LOGAN, Utah - Utah State senior guard Sam Merrill has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) District VIII Player of the Year, as announced by the organization on Tuesday. Merrill was also named all-District VIII by the USBWA, marking the second consecutive year he has been recognized with that honor.
District VIII by the USBWA is made up of states including Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Montana.
Merrill led the Aggies in scoring this season, averaging 19.7 points per game, to rank second in the Mountain West. Merrill became just the sixth player in conference history and just the fourth player in Utah State history to surpass 2,000 career points, totaling 2,197 points and counting this season to rank second in both MW and USU history. It was Merrill's 3-point bucket in the waning seconds against San Diego State in the MW Tournament Championship that sealed the Aggies' NCAA Tournament berth and gave USU its second consecutive MW Tournament title. For his efforts, Merrill was named the MW Tournament MVP, becoming the first player in league history to win back-to-back MW Tournament MVP honors.
Merrill scored in double figures in all but one game this season and scored 20 or more points in each of the last three games and in three of the final five of the regular season, including a season-high 32 points at Colorado State on Feb. 11.
In addition to his scoring, Merrill also led the Aggies this season in assists, averaging 3.9 helpers per game. Merrill was fourth on the team this season on the glass, averaging 4.1 rebounds per contest. For the year, Merrill shot 46.1 percent (195-of-423) from the floor, 41.0 percent (89-of-217) from behind the 3-point line and a MW-best 89.3 percent (150-of-168) at the free throw line. In fact, Merrill's free throw percentage ranks 12th in the nation, while his 150 makes at the charity stripe ranks 22nd.
Merrill and the Aggies are waiting to find out their opponent and location for the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced during the NCAA Men's Basketball Selection show on Sunday, March 15, at 4 p.m. (MT), on CBS.
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