LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's basketball (17-6, 6-4) travels to No. 4/No. 4 San Diego State (22-0, 11-0 MW) on Saturday, Feb. 1, for an 8 p.m. tip. Fans can watch the game on the CBS Sports Network (Comcast Ch. 269, DirecTV Ch. 221, Dish Ch. 158).

Opening Tips
• Utah State and San Diego State will meet for just the 18th time in school history on Saturday. The majority have come since USU joined the MW as the Aggies have faced the Aztecs 14 times, more than any other opponent since joining the league.

• Utah State and San Diego State represent the two strongest defensive teams in the league as SDSU is first in both scoring defense (58.2) and defensive 3-point field goal percentage (.272), while USU is second in both categories (66.6 and .305).

• Utah State enters the game have won each of its last three contests, the second-longest winning streak in the MW.

• Utah State is 21-7 against Mountain West opponents over the last two years, including a 9-5 mark on the road. All-time, USU is 61-57 in the MW since joining the league in 2013-14.

• Utah State has carried a lead in more than 92 percent of the minutes played over its last five games, trailing or tied with its opponent for just 15:17 over the course of 200 minutes played.

• Utah State earned a combined 3.11 grade point average during the fall semester, making up a combined 3.32 grade point average for USU student-athletes, the highest semester GPA for the Aggies in school history.

• Utah State's defense has locked down opponents over the last five games, holding teams to just 36.7 percent (101-of-275) over the stretch. In its four victories over the five games, USU held opponents to 34.2 percent (75-of-219) shooting from the floor.

• The defense extends to the 3-point line, as USU has held opponents to just 30.0 percent (36-of-120) from long range over the last five games.

• The Aggies are also dominating the glass over the last five games, outrebounding opponents by 12.0 per contest (40.6 to 28.6).

• Senior guard Sam Merrill and sophomore forward Justin Bean are both in the Top-35 in the nation in adjusted win shares, joining only Duke, Maryland and Minnesota with two players in the Top-35 in that category.

• Merrill is on pace to become the fourth Aggie in school history to surpass 2,000 career points this season. Merrill currently has 1,943 points to rank No. 4 all-time in USU history.

• Merrill is two 3-point buckets away from moving to No. 2 in school history and one assist away from also moving to No. 2 in that category.

• Merrill has scored in double figures in all but one game he's played in this season and in each of the last 14 games, increasing his total of 97 career games in double figures, moving to fourth in school history.

• Merrill is the only player in school history to surpass more than 1,900 career points, 400 career assists and 100 career steals.

• Merrill and junior guard Abel Porter is the only guard tandem in the MW that ranks in the Top-5 in assist-to-turnover ratio, averaging 2.21 and 2.00 to rank second and fifth, respectively.

• Sophomore center Neemias Queta has moved to No. 5 all-time in Utah State history with 95 career blocks.

• Senior guard Diogo Brito has surpassed 100 career steals this year, totaling 109 during his career and collecting at least one in eight of the last nine games. Brito is second in the MW with 1.7 steals per game, while Bean leads the MW in conference games with 1.9 thefts per contest.

• Bean, a former walk-on, is one of only two active players in the MW averaging a double-double, turning in 13.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Bean is fifth in the nation with 12 double-doubles this season, the most by an Aggie since Eric Franson logged 15 double-doubles during the 1994-95 season.

The Utah State/San Diego State Series
• Utah State and San Diego State will play for just the 18th time in school history, making it the shortest series for the Aggies against a Mountain West opponent.

• Utah State trails in the all-time series 5-12, but has won two of the last three.

• Utah State's last and only victory in San Diego came on Nov. 24, 1998.

• San Diego State and Utah State are the only two teams in the MW with double-digit scoring margins, outscoring opponents by 17.8 and 14.0 points per game, respectively.

• Since joining the Mountain West, Utah State has faced San Diego State the most among all league institutions, facing the Aztecs a total of 14 times since the 2013-14 season. The Aggies have also faced Nevada and Wyoming a total of 14 times since joining the MW.

• Senior guard Sam Merrill is averaging 21.7 points per game against the Aztecs in his career.

• Sophomore center Neemias Queta is also averaging double figures against the Aztecs in his career, turning in 11.8 points per game.