USU Game Notes | SDSU Game Notes | Live Stats | Listen Live | Tickets
Two of the hottest teams in the Mountain West will meet on Tuesday night when Utah State (22-6, 12-3 MW), winners of four straight, hosts San Diego State (18-9, 10-4 MW), winners of five straight, inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at 7:30 p.m.
Opening Tips
• Fans can watch the game on the CBS Sports Network (DirecTV 221, Dish 158) with Brent Stover providing play-by-play and Bob Wenzel serving as the analyst.
• Junior guard Sam Merrill led the Aggies in points, rebounds and assists for the second time this season in Utah State's 78-71 overtime victory at Boise State on Saturday. Merrill scored 32 points, pulled down eight rebounds and collected three assists.
• Since being inserted into the starting lineup 10 games ago, sophomore guard Abel Porter has taken a leap statistically increasing his points (2.9/8.4) and rebounds (1.2/3.4) per game in addition to shooting better from the floor (.378/.456), from behind the 3-point line (.263/.500) and from the free throw line (.667/.762) as his minutes have jumped from 13.6 per game to 28.6 per contest.
• The duo of Merrill and Porter make up just one of two sets of teammates that rank in the top-10 of the Mountain West in assists per game in league play, averaging 4.7 (2nd) and 3.2 (9th) per game, respectively. (UNLV's Noah Robotham - 6.1/1st - Amauri Hardy - 4.0/6th)
• Freshman center Neemias Queta has rewritten the single-season block record at Utah State with his 70 blocks this season, shattering the previous single-season record of 59. Queta also recorded a MW-freshman record six blocks against Fresno State on Jan. 9.
• Queta has more blocks individually than 85 other teams in the nation have as a whole.
• Senior forward Quinn Taylor has appeared in 122 games in his career to rank No. 8 in school history. Taylor is only five games away from moving into the top five in school history in games played.
• Utah State head coach Craig Smith is currently first in the nation among first-year head coaches in winning percentage (.778) and for the most overall victories (22).
Scouting San Diego State
San Diego State is 18-9 overall on the year, including a 10-4 mark in the Mountain West. The Aztecs have won five straight and eight of their last nine.
SDSU is averaging 73.6 points per game and is shooting 45.0 percent (691-of-1,535) from the floor, 36.3 percent (207-of-570) from behind the 3-point line and 73.0 percent (398-of-545) at the free throw line. Redshirt sophomore forward Jalen McDaniels leads a trio of Aztecs in double figures with 16.9 points per game, followed by senior guard Devin Watson (16.3 ppg) and sophomore forward Matt Mitchell (10.6 ppg). McDaniels also leads San Diego State on the glass with 8.3 rebounds per game, while Watson leads the team in assists, averaging 4.6 dimes per game.
Defensively, SDSU opponents are averaging 67.9 points per game and are shooting 41.3 percent (631-of-1,529) from the floor, 33.4 percent (220-of-658) from behind the 3-point line and 70.6 percent (351-of-497) at the free throw line. McDaniels leads the Aztecs with 1.2 steals per game, with freshman forward Nathan Mensah matching the average with 1.2 blocks per game.
Net Ranking Road Warriors
Utah State is currently ranked No. 36 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings and has more road victories than all but six teams ranked above them.
On the Gridiron and on the Hardwood
Utah State is one of only two teams in the nation this year with an 11-win football team and a 20-win men's basketball team (Cincinnati).
The Utah State/San Diego State Series - Did you know?
• Utah State and San Diego State will play for just the 15th time in school history, making it the shortest series for the Aggies against a Mountain West opponent.
• San Diego State leads the all-time series 11-3 and has won 11 straight. Utah State's last loss of the season came at San Diego State on Feb. 9 as the Aggies have yet to win a game against the Aztecs since joining the Mountain West.
• Five of the last six games between the two schools have been played away from Logan, including four games in San Diego, Calif.
• Utah State pushed the Aztecs to overtime, shooting a series-best 52.7 percent (29-of-55) in the first meeting during the Mountain West era on Jan. 25, 2014, one of only three games of the series played in Logan, Utah, since joining the MW.
• Utah State's largest margin of defeat at home is five points, as all three games have been decided by less than five points inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
• Utah State has made it a single-digit contest in two of the three games that the Aggies have shot more than 20 free throws against San Diego State.
• Utah State has made it a single-digit contest in three of the four games that the Aggies have outrebounded the Aztecs.
• Junior guard Sam Merrill is averaging 20.8 points per game against the Aztecs in his career, shooting 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the floor and 50.0 percent (14-of-28) behind the 3-point line.
