USU Game Notes | Live Stats
Utah State men's basketball (0-0) will play its only exhibition game of the 2019-20 season on Wednesday, Oct. 30, as it hosts the College of Idaho (2-0) at 7 p.m., inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Exhibition Excellence
Utah State has won 18 of its last 19 exhibition games, dating back to the 2008-09 season.
Scouting the College of Idaho
The College of Idaho finished the 2018-19 season with an overall mark of 31-6, including a 16-4 mark playing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Coyotes began the season with a 20-2 mark and were ranked the No. 1 team in the NAIA Division II top-25 poll. The Coyotes' season came to an end in the Final Four of the NAIA Division II National Championship, a 93-81 defeat to Oregon Tech.
The Yotes return both of their leading scorers from a year ago in senior guard Nate Bruneel and senior guard Talon Pinckney. That duo averaged 12.8 and 12.0 points per game last year, shooting 48.4 percent (152-of-314) and 45.1 percent (146-of-324) from the field, respectively. Pinckney also led the College of Idaho with 4.8 assists per game. Junior forward Connor Desaulniers led the Coyotes on the glass, averaging 6.7 rebounds per contest.
As a team, the College of Idaho averaged 83.1 points per game, shooting 46.4 percent (1,037-of-2,236) from the floor, 38.7 percent (368-of-951) from behind the 3-point line and 68.9 percent (468-of-679) at the free throw line. The Coyotes have already played two games this season, posting an 89-80 win over Montana Western and a 90-84 victory over Montana Tech last weekend. C of I entered the 2019-20 season ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Division II national poll.
Midweek Madness
Utah State will be playing an exhibition game on a Wednesday for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Preseason All-American
Senior guard Sam Merrill was recently named preseason second-team All-American by the Sporting News.
Top-20 in 2019-20
Utah State is ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll, marking the third time in school history that the Aggies have been ranked entering the season. It is the first time since the 1970-71 season that USU has appeared in the initial poll.
Home Sweet Home
Utah State will play in its 50th year inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in 2019-20.
Spectrum Magic is Back
Home attendance increased each of the final four home games last season, culminating in the sixth-largest crowd in school history (10,387) in an 81-76 victory over Nevada in the 2018-19 home finale.
Sharing the Ball in 2018-19
Utah State was the only team in the Mountain West with four players in the top-25 in the league in assists per game last year.
Statistically in Elite Company
Utah State was one of only two teams in the nation to finish in the top-10 in defensive field-goal percentage, assists per game and rebounding margin during the 2018-19 season (Michigan State).
Around the World
Utah State is tied for third in the nation with the most internationals on its roster, with student-athletes calling five different countries outside of the United States home (Australia, Suriname, Canada, Portugal, Poland).
Growing Up So Quickly
Utah State has the tallest average height among Mountain West schools this season (6-7.5) and is second in the nation (Washington, 6-8.2).
Porter at the Point
Over the final 17 games that Abel Porter was inserted into the starting lineup, the team averaged more assists (17.7 to 16.5), fewer turnovers (11.9 to 13.6), shot better from behind the 3-point line (.374 to .335), averaged more points per game (78.7 to 78.6) and won 15 of its final 17 games of the season.
Porter at the Point - Part II
Over the final 17 games that Abel Porter was inserted into the starting lineup, each of the five other returning Aggies saw their scoring averages jump, including Sam Merrill (23.0 from 18.9), Neemias Queta (13.1 from 10.6), Diogo Brito (9.8 from 6.6), Brock Miller (8.4 from 7.9) and Justin Bean (4.9 from 2.8). Porter, himself, also jumped up from 2.9 points per game over the first 18 games of the season to 8.1 points per game over the final 17 games of the season.
Returning Balance
Senior guard Diogo Brito is one of only three players in the Mountain West returning in 2019-20 that played in more than 30 games and averaged more than 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Ganhando (Winning in Portuguese)
Utah State was a perfect 13-0 during the 2018-19 season when Brito scored in double figures.
Winning Team
Neemias Queta helped Portugal to the 2019 FIBA U20 Division B European Championship, finishing second in the tournament in blocks per game (2.0) and field goal percentage (.673), third in rebounds per game (11.0), 16th in points per game (14.3) and graded out as the most efficient player in the entire tournament.
Votes Are In
Utah State was named a unanimous favorite by the Mountain West media to capture the 2019-20 conference title. It is the first time in MW history that a team has been a unanimous selection.
