USU MBB NOTES - USU Men's Basketball Beginning Quest for Back-to-Back Championships on Thursday Night

USU Game Notes

Men's Basketball 3/3/2020 2:27:00 PM

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State (23-8, 12-6 MW) men's basketball will enter the upcoming Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., as the No. 2 seed and will play either No.7-seeded New Mexico (18-13, 7-11 MW) or No.10-seeded San José State (7-23, 3-15 MW) in a quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 5, at 7 p.m. (MT) The game will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network (Comcast Ch. 269, DirecTV Ch. 221, Dish Ch. 158).

Opening Tips
• Utah State, the returning Mountain West Tournament Champion, will look to defend its title when the Aggies open the MW Tournament on Thursday, March 5.

• The Aggies will be looking for their first back-to-back tournament championships since the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, when USU posted back-to-back tournament championships in the Big West.

• Utah State is 46-32 all-time in conference tournaments, including an 8-5 mark in the Mountain West. The Aggies are 16-4 overall in conference tournaments as the No. 2 seed.

• All-time, the second seed has the best winning percentage in the history of the Mountain West Tournament, as the No. 2 seed has compiled an overall mark of 39-10.

• Utah State, ranked No. 38 in the latest NET ratings, has recorded more victories away from home than 17 teams ranked above it. The Aggies have won the second-most contests away from home in the Mountain West this season.

• Utah State is fifth in the nation in total assists this season with 516 and is ninth in the nation with 16.6 assists per game. The Aggies are ninth in the nation in assisted baskets as 61.5 percent of their made field goals come via dimes.

• Utah State has recorded more than 2,300 points and 1,200 rebounds for the second consecutive year and for the first time since the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.

• Senior guard Sam Merrill became the fourth Aggie in school history and just the sixth player in MW history to surpass 2,000 career points. Merrill currently has 2,114 points to rank No. 3 all-time in USU history and needs 14 more points to finish second.

• Merrill is also moving up the all-time scoring records in MW history, as he is currently ranked fourth and needs 55 points to move to third.

• Merrill is second all-time in career assists (469) in Utah State history and is both the USU and MW-record holder in career free throw percentage, converting 89.3 percent (434-of-486) at the line.

• Merrill is one of only two players in Utah State history to play in more than 4,000 minutes in his career.

• Since coming off of the bench over the last two games, sophomore guard Brock Miller is shooting 80.0 percent (4-of-5) from behind the 3-point line.

• 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 needs four more blocks to move into a tie for fourth all-time. Queta leads the MW with 1.7 blocks per game in league play.

• Queta has recorded double-doubles in each of the last two games and has pulled down double-digit rebounds in four of the last five.

• Senior guard Diogo Brito has surpassed 100 career steals this year, totaling 116 during his career to rank 10th in school history. Brito is tied for second in the MW with 1.5 steals per game.

• Brito has averaged more than five points, five rebounds and five assists in each of the last two games.

• Sophomore forward Justin Bean, a former walk-on, is one of only three players in the MW averaging a double-double, turning in 12.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Bean is 16th in the nation with 15 double-doubles this season, matching the most by an Aggie since Eric Franson logged 15 double-doubles during the 1994-95 season.

• Bean ranks 12th in the nation in total rebounds this season, pulling down 319 on the year. The total is the most by an Aggie since Cornell Green pulled down 322 rebounds during the 1961-62 season.

• Bean has recorded double-digit rebounds in three of the last four games and in five of the last seven.

Conference Tournament Notables
• USU has been the No. 2 seed heading into a conference tournament eight times in school history and is 16-4 overall as the second seed.

• Last season, Utah State captured the tournament title as the No. 2 seed, posting victories over New Mexico (91-83), Fresno State (85-60) and San Diego State (64-57).

• All-time, the second seed has the best winning percentage in the history of the Mountain West Tournament, as the No. 2 seed has compiled an overall mark of 39-10.

• The No. 2 seed has played in the championship game of the MW Tournament in five of the last six years, winning the tournament three times.

• In fact, the No. 2 seed has appeared in the championship game of the MW in 10 of the last 13 years, winning the title eight times.

• In last year's tournament, senior guard Diogo Brito shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the floor and 60.0 percent (6-of-10) from behind the 3-point l ine.

• Junior guard Abel Porter also had one of his best three-game stretches during the 2019 MW Tournament, shooting 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from the floor and 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from behind the 3-point line.

• Sophomore center Neemias Queta averaged a near double-double during the 2019 tournament, earning MW all-tournament team honors after scoring 14.3 points per game and pulling down 9.0 rebounds per game.

• Senior guard Sam Merrill was named the 2019 MW Tournament MVP after averaging 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

• Utah State will be looking for its first back-to-back tournament championships since the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons. The Aggies will also be looking to become the first team in the MW to capture back-to-back tournament championships since New Mexico accomplished the feat in 2013 and 2014.

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