Utah State Men's Basketball
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® 2020-21 MEN’S BASKETBALL GATA22 NCAA Tournament Selections: 1939, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2019, 2020 2020-21 SCHEDULE GAMES 1-3 - UTAH STATE AT BAD BOY MOWERS CROSSOVER CLASSIC ALL: 0-0 | H: 0-0 | A: 0-0 | N: 0-0 | MW: 0-0 NOV. 25-27| SIOUX FALLS, S.D. | AGGIE SPORTS NETWORK | ESPN FAMILY OF NETWORKS Rank: AP Top 25/USA Today Coaches’ Poll USU RETURNING STARTERS SERIES AT A GLANCE NOVEMBER (0-0) BROCK MILLER FIRST MEETING 25 -/- -/- vs VCU^ 7:30 p.m. (MT) 6-5 • 200 • GUARD • JUNIOR H: 0-0; A: 0-0 22 SANDY, UTAH | BRIGHTON HS ® 26 -/- -/- vs TBD^ 12:30/5:30 p.m. (MT) 8.4 ppg | 2.3 rpg | 1.0 apg | 0.5 spg 76.5 << POINTS 70.7 27 -/- -/- vs TBD^ TBD FG% .352 (100-of-284) | 3PT% .305 (61-of-200) | FT% .828 (24-of-29) 64.1 << POINTS ALLOWED 65.2 NEEMIAS QUETA DECEMBER (0-0) 7-0 • 245 • CENTER • JUNIOR +12.4 << SCORING MARGIN +5.6 5 -/- -/- TBA TBA 23 BARREIRO, PORTUGAL • BENFICA SL B 13.0 ppg |7.8 rpg | 1.9 apg | 1.7 bpg | 0.4 spg .460 << FIELD GOAL % .432 8 -/- -/- TBA TBA FG% .624 (108-of-173) | 3PT% 1.000 (1-of-1) | FT% .670 (69-of-103) .392 << DEFENSIVE FG% .423 12 -/- -/- TBA TBA << JUSTIN BEAN .333 3-POINT FG% .346 2019-20 statistics 15 -/- -/- TBA TBA 6-7 • 210 • FORWARD • JUNIOR 21 -/- -/- SAN JOSÉ STATE* TBA 34 MOORE, OKLA. | SOUTHMOORE HS .314 << DEF. 3-PT FG% .337 11.9 ppg | 10.5 rpg | 2.1 apg | 1.5 spg | 0.7 bpg .763 << .696 23 -/- -/- SAN JOSÉ STATE* TBA FG% .518 (155-of-299) | 3PT% .276 (8-of-29) | FT% .806 (87-of-108) FREE THROW % 31 -/- -/- at Air Force* TBA 10.8 << OFF. REBOUNDS 9.9 40.8 << REBOUNDS 33.5 JANUARY (0-0) 16.5 << ASSISTS 13.2 2 -/- -/- at Air Force* TBA << 12.5 TURNOVERS 12.4 7 -/- -/- at New Mexico* TBA << 9 -/- -/- at New Mexico* TBA 6.1 STEALS 9.0 14 -/- -/- SAN DIEGO STATE* TBA 3.2 BLOCKS << 4.3 16 -/- -/- SAN DIEGO STATE* TBA 15.7 << FOULS 18.4 20 -/- -/- COLORADO STATE* TBA ® 22 -/- -/- COLORADO STATE* TBA OPENING TIPS 25 -/- -/- at UNLV* TBA • Utah State opens its 116th season of men’s basketball on Wednesday night, traveling to Sioux Falls, S.D., for 27 -/- -/- at UNLV* TBA the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic. The Aggies are 1,637-1,123 in 2,760 total games played. FEBRUARY (0-0) • All-time, Utah State is 85-30 in season openers and has won 24 of its last 26. The Aggies are a perfect 2-0 in 4 -/- -/- at Fresno State* TBA season openers under head coach Craig Smith. 6 -/- -/- at Fresno State* TBA 11 -/- -/- WYOMING* TBA • Utah State finished third in the nation in total assists in 2019-20 with 561 and finished ninth in the nation with 13 -/- -/- WYOMING* TBA 16.5 assists per game. The Aggies were also ninth in the nation in assisted baskets as 61.3 percent of their 18 -/- -/- at Boise State* TBA made field goals came via dimes. 20 -/- -/- at Boise State* TBA • Last season USU finished No. 40 in the NET ratings and recorded more victories away from home than 31 25 -/- -/- NEVADA* TBA teams ranked above it. In fact, the Aggies won more neutral-site games (seven) than any other team in the 27 -/- -/- NEVADA* TBA nation in 2019-20. MARCH (0-0) • Over the last two years, Utah State ranks sixth in the nation with 54 victories. The Aggies trail Gonzaga (64), 10 -/- -/- MW TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND TBA Liberty (59), Virginia (58), Duke (57), Kentucky (55), New Mexico State (55) and Florida (55). 11 -/- -/- MW TOURNAMENT QF TBA 12 -/- -/- MW TOURNAMENT SF TBA • Utah State has won back-to-back Mountain West Tournament championships, making it just one of four 13 -/- -/- MW TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP TBA teams in conference history to win back-to-back tournament titles (New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV). The back-to-back tournament titles were the first for Utah State since capturing back-to-back Big West Tour- * - Denotes Mountain West game nament titles in 2000 and 2001. ^ - Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic (Sioux Falls, S.D.) HOME GAMES IN CAPS • Junior center Neemias Queta is one of just 20 players nationally to appear on the initial watch list for the All times Mountain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award, giving annually to the top center in collegiate basketball. Queta was also named preseason all-Mountain West. • Junior forward Justin Bean averaged 11.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game a season ago, making him the first Aggie to averaged a double-double in a season since Mike Santos averaged 18.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game during the 1976-77 season. • Queta and Bean were named second and third-team all-Mountain West, respectively, in 2019-20, and were both named to the Mountain West all-defensive team. Utah State Athletic Media Relations • Entering the 2019-20 season, John Rothstein featured several Aggies as players to watch, including 7400 Old Main Hill • Logan, Utah 84322-7400 redshirt junior guard Marco Anthony (top-20 transfers), freshman center Szymon Zapala (top-20 freshmen) Kyle Cottam, Assistant AD for Media Relations and senior forward Alphonso Anderson (top-20 breakout players). (435) 817-7702 • [email protected] UTAH STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT TITANS SUCCEEDING IN THE CLASSROOM 2020-21 MW PRESEASON POLL Utah State is 15-3 in tournaments over the last two • Utah State earned a combined 3.11 grade point Rank School (First-place votes) Points years under head coach Craig Smith. The Aggies average during the 2019 fall semester, making up 1 San Diego State (14) 211 captured the 2019 Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic a combined 3.32 grade point average for USU stu- 2 Boise State (4) 188 with wins against LSU (80-78) and North Texas (68- dent-athletes, the highest semester GPA for the Ag- 3 Utah State (2) 177 59), and have gone 6-0 over the last two years in the gies in school history. 4 UNLV 160 5 Colorado State 141 Mountain West Tournament. 6 Nevada 114 • Utah State led the nation with seven student-ath- 7 New Mexico 106 FREE SCORING letes named to the NABC Honor Roll during the 8 Fresno State 93 Over the last two seasons, Utah State has scored 2019-20 season. 9 Wyoming 59 more points than any other two-year span in school 10 Air Force 39 history, scoring a school-record 2,753 points during THRILL OF VICTORY 11 San José State 32 the 2018-19 season and 2,600 points during the • Utah State’s formula to winning last season was 2019-20 season, the third-most in school history. better shooting and dominating the glass. In its 26 2020-21 Preseason All-Mountain West Team victories last season, USU shot 47.4 percent (718-of- Pos. Name Year School G Derrick Alston Jr. Sr. Boise State REBOUNDS APLENTY 1,515) from the floor and 34.5 percent (195-of-566) G Isaiah Stevens So. Colorado State Over the last two seasons, Utah State has also pulled from behind the 3-point line, while opponents shot F Matt Mitchell Sr. San Diego State down more than 1,300 rebounds each year, mark- 36.7 percent (563-of-1,536) from the floor and 29.2 G Bryce Hamilton Jr. UNLV ing the first time in school history that the Aggies percent (190-of-650) from behind the 3-point line. C Neemias Queta Jr. Utah State have scored more than 2,500 points and logged more than 1,300 rebounds in back-to-back seasons. • The Aggies pulled down 43.3 rebounds per game Preseason Player of the Year to their opponents’ 30.2 rebounds per game, for a Derrick Alston Jr., Sr., G, Boise State DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLE rebounding margin of +13.1 per contest. Preseason Newcomer of the Year Utah State had a pair of Aggies record a dou- David Jenkins, Jr., Jr., G, UNLV ble-double in the same game during two contests • Utah State averaged 79.5 points per game and last season. outscored opponents by 19.1 points per game Preseason Freshman of the Year during its 26 victories last season. Nick Blake, G, UNLV Saint Katherine (12/10) - Justin Bean (12 pts, 14 rebs) Trevin Dorius (10 pts, 11 rebs) AGONY OF DEFEAT San José State (2/25) - Neemias Queta (23 pts, 10 rebs) • Shooting and rebounding also came into play in Justin Bean (12 pts, 13 rebs) Utah State’s seven losses last season as USU shot 41.4 percent (187-of-452) from the floor and 29.6 percent 2019-20 MW FINAL STANDINGS DOMINATING THE GLASS (53-of-179) from behind the 3-point line, while op- MW Overall • Utah State led the Mountain West in rebounds ponents shot 47.7 percent (215-of-451) from the San Diego State 17-1 .944 30-2 .938 allowed last year, holding opponents to 31.6 per floor and 38.7 percent (74-of-191) from behind the Utah State 12-6 .667 26-8 .765 game and ranked second in total rebounds per 3-point line. Nevada 12-6 .667 19-12 .613 game (39.1). UNLV 12-6 .667 17-15 .531 • Opponents also had the advantage on the glass, Boise State 11-7 .611 20-12 .625 • Utah State led the nation in defensive rebounds pulling down 34.9 rebounds per game to the Ag- Colorado State 11-7 .611 20-12 .625 per game, pulling down 30.0 per contest.