MBB NOTES - Utah State Hosts Air Force in MW Home Opener on Saturday

Aggies and Falcons will tip at 7 p.m.

Men's Basketball 1/4/2019 1:07:00 PM

Utah State (10-4, 0-1 MW) hosts Air Force (5-8, 0-1 MW) on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m., inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in its Mountain West home opener.

Opening Tips
• Utah State leads the all-time series against the Falcons, 16-5, and has won 10 consecutive contests at home. In fact, USU has never dropped a home contest against Air Force.

• Utah State is a perfect 6-0 at home this season and is riding a seven-game home winning streak.

• In its last game at Nevada, Utah State's bench was outscored for the first time this season. The Wolf Pack carried a narrow 14-12 edge in points scored by the reserves.

• Utah State also shot a season-low 26.2 percent (16-of-61) from the floor against the Wolf Pack, representing the lowest field goal percentage by the Aggies since the 2014-15 season.

• Senior forward Dwayne Brown Jr. has recorded a season-high seven rebounds in three of the last four games and has pulled down five or more rebounds in each of the last four games.

• Junior guard Sam Merrill ranks second in the Mountain West in points per game, averaging 19.4 per contest, and has led the Aggies in scoring in seven of the last 10 games.

• Merrill is flirting with a 50/40/90 season, shooting 50.0 percent (89-of-178) from the floor, 39.5 percent (30-of-76) from behind the 3-point line and 92.8 percent (64-of-69) at the free throw line. Merrill is the only player in the nation that is shooting 50 percent or better from the floor and 90 percent or better from the free throw line.

• Jaycee Carroll was the last player for Utah State to average 20 or more points a game and shoot 50/40/90, shooting 52.6 percent (267-of-508) from the floor, 49.8 percent (114-of-229) from behind the 3-point line and 91.9 percent (137-of-149) at the free throw line while averaging 22.4 points per game during the 2007-08 season.

Scouting Air Force
Air Force is 5-8 on the year and 0-1 in the Mountain West after opening its league slate with a 65-58 defeat against New Mexico.

The Falcons are averaging 67.2 points per game and shooting 47.4 percent (318-of-671) from the floor, 33.1 percent (84-of-254) from behind the 3-point line and 66.2 percent (153-of-231) at the free throw line. AFA has a pair of players averaging double figures in junior forward Lavelle Scottie with 12.6 and junior forward Ryan Swan averaging 12.2 points per game. Swan also leads the team on the glass, averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard Sid Tomes leads the Falcons with 36 assists on the year, averaging 2.8 per game.

Defensively, teams are averaging 70.1 points per game against the Falcons and shooting 44.3 percent (323-of-729) from the floor, 35.1 percent (112-of-319) from behind the 3-point line and 67.1 percent (153-of-228) at the free throw line. Scottie leads AFA with 12 steals, averaging 0.9 per game, while sophomore guard Keaton Van Soelen leads the team with eight blocks, averaging 0.6 per game.

Series Notables
• Utah State is averaging more than 10 3-point baskets per game against Air Force since joining the Mountain West, including a series-best 14 3-point baskets on March 1, 2016.

• Utah State has had at least one player make at least five threes in six of the last eight games. Chris Smith was 5-of-7 on March 1, 2016 and 6-of-7 on Jan. 17, 2015, and Julion Pearre was 5-of-9 on Feb. 28, 2015. Jalen Moore hit five 3-point shots against Air Force in both games during the 2016-17 season. Junior guard Sam Merrill has also hit 5 3-point baskets against the Falcons during their careers.

• Utah State has won the battle of the boards in each of the last seven games.

• Utah State has had one player hit the 20-point mark in seven of the last eight games against Air Force. Jalen Moore did it four times, while Julion Pearre did it once. Chris Smith eclipsed the 20-point mark, scoring 23 and 20 against the Falcons in two games during his career. Koby McEwen led the Aggies with 22 points against AFA on Dec. 31, 2016, and then recorded 20 points against the Falcons on Jan. 24, 2018. Junior guard Sam Merrill also logged a 20-point game against Air Force on Jan. 24, 2018, finishing the contest with a team-best 21 points.

• Utah State has recorded double-digit victories in six of the last eight games against the Falcons, carrying a winning margin of 18.5 points over that span.

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