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LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's basketball (1-0) continues a five-game homestand to open the 2019-20 season, hosting Weber State on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.

Opening Tips
• Utah State is ranked No. 17 in The Associated Press poll, marking just the third time in school history that the Aggies have appeared in the initial AP poll.

• USU's 17th ranking is the highest for the Aggies since the 1970-71 season, when Utah State was ranked as high as No. 9. Utah State's highest AP ranking in school history came during the 1960 season, when USU was ranked as high as No. 7.

• Utah State, currently ranked No. 17 in the AP poll, is 57-18 all-time as an AP ranked team.

• Utah State leads the all-time series against Weber State, 43-28, including a 25-9 advantage at home. The Aggies have won 10 of the last 11 games in Logan.

• Weber State is the second consecutive Big Sky Conference opponent for the Aggies, having posted an 81-73 victory over Montana State in the 2019-20 season opener.

• Utah State is 253-116 all-time against opponents from the Big Sky Conference.

• Weber State marks the first of two in-state opponents for the Aggies this season, as Utah State will play BYU at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Saturday, Dec. 14. USU is 255-299 all-time against teams from the Beehive State.

• Utah State senior guard Sam Merrill tied a school record with 17 made free throws in the Aggies' 81-73 victory over Montana State. Merrill  matched the school record alongside Tim Tollestrup, who made 17 free throws against Utah in 1970 and Bart Johnson, who made 17 free throws against Idaho in 1954.

• Sophomore forward Justin Bean recorded his second career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in USU's 81-73 victory over Montana State in the season opener.

• Utah State was led in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks by five different players in the Aggies' 81-73 victory over Montana State in the 2019-20 season opener. Merrill paced the Aggies with 28 points, while Bean led the team in rebounds (10), junior guard Abel Porter led the team in assists (4), senior guard Diogo Brito led the team steals (3) and junior center Kuba Karwowski led the team in blocks (4).

The Utah State-Weber State Series
• Utah State leads the all-time series against the Wildcats, 43-28, including a 25-9 advantage at home. The Aggies have won 10 of the last 11 games in Logan. However, WSU took the last meeting inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, 77-71, on Dec. 21, 2016.

• The team that has had the lead at the half has won each of the last four.

• Weber State's average margin of victory in its three wins over the last 10 is 7.3 points, while Utah State's average margin of victory in its seven wins over the last 10 is 9.0.

• Weber State's largest margin of victory in the all-time series is 32, a 108-76 victory in Ogden on Dec. 14, 1985. Utah State's largest margin of victory in the all-time series is 26, posted twice in a 92-66 victory on Jan. 22, 1975 and a 75-49 win on Nov. 25, 2008.

• The team that has out shot its opponent from the floor has won the game nine of the last 10 meetings.

• The battle of the boards has won the war over the last 10 as the team that has won the rebounding battle has won the game eight of the last 10 meetings.

• The same can be said of assists, as the team with more assists has won the game nine of the last 10 meetings.

• The game features a pair of former members of the Utah State coaching staff in Weber State head coach Randy Rahe, who was an assistant coach at USU from 1999-2004, and Weber State assistant coach David Marek, who was on the USU coaching staff from 2015-16.

• The battle between the two in-state schools include six players from the state of Utah, as the Aggies have five players from the Beehive State, while Weber State only has one.