USU Game Notes | Nevada Game Notes | Live Stats | Listen Live
Utah State (10-3, 0-0 MW) opens Mountain West play at No. 6 Nevada (13-0, 0-0 MW) on Wednesday, Jan. 2, at 9 p.m. (MT).
Opening Tips
• Utah State leads the all-time series against the Wolf Pack 35-22, but has lost each of the last four.
• Utah State is 16-100 all-time against foes ranked in the AP top-25 and has lost each of the last 15 games against ranked opponents.
• Utah State's last victory against a ranked foe came against Nevada when the Aggies beat the No. 10 Wolf Pack 79-77 in overtime during the final week of the 2006-07 season. The Aggies posted another 79-77 victory a week later against Nevada in the WAC Tournament.
• Nevada is the highest ranked opponent that Utah State has faced since the Aggies faced then-No. 6 Duke on Nov. 29, 2015.
• In its last game against Eastern Oregon, Utah State turned a season-high 21 turnovers by the Mountaineers into a season-high 27 points off turnovers.
• Utah State has five players averaging more than five rebounds per game over the last five games, led by freshman center Neemias Queta with 6.4 boards per contest. He is followed by senior forward Dwayne Brown Jr. (5.8), senior forward Quinn Taylor (5.2), sophomore guard John Knight III (5.0) and redshirt freshman forward Justin Bean (5.0).
• Bean is coming off of the first double-digit scoring outing of his career, turning in 12 points against Eastern Oregon. Bean spent two years in the Reno area, serving an LDS Church mission from 2015-17.
• Queta has recorded at least one block in every game this season, making it the longest streak for an Aggie since the 2014-15 season. Queta leads the MW with 2.2 blocks per game. Queta has totaled 29 blocks this season to rank fourth all-time for a freshman in Utah State history.
Scouting Nevada
Nevada is 13-0 on the year and one of only five undefeated teams in the nation.
The Wolf Pack is averaging 82.8 points per game and shooting 46.8 percent (353-of-754) from the floor, 35.3 percent (113-of-320) from behind the 3-point line and 73.9 percent (257-of-348) at the free throw line. Nevada is led by a trio of double-digit scorers in senior forward Caleb Martin with 19.9 points per game, followed by senior wing Jordan Caroline with 18.7 and junior guard Jazz Johnson with 12.3. Caroline leads the Wolf Pack on the glass with 9.8 rebounds per game, while senior forward Cody Martin leads the team with 5.7 assists per game.
Defensively, teams are averaging 67.5 points per game against Nevada and are shooting 40.3 percent (317-of-786) from the floor, 31.7 percent (104-of-328) from behind the 3-point line and 68.1 percent (139-of-204) at the free throw line. Caleb Martin leads Nevada with 1.5 steals per game, totaling 19 on the year, while senior forward Trey Porter leads the team with 1.0 blocks per game, totaling 13 on the year.
Rookie Coaching Starts
Utah State is off to its best start under a first-year head coach in school history as Craig Smith has led the Aggies to a 10-3 record over their opening 13 games, surpassing the previous best start of 9-4 under Ladell Andersen during the 1961-62 season.
Best Non-Conference Start Since 2010-11
Utah State's 10 non-conference victories are the most in a season since the Aggies went 11-2 in non-conference play during the 2010-11 season.
November Reign
Utah State opened the 2018-19 season with a 6-1 mark during the month of November, representing the most victories in November in school history.
Holding Teams to Season Lows
Utah State has held four opponents to their lowest shooting percentages of the year, including Saint Mary's (.290), Northern Iowa (.310), Alabama State (.207) and Houston (.317).
Consistent Starters
Utah State has opened with the same starting-5 in each game this season, representing the most continuity since the 2016-17 season when the Aggies also had the same starting-5 over a 13-game stretch.
Starters Dialed In
Utah State's starting-5 is shooting 50.5 percent (223-of-442) from the floor this season.
Getting the Easy Points
Utah State has scored more points in the paint than its opponents in all but two games this season.
Scoring Dichotomy
As important as points in the paint have been for the Aggies, USU is undefeated this season (8-0) when shooting a better 3-point percentage than its opponent.
Mountain West Leaders
Utah State leads the Mountain West in nine statistics, including scoring defense (64.8), scoring margin (+16.5), free throw percentage (.764), field goal percentage defense (.359), rebounding offense (42.4), rebounding margin (+11.6), assists (16.2), defensive rebounds (31.4) and defensive rebound percentage (.786).
Sharp-Shooting Sam
Junior guard Sam Merrill is the only player in the Mountain West that ranks among the top-10 in all three shooting percentages, including second in free throw percentage (.924), fourth in field goal percentage (.506) and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (.408).
