USU Game Notes | Listen Live | Live Stats
Utah State (14-5, 4-2 MW), fresh off of a bye week, will travel to New Mexico (9-10, 3-4 MW) for a Saturday matinee with the Lobos on Jan. 26, at 2 p.m., on the CBS Sports Network.
Opening Tips
• Fans can find CBSSN on DirecTV (221) or Dish (158) with Rich Waltz providing play-by-play and Michael O'Donnell as the analyst.
• Utah State leads the all-time series against the Lobos 23-11, but has lost three of the last four and each of the last three in Albuquerque. Overall, USU is 9-8 on the road against the Lobos.
• Junior guard Diogo Brito has scored in double figures in each of the last three games.
• Redshirt freshman guard Brock Miller has scored in double figures in all but one game in league play, averaging 11.7 points per game against Mountain West foes.
• In the last game, Utah State's starting bigs (Quinn Taylor/Neemias Queta) combined to score 30 points, shooting 73.7 percent (14-of-19), and totaled 20 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and three blocks.
• Freshman center Neemias Queta has scored in double figures in each of the last five games for Utah State and is close to averaging a double-double with 8.8 rebounds per game.
• 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 (7-0), when logging more steals (10-0) or when the Aggies' starting backcourt outscores their counterparts (9-0).
• Utah State is shooting better than 50 percent from the floor over the last five games, averaging 50.5 percent (141-of-279).
Scouting New Mexico
New Mexico is 9-10 on the year, including a 3-4 mark in the Mountain West. The Lobos have lost four of their last five games. UNM has recorded two of its three MW victories at home.
New Mexico is averaging 77.3 points per game and shooting 43.5 percent (492-of-1,132) from the floor, 36.0 percent (183-of-509) from behind the 3-point line and 69.8 percent (301-of-431) at the free throw line. Senior guard Anthony Mathis leads the Lobos in scoring with 15.5 points per game, followed by sophomore forward Vance Jackson with 12.8 and junior forward Carlton Bragg with 10.7. Bragg and Jackson also pace New Mexico on the glass, averaging 7.5 and 7.3 rebounds per game, respectively. Jackson leads the Lobos with 45 assists on the year.
Defensively, teams are averaging 76.7 points per game against the Lobos and shooting 45.5 percent (522-of-1,146) from the floor, 35.9 percent (137-of-382) from behind the 3-point line and 66.0 percent (277-of-420) at the free throw line. Sophomore center Vladimir Pinchuk leads UNM with 14 blocks, while Jackson is tied for the team lead with senior forward Dane Kuiper with 21 steals.
Eight - Six - twenty
Utah State is one of eight teams in the nation with six players having scored 20 or more points this season.
Scoring Options Aplenty
Utah State has had five players score in double figures in each of the last two games.
Utah State/New Mexico Series - Did you know?
• Utah State leads the all-time series against the Lobos 23-11, but has lost three of the last four and each of the last three in Albuquerque. Overall, USU is 9-8 on the road against the Lobos.
• The Aggies and Lobos faced each other for 11 straight years from 1951-62. The teams met a single time in Albuquerque during the 1979-80 season, before squaring off each of the last five seasons as members of the Mountain West.
• The team with the lead at the half has gone on to win the game nine of the last 11 times.
• Before scoring a career-high 37 points in the season opener against Montana State this season, junior guard Sam Merrill's previous career high came against the Lobos in a 33-point effort on Feb. 14, 2018.
• Merrill is averaging 17.2 points per game against the Lobos during his career, shooting 50.9 percent (29-of-57) from the floor, 53.1 percent (17-of-32) from behind the 3-point line and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) at the free throw line. Merrill is also averaging 4.0 assists per game against New Mexico in his career.
• Merrill tied his career high, matching the total in the 2018 Mountain West quarterfinal, with seven 3-point buckets against New Mexico on Feb. 14, 2018.
• Merrill made his first career start against the Lobos during the 2016-17 season, turning in 13 points, eight assists and three steals.
• Utah State scored a Mountain West series-record 89 points against New Mexico in the game against the Lobos on Jan. 31, 2018.
