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Up Next San Jose State II

MBB NOTES - Utah State Opens Homestand with San José State on Wednesday Night

Aggies and Spartans will tip at 7 p.m. (MT)

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Men's Basketball 1/28/2019 4:16:00 PM

USU Game Notes | SJSU Game NotesListen Live | Watch Live | Live Stats | Tickets

Utah State (15-5, 5-2 MW) opens a two-game homestand this week, hosting San José State (3-16, 0-7 MW) on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.

Opening Tips
• Utah State leads the all-time series against San José State, 61-22, and has won 22 of the last 23 games. The Aggies lead 34-4 at home and have won 26 straight in Logan.

• Sophomore guard Abel Porter and redshirt freshman forward Justin Bean were awarded a scholarship for the remainder of the semester and were told the week going into the game at New Mexico.

• Porter hit the game-winning 3-point basket with 1.6 seconds on the clock at New Mexico in the last game for the Aggies. The win was the first for USU at the Pit since the 2014-15 season.

• Redshirt freshman guard Brock Miller is second in the MW in league games from behind the arc, shooting 48.0 percent (24-of-50) from long range and is averaging 3.4 3-point baskets per game in conference play. Miller is shooting 50.0 percent (17-of-34) from behind the 3-point line over the last five games.

• Miller has scored in double figures in all but one of the Aggies' MW contests this season, averaging 12.3 points per game.

• Freshman center Neemias Queta is averaging a near double-double in league play, averaging 13.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Queta leads the MW with 3.0 blocks per game in league play.

• Utah State leads the Mountain West in field goal percentage on both sides of the floor, shooting a league-best 47.6 percent (556-of-1,167) on the offensive side, and then holding opponents to just 38.0 percent (435-of-1,146) on the defensive side.

• Utah State leads the MW in league games with a +8.0 rebounding margin, more than each of the next five teams combined (SDSU, +1.8; UNLV, +1.7; FS, +1.6; NM, +0.4; NEV, +0.3).

Scouting San José State
San José State is 3-16 on the year and 0-7 in the Mountain West. The Spartans have lost 10 straight, including a double-overtime defeat against Air Force on a last-second shot in their last time out.

SJSU is averaging 65.3 points per game and shooting 40.7 percent (428-of-1,051) from the floor, 33.1 percent (127-of-384) from behind the 3-point line and 66.2 percent (258-of-390) 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 8.6 rebounds per game. Junior guard Brae Ivey is just behind in scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game and leads SJSU with 3.5 assists per game.

Defensively, teams are averaging 77.3 points per game against the Spartans and shooting 46.6 percent (541-of-1,161) from the floor, 36.0 percent (195-of-541) from behind the 3-point line and 64.1 percent (191-of-298) at the free throw line. Ivey leads the Spartans with 15 steals, averaging 0.8 per game, while senior center Oumar Barry leads the Spartans with 14 blocks, averaging 0.8 per contest.

Rookie Coaching Records
Smith is currently tied for fifth all-time among first-year head coaches with 15 wins, matching Stew Morrill's 15 victories during the 1998-99 season.

Victories for first-year head coaches at USU

1 Ladell Andersen 1961-62 22
2 Rod Tueller 1979-80 19
3 Dutch Belnap 1973-74 16
Tim Duryea 2015-16 15
5 Craig Smith 2018-19 15
Stew Morrill 1998-99 15

Road Warriors
Utah State has won five true road games this season, matching the combined road victories over the last two years and the most for the Aggies since the 2015-16 season.

Road Warriors - Part II
Utah State has won more games in league play on the road (3-1) than it has at home (2-1).

Don't Stop the Block Party
Freshman center Neemias Queta is the only player in Utah State history to average more than 2.0 blocks per game in a single season. Queta is currently averaging 2.5 blocks per contest.

The Utah State/San José State Series - Did you know?
Utah State and San José State will meet for the 84th time on Wednesday, the sixth-longest series in USU history.

• Utah State leads the all-time series against the Spartans, 61-22, including a 34-4 advantage in Logan. The Aggies have won 26 straight games at home against San José State.

• In the game against the Spartans on Feb. 28, 2018, 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.

• Utah State has had at least one 20-point scorer in each of the last eight games and in 10 of the last 11. Junior guard Diogo Brito is the latest Aggie to score 20 or more against the Spartans, turning in a career-high 23-point performance on Jan. 16, 2019.

• Junior guard Sam Merrill has had a pair of 20-point games against San José State, scoring 22 on Feb. 22, 2017, and 26 on Feb. 28, 2018.

• Merrill recorded his first career double-double against San José State, posting 11 points and 10 assists in the first round of the MW Tournament on March 8, 2017.

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Players Mentioned

Sam Merrill

#5 Sam Merrill

Guard
6' 5"
Junior
Justin Bean

#12 Justin Bean

Forward
6' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
Abel Porter

#15 Abel Porter

Guard
6' 3"
Sophomore
Brock Miller

#22 Brock Miller

Guard
6' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
Diogo Brito

#24 Diogo Brito

Guard
6' 5"
Junior
Neemias Queta

#23 Neemias Queta

Center
6' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Sam Merrill

#5 Sam Merrill

6' 5"
Junior
Guard
Justin Bean

#12 Justin Bean

6' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
Forward
Abel Porter

#15 Abel Porter

6' 3"
Sophomore
Guard
Brock Miller

#22 Brock Miller

6' 6"
Redshirt Freshman
Guard
Diogo Brito

#24 Diogo Brito

6' 5"
Junior
Guard
Neemias Queta

#23 Neemias Queta

6' 11"
Freshman
Center
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