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Utah State (6-1) begins a three-game stretch away from the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, facing UC Irvine (7-1) inside the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. (MT).
Opening Tips
• Utah State leads the all-time series against UC Irvine 33-28 and has won eight of the last 10. The series is the 12th-longest in USU history.
• Utah State has outrebounded each of its first seven opponents, and is sixth in the nation in rebound margin, outrebounding its opponents by 13.6 boards per contest.
• Rebounding has been strongest on the defensive glass as the Aggies have posted more defensive rebounds than their opponents in every game this season.
• Utah State's reserves have outscored the opponents' bench 250 to 109 this season. The Aggies' bench is averaging 35.7 points per game and has surpassed 30 or more points in all but one game this season.
• Utah State has come out of the gates strong, outscoring opponents 72-43 over the first five minutes of each contest. The strong start continues out of halftime, where the Aggies are outscoring opponents 74-56 over the first five minutes of the second half.
• Junior guard Sam Merrill has scored in double figures in every game this season and has netted 20 or more in each of the past three games. Merrill ranks second in the Mountain West with 21.9 points per game.
• In the last game against Northern Iowa, Merrill outscored the Panthers' entire starting backcourt with 20 points compared to a combination of four UNI players with a combined 19 points.
• Merrill is the only player in the Mountain West that ranks among the top five in points per game, field goal percentage, assists per game and assist/turnover ratio. Merrill is also one of only two players in the MW in the top five in field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
Scouting UC Irvine
UC Irvine, picked to win the Big West in the annual preseason poll, is off to a 7-1 start, including road wins at Texas A&M (74-73) and at Saint Mary's (80-75). The Anteaters' only blemish came in a 67-60 loss against Toledo in the finals of the Gulf Coast Showcase.
UCI has won with defense, holding opponents to 37.1 percent (172-of-464) shooting from the floor and 31.6 percent (54-of-171) from behind the 3-point line. Former Aggie Elston Jones, a senior forward, leads the Anteaters with 16 blocks, averaging 2.0 per game. Freshman forward Collin Welp is one of six players on the roster with five or more steals on the year, leading the team with eight.
Offensively, junior guard Max Hazzard paces UCI with 10.4 points per game and is followed closely by junior guard Evan Leonard with 10.0 points per game. As a team, UCI is shooting 45.9 percent (213-of-464) from the floor, 35.2 percent (51-of-145) from behind the 3-point line and 66.0 percent (103-of-156) at the free throw line.
Mountain West Leaders
Utah State leads the Mountain West in six statistics this season, including free throw percentage (.806), rebound margin (+13.6), defensive field goal percentage (.351), total rebounds per game (43.4), blocks per game (4.7) and assists per game (17.9).
First Wire-to-Wire Victory
Utah State posted its first wire-to-wire victory of the season in its last contest, recording a 71-52 win over Northern Iowa.
Run Away Victories
Utah State has dominated in its victories this season as every win has come by more than 17 points. The Aggies' average margin of victory this season is 24.5 points.
Defensive Victories
Utah State is undefeated this season when recording more blocks or steals than its opponents this season. Furthermore, USU is sixth in the nation in defensive field goal percentage (.351).
Winning at the Half
Utah State is a perfect 6-0 when leading at the half and has held four of the last five opponents to less than 30 points over the opening 20 minutes.
Back-Up Scoring Punch
Utah State's bench has scored 30 or more points in all but one game this season.
Back-Up Scoring Punch - Part II
Utah State's bench has scored 250 points to just 109 points by the opponents' reserves.
No Let Up on the Boards as Well
Utah State's bench is close to matching the rebounding total of the starters, collecting 150 total rebounds this year to the starting five's 154.
The Utah State/UC Irvine Series - Did you know?
• Utah State leads the all-time series 33-28 and has won eight of the last 10.
• Six of the last seven games have been decided by double-digits, including an 87-49 victory by the Aggies in 2005, the most lopsided finish over the last 10 games.
• Field goal percentage has been key over the last 10 games, as the team that has shot better from the floor than its opponent has won the game in nine of the last 10 meetings.
• The success extends beyond the 3-point line, where the team that has shot better from behind the arc has gone on to win each of the last four and eight of the last nine.
• The team that has shot better at the charity stripe has won the game in each of the last three contests.
• Utah State has been outrebounded in each of the last three games and in four of the last five games.
• The team with the first-half lead has won each of the last three games and seven of the last eight.
• Utah State has faced UC Irvine a total of 61 times in a series dating back to the 1978-79 season. The Anteaters are the second-most faced team from the Big West for the Aggies, trailing only UC Santa Barbara with a total of 65 games played over the course of the series.
• UCI senior forward Elston Jones is a former player for Utah State. Jones played for the Aggies over two seasons, appearing in 59 games and averaging 2.8 points and 2.9 rebounds during his career in Logan.
