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Utah State opens its 2019-20 season this week, hosting Montana State on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m.
 
Opening Tips
• Utah State will open its 115th season of men's basketball on Tuesday night, hosting Montana State inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at 8 p.m. (MT). The Aggies are 1,611-1,115 (.591) in 2,726 games played in its history.
 
• Fans can watch the game live on AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 683, Dish 414, Comcast 52) with Drew Goodman providing play-by-play and Joe Cravens serving as the analyst.
 
• Utah State is 84-30 all-time in season openers and has won 23 of its last 25. The Aggies have won 25 straight home openers and is 53-9 in home openers dating back to the 1957-58 season.
 
• Utah State has opened against a team from the Big Sky Conference in five of the last six years.
 
• The Utah State/Montana State series is the third-longest in USU history, dating back to the 1913-14 season. The teams have played a total of 118 games, with the Aggies leading the all-time series, 78-40.
 
• Utah State's 101 points against Montana State in the 2018-19 season opener were the most points by the Aggies in a season opener since the 1969-70 season (113-82 against Pepperdine).
 
• Utah State sophomore center Neemias Queta is one of just two true freshmen over the past 17 seasons that finished the year with 400-plus points, 80-plus blocks and 50-plus assists (Anthony Davis, 2012).
 
• Utah State head coach Craig Smith begins his second season at the helm of Utah State after leading the Aggies to the third-most victories in school history in 2018-19, totaling 28 wins during the year. Smith is a perfect 4-0 against Montana State during his career.
 
The Utah State-Montana State Series
• Montana State is the last non-conference opponent that Utah State has faced three times during a season. The teams met three times during the 2001-02 season. Utah State beat the Bobcats twice during the regular season, but lost to MSU in the first round of the NIT.
 
• Shooting has been key in the matchup as the team that has shot better from the floor has won the game in each of the last 10 meetings.
 
• Although only a recent addition to the series, the team that has shot better from behind the arc has won four of the last five games.
 
• The battle of the boards has led to the victory in the war as the team that has recorded more rebounds has won eight of the last 10 meetings.
 
• Ball movement has also proven to be significant, as the team with more assists has won eight of the last 10 meetings.
 
• Utah State shot 56.0 percent (28-of-50) against the Bobcats in the last installment in Logan, the best the Aggies have shot against Montana State over the last 12 games.
 
• Sam Merrill scored the most by an Aggie over the last 12 games in the last meeting between the two teams, totaling a then-career-high 37 points in the 2018-19 season opener.
 
• The Aggies also scored the most points as a team over the last 12 games in the last contest against the Bobcats, totaling 101 points. The output was also the most points by USU in a season opener since the 1969-70 season, when Utah State posted a 113-82 victory over Pepperdine.
 
• The Aggies and Bobcats have a tie in their respective rosters as MSU junior center Devin Kirby was high school teammates of USU junior center Klay Stall at Basha High School in Chandler, Ariz.