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LOGAN, Utah - Utah State (13-2, 2-0 MW) men's basketball returns to Mountain West play this week, playing at UNLV (6-8, 1-0 MW) on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 9 p.m. (MT). Fans can watch the game live on the CBS Sports Network (Comcast Ch. 269, DirecTV Ch. 221, Dish Ch. 158).

Opening Tips
• Utah State has won nine-straight Mountain West games and 12 straight games against Mountain West opponents dating back to last season.

• Utah State is 57-53 all-time in Mountain West play, including a 22-34 road record, and USU has won four-straight MW road games dating back to last season.

• Utah State is 17-3 in Mountain West play under head coach Craig Smith, including an 8-2 road record.

• Utah State is 2-0 in Mountain West play for just the second time in its seven years in the league, joining the 2014-15 team. USU has never started MW play with a 3-0 record.

• Utah State is shooting better than 50 percent from the floor over the last three games, averaging a 52.5-percent clip (96-of-183).

• Utah state is also shooting better than 50 percent from the floor against UNLV over the last three games against the Runnin' Rebels, shooting 50.6 percent (96-of-183) in three-straight wins.

• Utah State has won six of its last seven games inside the Thomas & Mack Center, posting an 85-78 victory over UNLV during the 2017-18 season and going 5-1 over the last two years in the Mountain West Tournament.

• Utah State has appeared in or has received votes in both the AP poll and coaches poll every week this season. The Aggies were ranked as high as No. 15, its highest ranking since the 1970-71 season, when USU was ranked as high as No. 9 that season.

• Utah State is receiving votes in both polls this week, including 30 votes in the AP poll to rank No. 31 and 38 votes in the coaches poll to rank tied for No. 26.

• As of Dec. 30, Utah State is among the Top-10 in the nation in nine different statistics. The Aggies lead the nation in total rebounds (654), rank second in defensive rebounds per game (31.47), free throws made (266) and rebound margin (+11.9), third in free throw attempts (346), scoring margin (+19.9), total assists (261) and total rebounds per game (43.60), and No. 10 in assists per game (17.4).

• Utah State is also among the Top-25 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.43, 12th) and scoring offense (81.8, 18th).

• Utah State has 11 different players that have scored in double figures during the year. The Aggies had a school-record eight different players score in double figures in the contest against Eastern Oregon (Dec. 28).

• USU senior guard Sam Merrill is on brink of becoming just the seventh Aggie to eclipse 1,800 career points. Merrill currently has 1,798 points in his career.

• Sophomore forward Justin Bean, a former walk-on, leads the Mountain West in rebounding with 11.5 boards per contest and is one of three players in the conference averaging a double-double (Carlton Bragg, UNM; Nate Grimes, FS), turning in 14.0 points per game.  Bean is fourth in the nation with nine double-doubles on the year.

• Bean leads the nation with 172 total rebounds this year, and is fourth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (4.40), eighth in the nation in total rebounds per game (11.5) and 28th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (7.07).

• Bean's 11.5 rebounds per game is the most by an Aggie since Marvin Roberts pulled down 11.8 rebounds per contest during the 1970-71 season.

• Bean is the first Aggie to average a double-double in a season since Mike Santos averaged 18.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game during the 1976-77 season.

The Utah State/UNLV Series
• Utah State and UNLV will be meeting for the 41st time in school history on Wednesday night.

• The Runnin' Rebels are one of just three teams in the Mountain West that has a winning record against the Aggies, leading Utah State 32-8. However, the Aggies have won each of the last three and four of the last five.

• Senior guard Sam Merrill has scored in double figures in each game against the Runnin' Rebels in his career, scoring 14, 11, 20, 18 and 20 in five career games.

• Utah State has made 10 or more 3-point field goals in each of the last three games and in five of the last seven contests.

• Utah State and UNLV played one of the highest-scoring games in NCAA history, when UNLV posted a 142-140 triple-overtime victory in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Jan. 2, 1985.