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LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's basketball (18-7, 7-5 MW) hosts Boise State (16-8, 8-4) on Saturday at 8 p.m., inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum as the Aggies celebrate the 50th anniversary of the building. Fans can watch the game live on the CBS Sports Network (Comcast Ch. 269, DirecTV Ch. 221, Dish Ch. 158).
Opening Tips
• Utah State and Boise State will meet for the 50th time on Saturday, as the Aggies celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. USU leads the all-time series against the Broncos, 33-16, including a 19-3 mark at home.
• Only one game during the Mountain West era between the two teams has been determined by more than seven points. The teams have gone into overtime in each of the last two contests.
• Utah State is 22-8 against Mountain West opponents over the last two years, including a 13-2 mark at home. All-time, USU is 62-58 in the MW since joining the league in 2013-14.
• 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 has held three of its last five MW opponents to under 55 points. The Aggies have held seven teams overall to under 55 points on the year.
• Utah State held UNLV to a MW-season-low 55 points in its last contest. In fact, USU also held Wyoming to a MW-season-low 45 points on Jan. 28, and Air Force to a season- and conference-low 47 points on Jan. 21.
• Utah State is one of the best in the MW at defending without fouling, committing 16.2 fouls per game to rank third in the league.
• 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 1,979 points to rank No. 4 all-time in USU history.
• Merrill has scored in double figures in all but one game he's played in this season and in each of the last 16 games, increasing his total of 99 career games in double figures, moving to fourth in school history. Merrill could become just the fourth Aggie in school history to record 100 or more games in double figures.
• Merrill is the only player in school history to surpass more than 1,900 career points, 400 career assists and 100 career steals. Merrill is just the third player in MW history to accomplish the feat (Jimmer Fredette - BYU, Brandon Ewing - WYO).
• Merrill and junior guard Abel Porter are the only guard tandem in the MW that ranks in the Top-5 in assist-to-turnover ratio, averaging 2.53 and 1.96 to rank second and fourth, respectively.
• Sophomore center Neemias Queta recorded his 100th career block against UNLV, becoming the fifth Aggie in school history to record 100 or more blocks in a career. Queta has recorded multiple blocks in more than half of the games he has played in during his career at Utah State.
• Senior guard Diogo Brito has surpassed 100 career steals this year, totaling 111 during his career. Brito needs one more steal to move into the all-time Top-10 in USU history. Brito is second in the MW with 1.6 steals per game, while Bean leads the MW in conference games with 2.0 thefts per contest.
• Bean, a former walk-on, is one of only two active players in the MW averaging a double-double, turning in 12.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Bean is 11th 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.
• Bean has recorded double-digit rebounds in 17 of 25 games this season and in 18 games in his career. The total marks a third of his total games played in his career.
• Head coach Craig Smith is closing in on 200 career victories, needing just three more wins to reach the 200-victory plateau.
The Utah State/Boise State Series
• Utah State leads the all-time series against Boise State, 33-16, and has a 19-3 advantage in Logan.
• All but one game during Utah State's membership in the Mountain West has been decided by more than seven points. Each of the last two games have been determined in overtime.
• Utah State is hosting Boise State for just the second time in the last seven games.
• Utah State has recorded more assists than the Broncos in all but one game during Mountain West play.
• Utah State scored a MW-series record 83 points in the last contest between the two teams.
• Utah State has two players averaging double figures against Boise State over the course of their careers in senior guard Sam Merrill (20.6 ppg) and sophomore center Neemias Queta (11.0 ppg).
• Merrill recorded a career-tying-high seven triples against the Broncos on March 8, 2018, as he also notched seven treys at San José State on Feb. 28, 2018 and at New Mexico on Feb. 14, 2018.
• The 14 made three-pointers on March 8, 2018, tied for the second-most made threes in a game in school history.
