USU Game Notes | CSU Game Notes | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live
Utah State (13-5, 3-2 MW) continues its Mountain West slate by hosting Colorado State (7-10, 2-2 MW) on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m., inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Opening Tips
• Utah State leads the all-time series 58-40, including a 17-8 mark in Logan. However, the Aggies have lost three of the last four games inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
• Utah State's 81-63 win at San José State marked the first back-to-back road victories for the Aggies since the 2016-17 season.
• Junior guard Diogo Brito became the sixth Aggie to record 20 or more points in a game with a career-high 23 points in the game against San José State on Jan. 16. Brito also became the sixth Aggie to lead the team in scoring during the year.
• Brito is the second Aggie to score 20 or more off the bench this season, joining senior forward Dwayne Brown Jr., who scored 24 points against Hartford (11/9).
• Redshirt freshman guard Brock Miller has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, playing in 30 or more minutes in all but one MW game.
• Freshman center Neemias Queta has scored in double figures in each of the last four games for Utah State and is close to averaging a double-double with 8.3 rebounds per game.
• Queta is tops in the MW on the defensive end, averaging a league-best 2.4 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. On the year, Queta has more blocks (44) than the entire Colorado State roster (32).
• Utah State is perfect this season when recording fewer turnovers than its opponent (7-0) or when logging more steals (10-0).
• Utah State is 11-1 on the year when holding opponents to fewer than 69 points. Furthermore, the Aggies are 12-1 in games decided by more than 16 points.
Scouting Colorado State
Colorado State is 7-10 on the year and 2-2 in Mountain West play after posting back-to-back league victories over Air Force (87-64) and New Mexico (91-76).
The Rams are averaging 76.4 points per game and shooting 47.1 percent (460-of-977) from the floor, 34.3 percent (132-of-385) from behind the 3-point line and 71.9 percent (246-of-342) at the free throw line. Junior forward Nico Carvacho leads CSU with 16.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game, and is the only player in the MW averaging a double-double. He is followed by senior guard J.D. Paige and junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner with 14.9 and 12.9 points per game, respectively. Freshman guard Kendle Moore leads the Rams with 50 assists, averaging 2.9 per contest.
Defensively, CSU opponents are averaging 76.5 points per game and shooting 44.7 percent (468-of-1,047) from the floor, 36.6 percent (163-of-445) from behind the 3-point line and 71.8 percent (201-of-280) at the free throw line. Carvacho leads the team with nine blocks, while Moore leads the Rams with 28 steals.
The USU-CSU Series - Did you know?
• Utah State and Colorado State will meet for the 99th time on Saturday, the fourth-longest series in the history of Aggie basketball.
• Utah State leads the all-time series 58-40, including a 17-8 advantage in games played in Logan.
• Colorado State has had at least one player score 20 or more points in eight of the last 10 Mountain West games.
• Utah State won the latest meeting, despite being down at the half. The Aggies have lost each of the previous contests against the Rams during Mountain West play when trailing at the half.
• The team with the better shooting percentage at the end of the game has won nine of the last 10 meetings.
• The team with more assists has won seven of the last 10 games.
• Junior guard Sam Merrill scored 11 points against Colorado State on Mar. 7, 2018, all in the second half. Merrill has scored in double figures in two straight games against the Rams.
• Utah State freshman center Neemias Queta has totaled 44 blocks this season, surpassing the entire Colorado State team, which has totaled 32.
• In Utah State's sweep of Colorado State during the 2015-16 season, USU led for 33:16 in its 96-92 victory on Jan. 16, 2016, and 31:31 in its 72-59 win on Feb. 17, 2016.
• In the first five conference games against Colorado State, Utah State shot an average 45.9 percent from behind the 3-point line, however, it has averaged just 29.6 percent from beyond the arc in the last five games against the Rams.
