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Utah State (12-5, 2-2 MW) remains on the road for the second straight game, facing San José State (3-12, 0-3 MW) at The Event Center on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m. (MT).
Opening Tips
• Utah State leads the all-time series against San José State, 60-22, and has won 21 of the last 22 games.
• The Aggies lead the series 20-14 on the road and have won nine of the last 10 in San Jose.
• Utah State will be playing for its 300th program victory against a Mountain West opponent when the teams take to the court on Wednesday night.
• In the last game in San Jose, Utah State shot a school- and Mountain West-record 43 3-point baskets.
• Junior guard Sam Merrill has scored in double figures in every game against San José State in his career, averaging 19.3 points per game against the Spartans. Merrill has been dialed in against SJSU, shooting 63.3 percent (31-of-49) from the floor, 50.0 percent (14-of-28) from behind the 3-point line and 100.0 percent (3-of-3) at the free throw line.
• Freshman center Neemias Queta has scored in double figures in each of the last three games for Utah State and is shooting 94.4 percent (17-of-18) over the same stretch.
• Queta is tops in the MW on the defensive end, averaging a league-best 2.5 blocks per game, including a career-high six against Fresno State (1/9). The six blocks were the third-most in a single game in school history.
• Utah State is perfect this season when recording fewer turnovers than its opponent (6-0) or when logging more steals (9-0).
• Utah State has followed up every loss this season with a victory, avoiding back-to-back losses for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
Scouting San José State
San José State is 3-12 on the year and 0-3 in the Mountain West. The Spartans have lost six in a row.
SJSU is averaging 67.0 points per game and shooting 41.5 percent (340-of-819) from the floor, 33.2 percent (99-of-298) from behind the 3-point line and 69.8 percent (226-of-324) at the free throw line. Junior forward Michael Steadman leads the Spartans with 12.9 point per game and also paces the team on the boards with 8.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Brae Ivey is just behind in scoring, averaging 11.9 points per game and leads SJSU with 3.9 assists per game.
Defensively, teams are averaging 77.4 points per game against the Spartans and shooting 47.0 percent (427-of-908) from the floor, 36.2 percent (149-of-412) from behind the 3-point line and 64.2 percent (158-of-246) at the free throw line. Ivey leads the Spartans with 14 steals, averaging 0.9 per game, while senior center Oumar Barry leads the Spartans with 13 blocks, averaging 0.9 per contest.
The Series - Did you know?
• Utah State and San José State will meet for the 83rd time on Wednesday, the sixth-longest series in USU history.
• In the last game against the Spartans, Utah State attempted a school- and Mountain West-record 43 3-point baskets.
• Utah State has used at least a 10-man rotation against the Spartans in all but one game since joining the Mountain West, including a 13-man rotation against San José State in both games during the 2014-15 season.
• An Aggie has recorded a double-double in five games against the Spartans during Mountain West play. Jalen Moore recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds against SJSU on Dec. 31, 2014, and then-sophomore forward Quinn Taylor recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds against San José State on Feb. 27, 2016. Then-freshman guard Sam Merrill recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds against the Spartans in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament in the last game between the two teams.
• Utah State has had at least one 20-point scorer in each of the last seven games and in nine of the last 10 as Chris Smith scored 20 points on Feb. 27, 2016, Jalen Moore scored 21 points on Dec. 30, 2015, and scored 20 points on Feb. 18, 2015. Tenale Roland scored 20 points off of the bench on Jan. 4, 2014, and Spencer Butterfield scored 22 points on March 1, 2014. Then-freshmen guards Koby McEwen and Sam Merrill scored 23 and 22 points, respectively, on Feb. 22, 2017. McEwen scored 27 points against the Spartans in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament during the 2016-17 season and scored 24 points against the Spartans on Dec. 27, 2017. Merrill is the latest Aggie to score more than 20 against SJSU, logging a game-high 26 points on Feb. 28, 2018.
• The 20-plus point performances by McEwen and Merrill marked the first time in Utah State history that a pair of freshmen had scored 20 or more in the same game.
