against Saint Mary's which includes a 2-2 record while the head coach at Montana and an 0-2 record at USU.

VERSUS THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Utah State is 115-27 (.810) against teams from the state of California during the last 12 years, which includes a 40-22 (.645) road record.

CURRENT AGGIES FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Utah State has two players on its current roster who are from the state of California in sophomore guard E.J. Farris who is from Newark (Newark HS/College of Sequoias) and freshman guard James Walker who is from Long Beach (Los Alamitos HS). Prior to this season, Utah State went three consecutive seasons without having a single player on its roster from the state of California. From the 1994-95 season through the 2006-07 season, Utah State had a total of 45 players from California on its rosters, including a single-season high of seven during the 2003-04 campaign.

UTAH STATE IN FEBRUARY
Utah State is 67-25 (.728) in the month of February under Morrill, which includes a 27-21 (.563) road record. USU is also 123-44 (.737) in games played on Saturday under Morrill and 6-7 (.462) all-time in known games played on Feb. 19.

LAST MEETING AGAINST SAINT MARY'S
Saint Mary's scored the last five points in the final minute of play to knock off Utah State, 68-63, on Dec. 5, 2009, snapping USU's home court winning streaks. The loss halts the Aggies' 37-game home winning streak and 65-game regular season non-conference home winning streak, as well as their 41-straight home non-conference victory streak. Utah State had four players in double-figures, led by junior guard Pooh Williams' 15 points, including 11 after halftime, while senior guard Jared Quayle tossed in 13 points and nine boards to go with matching a game-high five assists. Junior forwards Tai Wesley and Nate Bendall posted 12 and 11 points each, respectively, before both fouling out late in the contest. Omar Samhan led SMC with game-highs of 22 points and 17 rebounds, while Ben Allen added 14 points and seven boards and Matthew Dellavedova tallied 11. The Aggies shot 25-of-63 (39.7 percent) from the field, hitting 3-of-12 (25.0 percent) behind the three-point arc while making 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) at the free throw line. The Gaels were 42.6 percent (26-of-61) field goal shooting, netting 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from three-point range and were 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from the charity stripe. USU had a 41-38 rebounding edge, but SMC had a 17-8 second-chance edge, while the Aggies had a 24-14 points in the paint advantage. The game had nine ties, seven lead changes and a power outage, which happened at the start of intermission. Down 14-12, Utah State went on a 6-0 run for an 18-14 lead, but Saint Mary's reeled off 11 unanswered points, getting seven points from Samhan during the spurt, for a 25-18 lead. The Gaels held a 30-26 halftime lead before USU cut it to 33-31 on a Williams three-pointer from the left wing. Down 46-42, USU scored four straight points on back-to-back layups from freshman guard Preston Medlin and Williams to knot the score at 46-all, bringing the soldout Dee Glen Smith Spectrum to a roar and forcing a SMC timeout with 12:23 on the clock. The crowd roared even louder at the 8:55 mark when junior guard Tyler Newbold hit a jumper to give USU a 52-51 advantage, its first lead since 18-16. After Samhan hit one free throw to tie the score, Quayle hit a three-pointer for a 55-52 Aggie lead. That would be USU's largest and last lead of the second half, as Saint Mary's scored seven-straight points for a 59-55 lead, with Allen capping the streak with a trey from the left wing with 4:39 to play. The Aggies drew even at 63-63 with 1:06 on a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Brady Jardine, but SMC's Clint Steindl hit a triple from the right corner with 36 seconds left. After a USU turnover, Mickey McConnell hit two free throws with 17 seconds on the clock for a five-point Gael lead and the Aggies' final three three-point attempts were off the mark.

LAST MEETING AT SAINT MARY'S
Junior guard Jared Quayle scored a team-high 22 points and senior forward Gary Wilkinson added 16 points in No. 23 Utah State's 75-64 loss at Saint Mary's in the seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters on Feb. 21, 2009 in Moraga, Calif. Mickey McConnell had a career-high 22 points to lead Saint Mary's, while Omar Samhan finished the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Diamon Simpson also scored in double-figures for the Gaels as he had 18 points and seven boards. Leading by nine at the break, Saint Mary's scored seven of the first nine points of the second-half to build its biggest lead of the game at 45-31. In all, the Gaels had a 16-5 run during an eight-minute stretch to end the first-half and begin the second. Utah State battled back to within five points at 58-53 on a three-pointer from sophomore guard Pooh Williams with 5:06 to play, but Saint Mary's scored four straight points to increase its advantage to nine. Quayle then scored six quick points for the Aggies on a deep three-pointer from the top of the key followed by an old-fashioned three-point play to get USU back to within three at 62-59 with 2:06 to play. However, the Gaels made 8-of-10 free throws in the final 1:39 to notch the 11-point win. In all, Quayle scored the Aggies final 11 points of the game. Utah State finished the game by shooting 46.2 percent overall (24-52), including 40.0 percent from three-point range (4-10). Saint Mary's shot 51.9 percent from the field (27-52) and 28.6 percent from behind the arc (4-14). The Gaels were also 17-of-26 (.654) from the free throw line as compared to 12-of-15 (.800) for USU. SMC also out-rebounded USU, 35-26. Saint Mary's broke open a close game in the final 3:37 of the first-half as it used a 9-3 run to take a 38-29 lead into the locker room. SMC shot 50.0 percent (16-32) in the first-half, while Utah State shot 47.8 percent (11-23). The Gaels also dominated the glass in the first-half as it out-rebounded USU, 18-13, including eight offensive boards. Wilkinson paced Utah State with eight first-half points, while McConnell had 11 for Saint Mary's.

THREE AGGIES RANK AMONG TOP 10 ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN GAMES PLAYED
Seniors Tyler Newbold, Tai Wesley and Pooh Williams all rank among the top 10 all-time at Utah State in games played as Newbold and Wesley have both played in 132 games to rank second all-time in school history behind Jaycee Carroll (134), while Williams has played in 124 games to rank sixth all-time. Newbold also ranks second all-time at USU in games started with 122 behind Carroll (132), while Wesley ranks third with 121.

WESLEY THE MOST COMPLETE PLAYER IN UTAH STATE HISTORY AND IN THE NATION
Senior forward Tai Wesley has 1,632 career points, 814 career rebounds, 346 career assists, 133 career blocks and 103 career steals and is the only player in school history to have at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 blocks in a career. The only Aggie player other than Wesley who can come close to his numbers is Nate Harris (2003-06) who had 1,475 points, 722 rebounds, 220 assists and 90 blocks in his career. Entering the 2010-11 season, there were only three other active players at the Division I level with at least 1,200 career points, 600 career rebounds and 100 career blocks and those players are Jeff Allen of Virginia Tech, Keith Benson of Oakland and Kenneth Faried of Morehead State. In the 48-year history of the Western Athletic Conference, Wesley is one of just four players who have ever produced similar numbers joining New Mexico's Luc Longley (1988-91) and Kenny Thomas (1996-99), and Utah's Josh Grant (1988-93).

WESLEY RANKS AMONG TOP 10 ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN NUMEROUS CATEGORIES
Senior forward Tai Wesley ranks among the top 10 all-time at Utah State in numerous categories and the following is a list of where Wesley ranks all-time in school history in each category.
• Third all-time with 133 career blocks and 15 blocks away from tying Nate Wickizer (1992-95) for second with 148 career blocks. Wesley's career average of 1.02 blocks per game ranks fourth all-time in school history.
• Third all-time with 94 double-figure scoring games. Jaycee Carroll (2005-08) holds the school record with 121 double-figure scoring games.
• Fourth all-time with a career field goal shooting percentage of 59.6 percent (616-1,034), which also ranks fourth all-time in the history of the Western Athletic Conference.
• Seventh all-time with 616 career field goals and 13 made field goals shy of tying Kendall Youngblood (1989-92) for sixth all-time with 629 career made field goals.
• Seventh all-time with 3,546 career minutes played and trailing current teammate Tyler Newbold for sixth all-time with 3,730 career minutes.
• Seventh all-time with 560 career free throw attempts and nine free throw attempts shy of tying Cornell Green (1960-62) for sixth all-time with 569 career free throw attempts.
• Seventh all-time with 814 career rebounds and 26 rebounds shy of tying Brian Jackson (1978-81) for sixth-place all-time with 840 career rebounds.
• Seventh all-time with 395 career free throws made and two made free throws shy of tying Brian Jackson (1978-81) for sixth all-time with 397 career made free throws.
• Eighth all-time in scoring with 1,632 career points and 142 points shy of tying Kendall Youngblood (1989-92) for seventh all-time with 1,774 career points. In 132 career games, Wesley is averaging 12.36 points per game.
• Eighth all-time with 346 career assists and trailing current teammate Tyler Newbold for seventh with 348 career assists.
• 10th all-time with 103 career steals and two steals shy of tying Jeff O. Anderson (1985-88) for ninth all-time with 105 career steals.

NEWBOLD RANKS AMONG TOP 10 ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN SEVERAL CATEGORIES
Senior guard Tyler Newbold ranks among the top 10 all-time at Utah State in several categories and the following is a list of where Newbold ranks all-time in school history in each category.
• Fifth all-time with 456 career three-point attempts.
• Fifth all-time with 189 made three-pointers and 20 treys shy of tying Jay Goodman (1991-93) for fourth all-time with 209 career made threes.
• Fifth all-time in minutes played with 3,730 and 38 minutes shy of tying Brian Jackson (1978-81) for fourth all-time with 3,768 career minutes.
• Sixth all-time in three-point shooting at 41.4 percent (189-456) along with Reid Newey (1984, 87-89).
• Seventh all-time with 348 career assists and 16 assists shy of tying Jay Goodman (1991-93) for sixth all-time with 364 career assists.

NEWBOLD CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER POINTS AND 500 CAREER REBOUNDS
Senior guard Tyler Newbold is closing in on a couple of milestones as he currently has 971 career points and 491 career rebounds and is 29 points shy of becoming the 35th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Newbold is also nine rebounds shy of 500 for his career.

JARDINE RANKS SIXTH ALL-TIME IN BLOCKED SHOTS
Junior forward Brady Jardine ranks sixth all-time at Utah State with 66 career blocks and is now 24 blocks shy of tying Nate Harris (2003-06) for fifth all-time with 90 career blocks.

GREEN RANKS FIRST ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE AND THE WAC IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Senior guard Brian Green ranks first all-time at Utah State in three-point shooting at 48.0 percent (118-246), which also ranks first all-time in the history of the Western Athletic Conference. Green also ranks eighth all-time at USU in three-pointers made with 118. Last year, Green set the single-season school record for three-point shooting at 50.0 percent (53-106).

WILLIAMS RANKS AMONG TOP 10 ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN THREE-POINTERS MADE AND ATTEMPTED
Senior guard Pooh Williams ranks ninth all-time at Utah State with 290 three-point attempts and 10th all-time with 108 made three-pointers, as he is shooting 37.2 percent from three for his career.

WESLEY SCORES 20 POINTS FOR FIFTH TIME THIS SEASON
Senior forward Tai Wesley scored 20 points for the fifth time this year and 13th time in his career with 20 points in his last game against Montana Western. It was also his 21st double-figure scoring game of the season and 94th of his career. During his last five games, Wesley is averaging 14.2 points and 8.2 rebounds, while shooting 55.1 percent from the field (27-49) and 94.1 percent at the free throw line (16-17).

WESLEY RECORDS 14TH CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE AT IDAHO
Senior forward Tai Wesley recorded his fifth double-double of the season and 14th of his career at Idaho with 11 points and 10 rebounds, which was his 15th career double-figure rebound game.

PANE HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE-FIGURES IN FIVE OF HIS LAST SEVEN GAMES
Junior guard Brockeith Pane has scored in double-figures five times in his last seven games and in 13 of his last 18 games overall. On the season, he has scored in double-figures 16 times to rank second on team behind Wesley (21). During his last five games, Pane is averaging 10.0 points and 4.8 assists, while shooting 48.5 percent from the field (16-33) and 69.2 percent at the free throw line (18-26).

WILLIAMS PLAYING WELL DURING LAST NINE GAMES
Senior guard/forward Pooh Williams has played well for Utah State during its last nine games as he has scored in double-figures four times and is averaging 9.3 points and shooting 37.3 percent from the field (28-75), 39.1 percent from three-point range (18-46) and 83.3 percent at the free throw line (10-12). Overall, Williams has scored in double-figures 10 times this year and 32 times in his career and has scored at least six points in 20 of his last 22 games. During his last five games, Williams is averaging 9.0 points, while shooting 35.7 percent from the field (15-42), 36.7 percent from three-point range (11-30) and 80.0 percent at the free throw line (4-5).

JARDINE SCORES IN DOUBLE-FIGURES IN FOUR OF LAST SEVEN GAMES
Junior forward Brady Jardine has scored in double-figures four times in his last seven games giving him nine double-figure scoring games this year and 17 in his career. He also has three double-doubles this year, to go along with six double-figure rebounding games. For his career, Jardine has seven career double-figure rebounding games. During his last five games, Jardine is averaging 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, while shooting 55.9 percent from the field (19-34) and 63.6 percent at the free throw line (7-11).

NEWBOLD HITTING THE BOARDS IN LEAGUE PLAY AND HITTING HIS TREYS
Senior guard Tyler Newbold has been doing a great job rebounding the ball since WAC play began and is averaging 5.5 rebounds in league play to rank 14th in the conference. Newbold has also been shooting the ball very well from three-point range as of late as he has made at least one three-pointer in 19 straight games and is shooting 43.4 percent from behind the arc (33-76) during that stretch. Newbold, who has scored in double-figures seven times in his last 18 games and 40 times in his career, is averaging 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 41.4 percent from the field (12-29), 39.1 percent from three-point range (9-23) and 4-of-4 at the free throw line.

GREEN SCORES 20 POINTS IN FOURTH GAME THIS YEAR
Senior guard Brian Green scored 20 points in a game for the fourth time this year as he had 20 points against Montana Western as he was 7-of-9 from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point range. Green has now scored in double-figures 13 times this year and 21 times in his career. Green, who has scored in double-figures in each of his last two games, is averaging 16.5 points during his last two games, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field (10-15), 61.5 percent from three-point range (8-13) and 71.4 percent at the free throw line (5-7).

GREEN INSTANT OFFENSE OFF THE BENCH FOR UTAH STATE
Senior guard Brian Green has been instant offense off the bench for Utah State during his two-year Aggie career. This year, Green currently ranks second on the team in scoring with 11.0 points per game and is the first Aggie reserve to average double-figures since Jeff O. Anderson averaged 13.0 points off the bench during his senior season of 1987-88.

BENDALL SCORES IN DOUBLE-FIGURES IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
Senior forward Nate Bendall has scored in double-figures in each of his last two games as he had a season-high 15 points and nine rebounds against Montana Western, and had 13 points and eight rebounds against Fresno State. During his last two games, Bendall is averaging 14.0 points and 8.5 rebounds, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field (10-15) and 80.0 percent at the free throw line (8-10). Overall, Bendall has scored in double-figures six times this year and 23 times in his career. Bendall has also posted two double-doubles this year including 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds at Fresno State. Those 16 rebounds are the most by an Aggie since Shawn Daniels had 17 rebounds at Cal Poly on Jan. 22, 2000. Overall, Bendall has three double-figure rebounding games this year and six in his career to go along with five career double-doubles.

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State is 12-1 when senior forward Tai Wesley scores 20 points in a game, 4-0 when senior guard Brian Green scored 20 points, and 20-1 when Green scores in double-figures.

UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#3 Brockeith Pane - Scored a season-high 23 points against Weber State and had a season-high nine rebounds at Denver... Had a season-high nine assists against Louisiana Tech... Currently ranks fifth in the WAC in free throw shooting (.781), fifth in assists (3.33) and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.25)... Shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 21.2 percent from three-point range... Averaging 10.7 points in 27.4 minutes per game.... Has scored in double-figures 16 times this season.

#5 Pooh Williams - Has played in 124 games during his Aggie career, including 92 starts... Scored a career-high 19 points against Long Beach State... Had a career-high seven assists at Nevada... Has 32 career double-figure scoring games, including 10 this year... Averaging 9.0 points and shooting 38.7 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 79.3 percent at the free throw line... Playing 26.1 minutes per game... Ranks 10th in the WAC in three-point shooting and 14th in assists (2.37).

#14 E.J. Farris - Had a season-high six points against Georgetown and Montana Western... Averaging 2.0 points in 7.3 minutes per game... Shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range.

#15 James Walker III - Made his first career start against Cal State Bakersfield and had season-highs with 20 minutes, four assists and three rebounds... Scored a season-high seven points against Long Beach State... Averaging 2.1 points in 10.2 minutes per game... Shooting 30.0 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from three-point range and 70.6 percent at the free throw line.

#21 Morgan Grim - Had career-highs with nine points, seven rebounds, two blocks and 22 minutes played against Weber State... Tied his career-high with two blocks at BYU and played a career-high 24 minutes against the Cougars... Averaging 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds, while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 68.8 percent at the free throw line... Playing 9.2 minutes per game.

#22 Brady Jardine - Recorded his third career double-double against Northeastern as he had 15 points and a career-high tying 13 rebounds, while playing a career-high 34 minutes... Also tied his career-high with three blocks against Northeastern... Had his second career double-double against Utah as he had a career-high 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds... Has seven career double-figure rebounding games and 16 career double-figure scoring games... Ranks fourth in the WAC in blocked shots (1.15), fourth in overall shooting (.557) and fifth in rebounding (7.8)... Averaging 8.4 points and playing 22.6 minutes per game... Shooting 63.0 percent from the free throw line.

#23 Brian Green - Scored a career-high 25 points against San Jose State and tied his career-high with six rebounds against the Spartans... Had career-highs in both three-pointers made (6) and attempted (12) against Troy as he scored 23 points... Has scored in double-figures in 13 games this year and in 21 games in his career... Has four career 20-point games... Ranks first in the WAC in three-point shooting (.464) and 10th in overall shooting (.476)... Shooting 76.1 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 11.0 points in 25.1 minutes per game.

#24 Tyler Newbold - Scored a season-high 18 points against Cal State Bakersfield and tied his career-high with 11 rebounds against Louisiana Tech... Has started 122 straight games for Utah State and has played in 132 during his Aggie career... Has scored in double-figures seven times this year and 40 times in his career, including two 20-point games... Also has three career double-figure rebounding games and one career double-double... Playing 29.3 minutes per game to lead the team... Averaging 7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three-point range and 75.6 percent at the free throw line... Ranks eighth in the WAC in assists and 14th in three-point shooting.

#35 Nate Bendall - Had a season-high 15 points against Montana Western... Posted his second double-double of the season and fifth of his career with 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds at Fresno State... Played a career-high 36 minutes against the Bulldogs... Has started 50 games in his career... Averaging 6.2 points and 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 70.5 percent from the free throw line... Playing 19.1 minutes per game... Has scored in double-figures 23 times during his career... Ranks 12th in the WAC in rebounding.

#42 Tai Wesley - Posted his fifth double-double of the season against Idaho with 11 points and 10 rebounds... Tied his career-high with 27 points against Hawai'i... Played a career-high 38 minutes against the Rainbows... Has played in 132 career games at Utah State, including 121 career starts... Has started 102 games in a row... Has 94 career double-figure scoring games and 13 career 20-point games... Also has 15 career double-figure rebounding games and 14 career double-doubles... Ranks second in the WAC in field goal shooting (.597), fourth in rebounding (7.9), seventh in scoring (14.3) and eighth in blocked shots (0.93)... Playing 28.6 minutes per game.

#44 Matt Formisano - Averaging 6.2 minutes off the bench... Scored a season-high four points against Long Beach State... Has played in 97 games during his Aggie career... Averaging 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds, while shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 66.7 percent at the free throw line.

UTAH STATE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
F #35 Nate Bendall (6-9, 250, Sr., Salt Lake City, Utah) - Has started 20 games this year... Is 16-of-28 (.571) from the field in his last five games... Is 12-of-14 (.857) from the free throw line in his last nine games... Has recorded at least six rebounds in each of his last four games and is averaging 8.4 points and 6.8 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 57.1 percent from the field (16-28) and 83.3 percent at the free throw line (10-12)... Has scored at least six points in five of his last six games.

F #42 Tai Wesley (6-7, 240, Sr., Provo, Utah) - One of two players along with Tyler Newbold to start all 27 games this year... Leads the team in field goals made (135) and attempted (226)... Also leads the team in both free throws made (112) and attempted (156)... Ranks second on the team in blocked shots (25) and is third in steals (18)... Ranks second on the team in minutes played (28.6) and is fourth in assists (63)... Has 20 offensive rebounds in his last six games and seven steals in his last five games... Leads the team with 12 charges taken this year.

G #3 Brockeith Pane (6-1, 195, Jr., Dallas, Texas) - Has started 26 games this year at the point... Ranks first on the team in assists (90) and steals (24)... Is second on the team in free throws made (89) and attempted (114), and field goals attempted (219)... Has 48 assists and 21 turnovers in his last nine games... Went scoreless against Montana Western, his first scoreless game this season... Has scored in double-figures 16 times this year to rank second on the team behind Tai Wesley (21)... Is shooting 48.5 percent from the field (16-33) during his last five games.

G/F #5 Pooh Williams (6-4, 190, Sr., Federal Way, Wash.) - Has started 26 games this year... Ranks second on the team in three-pointers made (42) and attempted (109)... Is third on the team in assists (64)... Has made at least two 3-point field goals in each of his last eight games... Has 20 assists and just eight turnovers in his last eight games... Has scored in double-figures four times in his last nine games and 10 times this year.

G #24 Tyler Newbold (6-5, 210, Sr., Payson, Utah) - One of two players along with Tai Wesley to start all 27 games this year... Ranks first on the team in minutes played (29.3)... Is second on the team in assists (78) and second in steals (21)... Has made seven straight free throws and nine of his last 10 overall in his last six games... Has 24 assists and 10 turnovers in his last eight games.

OFF THE BENCH
F #15 James Walker III (6-2, 180, Fr., Long Beach, Calif.) - Has played as the backup point guard in each of the team's last four games after not playing in the previous four games... Is 4-of-10 (.400) from the field and 2-of-4 (.500) from three-point range in his last four games.

F #21 Morgan Grim (6-8, 230, Jr., Riverton, Utah) - Is shooting 56.3 percent from the field (9-16) in his last seven games.

F #22 Brady Jardine (6-7, 220, Jr., Twin Falls, Idaho) - Leads the team with 31 blocks and is fourth with 16 steals... Has a team-leading 23 dunks... Leads the team with 151 defensive rebounds and is second with 59 offensive boards... Has recorded nine rebounds in four of his last six games... Made his first career three-pointer against Montana Western.

G #23 Brian Green (6-1, 200, Sr., Kaysville, Utah) - Leads the team in three-pointers made (65) and attempted (140)... Has 14 assists in his last six games and just two turnovers in his last nine games.... Has recorded at least one steal in six of his last eight games.

USU HAS 13TH-LONGEST ACTIVE POSTSEASON STREAK
Utah State has advanced to postseason play in each of the last 11 season as it has played in seven NCAA Tournaments and four NIT's. That streak of 11 straight postseasons is tied with Notre Dame for the 13th-longest active streak in the nation. Michigan State owns the longest active postseason streak in the nation at 22 with 18 NCAA and four NIT appearances. Kansas is second with 21 straight NCAA trips, while Kentucky is third at 19 with 18 NCAA bids and one NIT appearance. Maryland (14-NCAA, 3-NIT) and Syracuse (13-NCAA, 4-NIT) are tied for fourth with 17 straight postseason appearances. Duke ranks sixth with 15 straight NCAA trips, while Oklahoma State is seventh with 14 straight (10-NCAA, 4-NIT), and Creighton (7-NCAA, 5-NIT, 1-CIT) and Gonzaga (12-NCAA, 1-NIT) are tied for eighth with 13 straight postseason trips. Florida (10-NCAA, 2-NIT), Texas (12 NCAA) and Wisconsin (12-NCAA) are all tied for 10th with 12 straight postseason bids, followed by USU and Notre Dame (6-NCAA, 5-NIT).

USU AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Over the last 12 years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 303-89 (.773) record. Those 303 wins are the fifth-most in the country, while the 77.3 percent winning percentage is fourth-best behind Duke (.839), Kansas (.821) and Gonzaga (.790). USU has also been among the top teams in the country in field goal and free throw shooting as it led the nation in both categories during the 2008 season, and led the nation in field goal shooting in 2009 at 49.6 percent.

UTAH STATE IN THE WAC
Since joining the Western Athletic Conference prior to the 2005-06 season, Utah State has been one of the most consistent programs in the league and has the best record in WAC games during the last six years with a 72-21 (.774) mark. During its first six years in the league, Utah State has won four regular season championships (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), one tournament championship (2009), and has played in the tournament championship game four times (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010).

UTAH STATE PICKED TO REPEAT AS WAC CHAMPIONS
For the second year in a row, Utah State is the overwhelming favorite to win the Western Athletic Conference according to both the league's coaches and media, while senior forward Tai Wesley was tabbed as the coaches preseason Player of the Year Utah State, who has won three-straight regular season WAC titles, received eight first-place votes and 64 points in the coaches poll, while New Mexico State received one first-place vote and 55 points. Nevada received 47 points and was picked to finish third, followed by Boise State (36), Fresno State (36), San Jose State (32), Louisiana Tech (24), Idaho (19) and Hawai'i (11). In the media poll, Utah State garnered 19 first-place votes and 259 points, while New Mexico State was second with 237 points and eight first-place votes. Nevada, who received 190 points and two first-place votes was picked third, while San Jose State received 135 points and one first-place vote and was picked to finish fourth. Fresno State was picked fifth (133), followed by Boise State (129), Louisiana Tech (116), Idaho (78) and Hawai'i (73).

WESLEY NAMED WAC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR - FOUR OTHER AGGIES HONORED
Senior forward Tai Wesley was named the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches and a first-team all-league selection by the media, while senior forward Nate Bendall and senior guards Tyler Newbold and Pooh Williams were all named preseason second-team all-WAC by the coaches. Junior college transfer Brockeith Pane was also honored by the media as he was selected as the league's Newcomer of the Year.

FOUR AGGIES EARN ACADEMIC ALL-WAC HONORS IN 2010
Utah State placed four players (Matt Formisano, Brady Jardine, Preston Medlin, Tyler Newbold) on the academic all-WAC team in 2010, while the other eight teams in the WAC combined for 13.

GREEN, JARDINE AND WESLEY ALL NAMED WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK THIS SEASON
Utah State has had three players (Brian Green, Brady Jardine, Tai Wesley) earn Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors a total of four times this season as Wesley has won it twice, while Green and Jardine have won it once each. Green is the most recent Aggie to earn WAC Player of the Week honors as he won the award on Jan. 31 after leading Utah State to a pair of road wins at San Jose State (84-65) and at Hawai'i (89-84 2OT). Wesley won his first weekly WAC award on Dec. 13 after leading Utah State to a pair of home wins against Long Beach State (81-53) and Cal State Bakersfield (77-58), and his second award came on Jan. 3 as he led the Aggies to a pair of home wins against Hawai'i (74-66) and San Jose State (80-71). Jardine won the award on Nov. 29 after leading USU to a pair of home wins against Utah (79-62) and Northeastern (56-54)

JARDINE AND NEWBOLD NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
Utah State men's basketball players Brady Jardine and Tyler Newbold were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII first team it was announced on Feb. 3. Jardine and Newbold join Nedeljko Golubovic of Fresno State as the only players from the Western Athletic Conference to earn academic all-district honors. The Aggie duo is also the only players from the state of Utah recognized. Newbold is earning academic all-district honors for the second straight year, while Jardine is receiving the award for the first time. Along with being academic all-district recipients, Newbold is also a three-time academic all-WAC honoree, while Jardine has earned academic all-WAC honors twice. Jardine, a 6-7, 220-pound junior forward from Twin Falls, Idaho (Twin Falls HS), has a cumulative 3.71 grade-point average in finance. Newbold, a 6-5, 210-pound senior guard from Payson, Utah (Payson HS), has a cumulative 3.45 grade-point average in public relations. The academic all-district team was selected by members of CoSIDA from the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Academic nominees must be at least a sophomore academically, contribute as a starter or significant reserve and maintain at least a 3.30 overall grade point average. Jardine and Newbold will now be placed on the national ballot with the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America team being announced later this season.

THE MORRILL COACHING TREE
Utah State head coach Stew Morrill currently has four former assistants who are head coaches at the Division I level in Jeff Jackson (Furman), Randy Rahe (Weber State), Blaine Taylor (Old Dominion) and Don Verlin (Idaho), which is tied for the eighth-most in the nation among active coaches. Arizona State's Herb Sendek has eight assistants who are current head coaches, followed by Ben Braun of Rice and Jim Calhoun of Conneticut with seven, John Calipari of Kentucky and Rick Pitino of Louisville with six, Tom Izzo of Michigan State and Mike Montgomery of California with five, and Stew Morrill and Trent Johnson of LSU with four.

UTAH STATE VERSUS THE WAC
Utah State is 223-107 (.676) all-time against current members of the WAC and the Aggies have a winning record against every team in the league. In 2006, USU finished in a tie for second-place with an 11-5 league record and advanced to the conference's championship game. In 2007, USU finished in fourth-place with a 9-7 mark and advanced to the WAC Tournament championship game for the second straight year. In 2008, Utah State won a share of its first-ever WAC regular season championship as it went 12-4 during the year. In 2009, Utah State won its first-ever outright WAC regular season title with a 14-2 league record and its first-ever WAC Tournament championship. And in 2010, Utah State won its third-straight regular season WAC title with a 14-2 record. This year, Utah State has already won a share of its fourth-straight regular season WAC championship.

Stew Morrill VERSUS THE WAC
Stew Morrill is 133-78 (.630) all-time in WAC games, which includes a 72-21 (.774) record at Utah State and a 61-57 (.517) record at Colorado State. Morrill is 136-71 (.657) all-time against current members of the WAC, which includes a 107-33 (.764) record at USU.

HEAD COACH Stew Morrill
In his 25th seasons as a collegiate head coach and 13th year at Utah State, Stew Morrill has taken the Aggie Basketball program to unprecedented heights leading it to an incredible 318-102 (.757) record, including a 164-49 (.770) conference mark in the Big West and WAC. Morrill became the winningest coach in school history on Jan. 17, 2008 in the Aggies' 82-78 win against Boise State, passing E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) who won 225 games in 22 seasons. In his 13 years at USU, Morrill has guided the Aggies to 12 straight 23-win seasons and 11 straight postseason appearances (NCAA-7, NIT-4), both of which are school records. Morrill has also led Utah State to the fourth-best winning percentage in the nation during the last 11 years at 77.3 percent with an overall record of 303-89. Against conference opponents, Utah State has an 187-56 (.770) record with seven regular season league championships and five tournament titles during that time, including appearances in its league's tournament championship game nine times in the last 11 years. Under Morrill, Utah State has notched 11 of the top 12 seasons in school history during the last 11 years as the Aggies set a school record with 28 wins during the 2000 season, tied that record with 28 wins during the 2001 season, and set a new school record with 30 wins in 2009. During the 2009-10 season, Morrill guided Utah State to its third straight Western Athletic Conference regular season championship and the 2008-09 team won its first WAC Tournament title. The 2008-09 Aggie basketball team also led the nation in field goal shooting at 49.6 percent, marking the second straight year and the third time in the last five years that USU has led the nation in that category. For the 11th straight year, USU had at least one player earn first-team all-league accolades as Jared Quayle and Tai Wesley were both named first-team all-WAC in 2010. Overall, Morrill has coached 13 first-team all-league players at Utah State who have won the award a total of 18 times. Morrill has also taken full advantage of the home court at USU, the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. In Morrill's 13 years, USU is an amazing 192-13 (.937) at home, which includes a 99-8 (.925) record in league play. As for Morrill, he has won 20 or more games on 16 different occasions during his career, and he has won at least 17 games 21 times. Overall, Morrill ranks 19th in the nation among active coaches and 67th all-time with his 536 career wins, while his career winning percentage of 69.1 percent ranks 24th among active coaches and 80th all-time. He is also one of just 12 active coaches to notch at least 16 20-win seasons. His current streak of 12 straight 20-win seasons ranks tied for sixth among active coaches and is tied for the 10th-longest streak ever at the Division I level. Morrill has also been named Coach of the Year (2000 BWC, 2002 BWC, 2009 WAC, 2010 WAC) four times in his 12 years at USU, along with winning the Big Sky award while the head coach at Montana in 1991. His overall coaching record is 536-240 (.691).

• Head coach Stew Morrill (318-102) is the winningest coach in school history and is first all-time in games coached (420). Morrill is also the second-longest tenured coach at Utah State (13 seasons) behind E. Lowell Romney (1920-41).

• In his 13th season with the Aggies, Morrill has a 318-102 (.757) overall record, a 164-49 (.770) conference record and a 23-7 (.767) record in conference postseason play. Overall, Morrill owns a 536-240 (.691) record in 25 years as a collegiate head coach.

• Among active coaches at the Division I level, Morrill ranks 18th in the nation with his 536 career wins and 26th in winning percentage at 69.1 percent.

• Morrill is one of just 18 active coaches with 500 career wins at the Division I level and one of just 72 coaches to ever win 500 games at the DI level.

• Morrill is one of just 10 active coaches to notch 16 20-win seasons, while his current streak of 12 straight 20-win seasons is tied for the sixth-longest in the nation.

• Morrill was named the 2009 and 2010 WAC Coach of the Year, along with earning Coach of the Year honors from the United States Basketball Writers Association in 2009 and co-Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 2010.

• Morrill is the dean of WAC coaches, having spent seven years in the league while at Colorado State and six at Utah State, and has an overall WAC record of 132-78 (.629).

• Morrill has been named conference coach of the year five times during his career, winning the award in 1991 while at Montana, and in 2000, 2002, 2009 and 2010 while at Utah State.

• Morrill has coached 13 first-team all-league players who have won the award a total of 18 times. Those players are Shawn Daniels (twice), Troy Rolle, Bernard Rock, Tony Brown, Desmond Penigar (twice), Mark Brown, Cardell Butler, Nate Harris (three times), Spencer Nelson, Jaycee Carroll (twice),Gary Wilkinson, Jared Quayle and Tai Wesley.

• Under Morrill, Utah State has had 15 players earn academic all-conference honors a total of 25 times.

• Utah State is 192-13 (.937) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Morrill.

• Morrill has led Utah State to 12 straight 23-win seasons and 11 straight postseason appearances, both of which are school records.

• Morrill led Utah State to its first NCAA Tournament win in 31 years when USU defeated fifth-seeded Ohio State 77-68 in overtime during the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

• Morrill has been involved in postseason action 14 times in his career, including the NCAA Tournament at Utah State in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010, and the National Invitation Tournament in 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2008.

• Morrill has won 20 or more games on 16 different occasions during his career, and he has won at least 17 games 21 times.