Utah State Aggies

March 5, 2010

LOGAN, Utah -

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAME 31
Utah State (24-6, 13-2) vs. New Mexico State (19-10, 11-4)
Saturday, Mar. 6, 2010 • 7:07 p.m. (MT) • Logan, Utah
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) • Aggie Radio Network • CW30

GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 105th season of basketball and has an overall record of 1,425-1,000 (.587). USU hasn't had a losing season since the 1992-93 campaign, a span of 17 years, when that team finished with a 10-17 record.

• With New Mexico State's 100-92 loss at Nevada, Utah State notched its second-straight outright Western Athletic Conference regular season title as it also won the league in 2009 with a 14-2 WAC mark. USU shared the WAC title in 2008 with a 12-4 conference mark and its current streak of three straight regular season conference championships is the best in school history.

• Utah State is receiving votes in both polls this week and is currently ranked 28th in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll with 24 votes and 33rd in the Associated Press poll with nine votes.

• Utah State is riding a season-high 14-game winning streak and has won 18 of its last 20 games after starting the year with a 6-4 record. USU's 14-game winning streak is currently tied with New Mexico for the second-longest in the nation behind Butler who has won 18 straight.

• Utah State's current 14-game winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest in school history. USU's longest winning streak is 19 games which was set during the 1999-2000 season and tied during the 2008-09 campaign. The 2003-04 team won 17 straight games which is the third-longest winning streak in school history.

• Utah State has won 13 straight WAC games and 31 of its last 35 WAC games dating back to the 2007-08 season. USU has also won 23 straight WAC games at home and 32 of its last 33 overall. During the last three years, USU is 39-8 (.830) in WAC play.

• Utah State has won 13 straight home games and 65 of its last 67 home games overall with its only losses during that stretch coming against Saint Mary's, 68-63, on Dec. 5, 2009 and against Fresno State, 71-66, on March 3, 2007. Saint Mary's snapped USU's school-record 37-game home winning streak earlier this year, which was the second-longest in the nation at the time.

• Utah State is 175-13 (.931) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under head coach Stew Morrill, which includes a 91-8 (.919) record against conference opponents and a 36-3 (.923) mark against WAC teams. Overall, USU is 468-106 (.815) in this its 40th year in the building.

• Utah State has now won 23 or more games in each of the last 11 seasons and is one of just three teams in the nation to accomplish that feat along with Gonzaga and Kansas. USU's 24 wins this are tied for the sixth-most in school history. During the last 11 years, Utah State has averaged 25.1 wins per season.

NEXT UP
Utah State (24-6, 13-2) will conclude its regular season at home on Saturday, Mar. 6 when it hosts New Mexico State (19-10, 11-4) at 7 p.m. USU's game against NMSU will be televised live on CW30 with Mychal Clayton (play-by-play) and Craig Hislop (color) calling the action.

LOOKING AT UTAH STATE
Utah State is 24-6 on the season and in first-place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 13-2 league record following its 76-39 home win against Fresno State Monday night. USU is led by junior forward Tai Wesley who is averaging 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 71.9 percent at the free throw line. Senior guard Jared Quayle is averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, while shooting 40.1 percent from the field, 43.9 percent from three-point range and 88.5 percent at the free throw line, and junior forward Nate Bendall is averaging 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds, while shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 80.7 percent from the free throw line. As a team, Utah State is averaging 73.1 points and is shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from three-point range and 76.4 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, USU is allowing 59.4 points per game and its opponents are shooting 40.2 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from three-point range and 71.2 percent from the free throw line.

UTAH STATE GUARANTEED POSTSEAON PLAY FOR THE 11TH STRAIGHT YEAR
By winning its third straight WAC regular season championship, Utah State is guaranteed postseason play and will participate in the National Invitation Tournament if it does not advance to the NCAA Tournament.

LOOKING AT UTAH STATE DURING ITS CURRENT 14-GAME WINNING STREAK
During its current 14-game winning streak, Utah State is scoring 74.6 points and shooting 50.9 percent from the field, 47.8 percent from three-point range and 74.5 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, USU is allowing 57.2 points during its last 14 games and its opponents are shooting 38.9 percent from the field, 30.6 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent at the free throw line. USU is also out-rebounding its opponents by 6.0 boards (35.1-29.1) during its 14-game winning streak and out-scoring its opponents by 17.4 points per game.

UTAH STATE WINS THIRD STRAIGHT WAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Utah State won its third-straight Western Athletic Conference regular season championship Monday night with its 76-39 win against Fresno State. Overall, it is the 15th time in school history that USU has won at least a share of a regular season conference championship (1918, 1926, 1930, 1935, 1936, 1980, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010).

UTAH STATE HAS FOURTH-LONGEST CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah State's current 13-game winning streak in WAC play ranks fourth all-time in school history. The 1999-2000 team holds the school record for consecutive league wins as it went a perfect 16-0 in the Big West during the 1999-2000 season and won 23 straight conference games during the 2000 and 2001 seasons. The 2008-09 team won its first 12 WAC games and had a conference winning streak of 16 straight from the 2008 to the 2009 season, while the 2003-04 team won its first 12 Big West games and had a winning streak of 14 straight from the 2003 to the 2004 season.

RANKING UTAH STATE IN THE WAC
As of March 5, Utah State ranks first in the WAC in scoring defense (59.4), scoring margin (+13.7), field goal percentage (.488), field goal percentage defense (.402), free throw shooting (.764), three-point field goal percentage (.426), three-point field goal percentage defense (.324), rebound margin (+5.8) and assists (16.73). USU is also fourth in blocks (3.53). Individually, senior guard Jared Quayle ranks first in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.56), fourth in free throw shooting (.885), fifth in three-point shooting (.439), fifth in assists (4.27), ninth in steals (1.20) and 12th in rebounding (6.2). Junior forward Tai Wesley ranks fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.94), seventh in blocked shots (1.27), seventh in field goal shooting (.567), 10th in rebounding (6.4), 13th in assists (3.17), 13th in scoring (13.4) and 14th in free throw shooting (.719). Junior forward Nate Bendall ranks third in field goal shooting (.581), eighth in free throw shooting (.807) and 10th in blocked shots (1.00). Junior guard Brian Green ranks first in three-point shooting (.500), junior guard Tyler Newbold ranks sixth in three-point shooting (.431), junior guard Pooh Williams ranks 13th in three-point shooting (.393), and sophomore forward Brady Jardine ranks 15th in blocked shots (0.63).

UTAH STATE LEADING THE NATION IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
As of March 5, Utah State is leading the nation in three-point shooting at 42.6 percent and ranks third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.62). Overall, USU ranks among the top 10 nationally in eight statistical categories and among the top 23 in 10 statistical categories. USU also ranks fifth in free throw shooting (.764), sixth in turnovers per game (10.3), eighth in scoring margin (+13.7), ninth in field goal shooting (.488), ninth in scoring defense (59.4), ninth in assists per game (16.7), 19th in winning percentage (.800) and 23rd in rebounding margin (+5.8). Individually, junior forward Tai Wesley ranks 15th in field goal shooting (.567) and senior guard Jared Quayle ranks 19th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.56). Overall, USU is the only team in the nation to rank among the top 10 nationally in all three shooting categories.

COMPUTER RANKINGS
As of March 5, Utah State has an RPI of 33 and a strength of schedule of 105 according to RealTiimeRPI, while the WAC is ranked 10th as a conference. USU also has a sagarin rating of 38 according to USAToday.com.

RECAPPING THE FRESNO STATE GAME
A 22-0 run to open the game paved the way for Utah State's 76-39 blasting of Fresno State Monday as USU won a share of its third-straight Western Athletic Conference regular season title. Fresno State didn't make a field goal until the 10:09 mark of the first half after missing its first 11 attempts. Four USU players netted double-digits, led by junior forward Tai Wesley's 21 points. Junior guard Tyler Newbold hit all four of his three-pointers for 12 points, while fellow junior guard Brian Green netted three of his five treys, all in the first half, to finish with 11 points. Junior forward Nate Bendall added 10 points and pulled down six rebounds, while Wesley snared seven boards, helping USU to a 38-33 rebounding edge. Utah State scorched the nets to the tune of 6-of-8 (.750) from three-point range in the first half before cooling off to end the game at 8-of-16 (.500). The Aggies were 31-of-56 (.554) from the field as well as 6-of-10 (.600) at the free throw line. Senior guard Jared Quayle filled the stat sheet with game-highs of eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals while netting five points. The eight assists tied his career-high. Fresno State got 12 points apiece from Paul George and Mike Ladd while George pulled down seven rebounds. FSU ended the night a chilly 12-of-54 (.222) field goal shooting, making just 2-of-20 (.100) behind the three-point arc. The Bulldogs made more free throws than they did field goals, finishing at 13-of-15 (.867) at the charity stripe. The Bulldogs were a paltry 4-of-22 (.182) from the field, including 0-of-7 from three-point range, in the first half as the Aggies had a 40-14 lead at intermission, with the USU bench out-scoring the FSU team 15-14 in the opening stanza. Utah State had leads of 28-3 and 31-5 in the first half as well as its largest of the opening 20 minutes at 40-12. A Wesley dunk put USU ahead 44-16 before Sylvester Seay hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc to pull the Bulldogs within 44-19 at the 18:14 mark. That would be the closest they would get the rest of the night as with 17:40 on the clock, Newbold hit a trey from the right wing to spark an 18-0 USU run over almost the next nine minutes. Sophomore forward Brady Jardine hit a layup, part of his eight points in the game, for a 62-19 Aggie advantage with 11:08 to go, giving USU its largest lead of the night at 43 points. FSU finally ended the spurt with two free throws by George with 9:32 left. The Bulldogs later reeled off 10 unanswered points on the Aggie reserves to trim the gap to 64-31 on a Seay tip-in with 5:43 on the clock, but couldn't get any closer. Sophomore forward Modou Niang capped the Aggie scoring on a dunk with 33 seconds left. USU forced 16 FSU turnovers, including 11 in the first half as the Aggies had a 12-0 points off turnovers edge, ending at 14-4 for the game. The Utah State reserves ended with a 27-7 advantage and USU had a decisive 40-12 points in the paint edge as well. The Aggies dished out 25 assists, one shy of their season-high, as USU improved to 9-0 when distributing at least 20 assists.

NOTE-ABLES FROM THE FRESNO STATE GAME
Utah State out-rebounded Fresno State, 38-33, and has now out-rebounded 26 of its 30 opponents this year... USU had 25 assists, which are the second-most in a single-game this year, and improved to 9-0 on the season when recording at least 20 assists in a game... USU shot 50.0 percent from the field (.554) for the 13th time this year, and 50.0 percent from three-point range (.500) for the 11th time this year... The 39 points scored by Fresno State are the fewest for a USU opponent since the Aggies won at Louisiana Tech, 50-37, on Jan. 8, 2009... FSU's 12 made field goals are the fewest allowed by Utah State since Montana Tech made 11 in a 79-29 USU win on Dec. 9, 2000... Tai Wesley recorded two charges to give him a team-leading 13 on the season... Wesley also had one dunk to give him nine this year... Modou Niang recorded his third dunk of the season... Tyler Newbold took his first charge of the year.

AGGIES SET SCHOOL RECORD BY SCORING FIRST 22 POINTS OF THE GAME AGAINST FRESNO
Utah State's 22-0 run to start the game against Fresno State Monday is a new school record according to available archives. FSU did not score its first points of the game until the 10:09 mark of the first half. Seton Hall holds the NCAA record for most points scored by one team at the beginning of the game with 34 against Kean University on Nov. 29, 1998. The 22-0 run by USU is also the second-longest in school history behind the 37-0 run the Aggies had in an 80-42 win against Idaho on Feb. 15, 2006. USU held the Vandals scoreless for 13:53 and without a field goal for 16:01.

AGGIES HAVE SINGLE-DIGIT TURNOVERS FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME
Utah State committed just nine turnovers in its last game and has now committed single-digit turnovers in each of its last five games and in 12 games this year. USU's current streak of five straight games with single-digit turnovers is the longest in school history. In its last five games, USU is averaging just 7.4 turnovers per game.

UTAH STATE PLAYING SOLID DEFENSE DURING ITS LAST FIVE GAMES
During its last five games, Utah State has held all five of its opponents under 65 points and less than 43.0 percent shooting from the field. During its last five games, USU's opponents are shooting just 36.5 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from three-point range, while averaging just 54.6 points.

UTAH STATE GETTING BALANCED SCORING DURING ITS 14-GAME WINNING STREAK
During its current 14-game winning streak, Utah State has seven players averaging at least eight points a game in junior forward Tai Wesley (13.4), senior guard Jared Quayle (11.9), junior guard Pooh Williams (10.4), junior forward Nate Bendall (10.2), junior guard Brian Green (8.9), sophomore forward Brady Jardine (8.6) and junior guard Tyler Newbold (8.0).

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State's 24 wins this year are tied for the 15th-most in the nation.

SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE
New Mexico State is 19-10 on the season and in second-place in the Western Athletic Conference with an 11-4 league record following its 100-92 road loss at Nevada Thursday. The Aggies, who are 7-7 on the road this year, are led by junior guard Jahmar Young who ranks third in the WAC in scoring at 21.0 points per game. Senior guard Jonathan Gibson is scoring 18.2 points, sophomore forward Troy Gillenwater is averaging 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds, junior forward Wendell McKines is averaging 10.8 points and 9.6 rebounds, and sophomore center Hamidu Rahman is averaging 10.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. As a team, New Mexico State is scoring 79.1 points per game and shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from three-point range and 70.1 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, NMSU is allowing 78.5 points and its opponents are shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three-point range and 67.3 percent at the free throw line. NMSU returns all five starters and six letterwinners from last year's team that went 17-15 overall and finished in a tie for third-place in the WAC with a 9-7 league mark. Marvin Menzies is in his third year as the Aggies head coach and has an overall record of 57-39.

UTAH STATE'S RIVALRY WITH NEW MEXICO STATE IS THE 11TH OLDEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Utah State and New Mexico State will be playing for the 59th time in series history this weekend, in what is the 11th-oldest rivalry in USU history. The first game played in the series was during the 1960-61 season with the Utah State Aggies posting a 74-65 home win.

UTAH STATE-NEW MEXICO STATE SERIES
Utah State and New Mexico State will be meeting for the 59th time this weekend with USU owning a 32-26 all-time advantage, which includes a 20-7 record at home. New Mexico State won the first meeting between the two teams this year in Las Cruces, 55-52, on Jan. 2. The last time USU won a game in the series was on Mar. 13, 2009 in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament by a final score of 71-70. Overall, Utah State has won four of the last six games played in the series, including three straight at home.

UTAH STATE IN MARCH
Utah State is 38-19 (.667) in the month of March under Morrill, which includes a 13-4 (.765) record at home. Utah State is also 3-4 (.429) in known games played on Mar. 6 and 111-42 (.725) in games played on Saturday under Morrill.

VERSUS THE WAC
Utah State is 209-104 (.668) all-time against current members of the WAC and the Aggies have a winning record against every team in the league. In 2006, USU finished in a tie for second-place with an 11-5 league record and advanced to the conference's championship game. In 2007, USU finished in fourth-place with a 9-7 mark and advanced to the WAC Tournament championship game for the second straight year. In 2008, Utah State won a share of its first-ever WAC regular season championship as it went 12-4 during the year. In 2009, Utah State won its first-ever outright WAC regular season title with a 14-2 league record and its first-ever WAC Tournament championship, and in 2010 Utah State won its second straight regular season WAC title.

Stew Morrill VERSUS THE WAC
Stew Morrill is 120-77 (.609) all-time in WAC games, which includes a 59-20 (.747) record at Utah State and a 61-57 (.517) record at Colorado State. Morrill is 121-69 (.637) all-time against current members of the WAC, which includes a 92-31 (.748) record at USU.

LAST MEETING AGAINST NEW MEXICO STATE
Jonathan Gibson scored a game-high 19 points, including the final two of the game, to lead New Mexico State to a hard-fought 55-52 win against Utah State in the Western Athletic Conference opener for both teams on Jan. 2, 2010 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces in a nationally televised game on ESPNU. Tai Wesley led Utah State with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Tyler Newbold had 12 points and four boards. Wendell McKines was the only other NMSU player to score in double-figures as he finished the game with 10 points and five rebounds. Utah State trailed by 11 at 53-42 with 6:52 to play before it slowly chipped away at the deficit and got within one point at 53-52 with 47 seconds to play following a three-pointer from Pooh Williams. NMSU then scored its first points in over six minutes on a 15-foot jumper from Gibson to give the home team a three-point advantage with 17 seconds left in the game. USU's Williams then missed a contested three-pointer at the top of key with five seconds to play to end the game as neither team could secure the rebound before the final horn sounded. Utah State finished the game by shooting 47.9 percent from the field (23-48), but shot just 23.1 percent from three-point range (3-13) and was just 3-of-5 (.600) at the free throw line. USU also out-rebounded NMSU, 31-26, but committed 15 turnovers in the game as compared to 10 for New Mexico State. New Mexico State shot 42.9 percent for the game (21-49), including 37.5 percent from behind the arc (6-16) and 70.0 percent at the free throw line. Utah State scored nine straight points early on to take a quick 9-3 before New Mexico State went on 17-4 run over a 6:52 stretch to take its biggest lead of the half at 20-13 with 8:04 to play. USU then scored nine of the next 11 points to tie the score at 22-all and NMSU went into the locker room with a 27-24 advantage at the break. Wesley had eight first-half points to lead Utah State as it shot 45.8 percent from the field (11-24), 16.7 percent from three-point range (1-6) and was just 1-of-2 at the free throw line. McKines had seven first-half points to lead New Mexico State as it shot 43.5 percent (10-23), including 3-of-7 (.429) from behind the arc and 4-of-6 (.667) at the free throw line.

LAST MEETING AGAINST NEW MEXICO STATE AT HOME
Behind all five starters netting double-figures and senior forward Gary Wilkinson's double-double, Utah State beat New Mexico State, 78-59, Feb. 5, 2009 in Logan. Wilkinson had 18 points and 11 rebounds, both game highs, as well as hitting a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line. Sophomore guard Tyler Newbold netted a season-high five three-pointers and tallied a total of 17 points. Junior guard Jared Quayle matched his season-high with four three-pointers, as the home Aggies drained a season-high 12 triples. Quayle ended the night with 12 points to go along with a career-high eight assists, as well as seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Pooh Williams and junior forward Tai Wesley rounded out the double-digit scoring by the starting five with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman forward Brady Jardine snared nine rebounds, helping USU to a 39-31 rebounding advantage, including 15 on the offensive glass. NMSU was led by Jahmar Young's 15 points while Jonathan Gibson added 13 points. Wendell McKines had a team-leading eight rebounds, while Hernst Laroche dished out five assists. Utah State led from start-to-finish, jumping out to a 7-0 lead as Wilkinson scored the first four points followed by a three-pointer from Quayle on the right wing. Young finally put NMSU on the board with a layup at the 16:23 mark before USU stretched its lead to 18-4 after two more Quayle three's and a Newbold triple from the left wing. The maroon Aggies cut the gap to 30-28 with 1:51 left in the half after another Young layup and USU held a slim 35-32 halftime edge. Just over four minutes into the second half, the home team's lead swelled to 11 on a Quayle three-pointer from right wing and NMSU never got within nine the rest of the night. Newbold capped the scoring with a three-pointer from the right corner for USU's largest lead of the night and the final scoring margin. Utah State hit an even 50.0 percent (27-54) from the field, paced by the 12-of-22 (.545) three-point outing. The navy-clad Aggies were 12-of-22 (.600) at the free throw line. New Mexico State was 23-of-54 (.426) field goal shooting, making 4-of-8 (.500) of its three-pointers as well as 9-of-17 (.529) at the free pitch stripe.

TWO OF THE TOP SHOOTERS IN LEAGUE GAMES COME OFF UTAH STATE'S BENCH
Two of the WAC's top field goal shooters during league play are reserves for Utah State as sophomore forward Brady Jardine ranks first in WAC games in shooting at 60.9 percent (53-87), while junior guard Brian Green is shooting 56.6 percent (43-76) to rank fourth.

UTAH STATE HAS FOUR OF THE TOP 13 THREE-POINT SHOOTERS IN THE WAC
Utah State, statistically, has four of the top 13 three-point shooters in the WAC as junior guard Brian Green ranks first (.500), senior guard Jared Quayle ranks fifth (.439), junior guard Tyler Newbold ranks sixth (.431) and junior guard Pooh Williams ranks 13th (.393).

GREEN LEADS THE WAC IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Junior reserve guard Brian Green is torching the nets in conference play as he is shooting 63.8 percent from three-point range (30-47) to rank first in the WAC. On the season, Green is shooting 50.0 percent from behind the arc (44-88) to rank first in the conference.

WILLIAMS PLAYING WELL DURING WINNING STREAK
Junior guard Pooh Williams has played solid basketball for Utah State during its 14-game winning streak as he has scored at least seven points in 12 of those contests and has scored in double-figures eight times. During his last five games, Williams is averaging 9.2 points and is shooting 48.6 percent from the field (18-37), 27.3 percent from three-point range (3-11) and is 7-of-11 (.636) at the free throw line. Overall, Williams has scored at least seven points in 18 games this year and has scored in double-figures 12 times.

WESLEY LEADS THE TEAM WITH 25 DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING GAMES
Junior forward Tai Wesley has scored in double-figures 25 times this year including 12 times in his last 14 games. Overall, Wesley has scored in double-figures 69 times in his career and has seven career 20-point games, including two this season after scoring 21 points against Fresno State in his last game. During his last five games, Wesley is averaging 14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists, while shooting 59.2 percent from the field (29-49) and 65.0 percent at the free throw line (13-20). Wesley has also recorded at least four assists in each of his last six games.

QUAYLE SECOND-BEST REBOUNDING POINT GUARD IN THE NATION
Senior Jared Quayle is averaging 6.2 rebounds to rank as the second-best rebounding point guard in the nation behind Jesse Sanders of Liberty who averages 6.7 boards per game. Last year, Quayle averaged 6.0 rebounds to rank as the fourth-best rebounding point guard in the nation.

QUAYLE HAS JUST FOUR TURNOVERS IN HIS LAST FIVE GAMES
Senior guard Jared Quayle has done a great job of taking care of the ball as of late as he has committed just four turnovers in his last five games while recording 23 assists. During his last five games, Quayle has scored in double-figures three times and is averaging 10.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals, while shooting 40.0 percent from the field (16-40), 50.0 percent from three-point range (11-22) and 81.8 percent at the free throw line (9-11). Overall, Quayle has scored in double-figures 18 times this year and 43 times in his career, to go along with three 20-point games this year and eight in his career.

GREEN HAS BEEN INSTANT OFFENSE FOR UTAH STATE OFF THE BENCH
Junior guard Brian Green has been instant offense for Utah State when he enters the game as of late as he is averaging 9.3 points during his last 12 games, while shooting 54.9 percent from the field (39-71) and 61.4 percent from three-point range (27-44). Overall, Green has scored in double-figures seven times this year and has scored at least eight points in nine of his last 12 games.

JARDINE HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE-FIGURES IN FIVE OF HIS LAST 12 GAMES
Sophomore forward Brady Jardine has scored in double-figures in five of his last 12 games including a career-high 17 points against San Jose State on Jan. 30. Overall he has scored at least eight points in 10 of his last 13 games. During his last five games, Jardine is averaging 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, while shooting 51.9 percent from the field (14-27).

NEWBOLD SCORES IN DOUBLE-FIGURES FOR 13TH TIME THIS YEAR AGAINST FRESNO STATE
Junior guard Tyler Newbold scored in double-figures for the 13th time this year and 33rd time in his career as he had 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting, all from three-point range, against Fresno State. During his last five games, he is averaging 8.6 points and 4.0 assists, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field (14-28) and 57.9 percent from three-point range (11-19).

BENDALL MISSES TWO GAMES DUE TO HEART SURGERY
Junior forward Nate Bendall missed two games (Weber State - 12/23; Western Oregon - 12/29) due to heart surgery on December 23 as he had a minor procedure called a heart ablation to treat an atrial flutter. Since returning from his surgery 15 games ago, Bendall has scored in double-figures eight times. During his last five games, he has scored in double-figures four times and is averaging 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, while shooting 60.0 percent from the field (27-45) and is a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line.

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State is 17-2 this season and 38-6 overall when senior guard Jared Quayle scores in double-figures, but just 7-4 this year and 16-5 overall when he doesn't. Furthermore, USU is 11-1 this year when Quayle has at least five assists in a game.

FOUR RETURNING STARTERS IN THE LINEUP
Junior guard Tyler Newbold has started 90 straight games at Utah State, which is the longest streak on the team. Junior forward Tai Wesley has started 70 straight games and 89 of the last 90 overall. Senior guard Jared Quayle has started 63 straight games and junior forward Pooh Williams has started 61 games during his career.

NEWBOLD AND WESLEY RANK AMONG TOP 11 ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN GAMES STARTED
Juniors Tyler Newbold and Tai Wesley both rank among the top 11 all-time at Utah State in games started as Newbold has started 90 games to rank tied for ninth all-time, while Wesley has started 89 games and ranks tied for 11th all-time. Both players have also played in 100 games at USU which ranks tied for 21st all-time in school history.

WESLEY RANKS 23RD ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN SCORING
Junior forward Tai Wesley scored his 1,000th career point at Nevada on Jan. 13, 2010 to become the 34th player in school history to reach the milestone. Wesley now has 1,170 career points to rank 23rd all-time in scoring at USU and is now 45 points shy of tying Jay Goodman (1991-93) for 22nd-place with 1,215 career points. In 100 career games, Wesley is averaging 11.70 points.

WESLEY THE MOST COMPLETE PLAYER IN UTAH STATE HISTORY
In his third season at Utah State, junior forward Tai Wesley has 1,170 career points, 563 career rebounds, 261 career assists and 100 career blocks and is the only player in school history to have at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 blocks in a career. The only Aggie player other than Wesley who can come close to his numbers is Nate Harris (2003-06) who had 1,475 points, 722 rebounds, 220 assists and 90 blocks in his career.

WESLEY RANKS 19TH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN REBOUNDING
With his seven rebounds against Fresno State, junior forward Tai Wesley now has 563 career rebounds to rank 19th all-time at Utah State. Wesley is now 20 rebounds shy of tying Dan Conway (1986-89) for 18th-place with 583 career rebounds.

WESLEY RANKS FOURTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE AND IN THE WAC IN FIELD GOAL SHOOTING
Junior forward Tai Wesley is shooting 59.5 percent from the field (434-729) during his USU career, which ranks fourth all-time behind Nate Harris (2003-06) who shot 64.1 percent, Greg Houskeeper (1988-89) who shot 62.2 percent, and Spencer Nelson (1999, 2003-05) who shot 61.7 percent. That percentage also ranks fourth all-time in the history of the Western Athletic Conference.

WESLEY RANKS FOURTH ALL-TIME IN BLOCKED SHOTS
In 100 career games, junior forward Tai Wesley ranks fourth all-time at Utah State with 100 career blocks. Wesley is now 17 blocks shy of tying Shawn Daniels (2000-01) for third all-time with 117 blocks. This season, Wesley has 38 blocks which ranks 10th all-time at USU for a single seaosn. His average of 1.00 blocks per game ranks fourth all-time in school history.

NEWBOLD RANKS FOURTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Junior guard Tyler Newbold is shooting 43.1 percent (147-341) from three-point range during his career, which ranks fourth all-time at Utah State. Jaycee Carroll (2005-08) is the school's all-time leader in three-point shooting at 46.5 percent.

NEWBOLD RANKS SIXTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN THREE-POINTERS MADE
Junior guard Tyler Newbold has made 147 three-pointers in his Utah State career, which ranks sixth all-time. He also ranks sixth all-time in three-point attempts with 341. Newbold is now 36 made three-pointers shy of tying Justin Jones (1996-98) for fifth-place all-time with 183 made three-pointers and 67 three-point attempts shy of tying Jones for fifth-place all-time with 408 three-point attempts.

QUAYLE RANKS EIGHTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Senior guard Jared Quayle is shooting 41.2 percent from three-point range (117-284) during his USU career to rank eighth all-time in school history. He also ranks seventh all-time at Utah State in three-pointers made with 117 and is in eighth-place all-time with 284 three-point attempts. Quayle is now 30 made three-pointers shy of tying Tyler Newbold for sixth-place in career made three-pointers with 143 and 20 three-point attempts shy of tying Troy Rolle (1999-2000) for seventh-place in that category.

QUAYLE RANKS NINTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN FREE THROW SHOOTING
Senior guard Jared Quayle is shooting 88.5 percent from the free throw line (69-78) this year, which would rank fifth all-time at Utah State for a single-season. Overall, Quayle ranks ninth all-time at USU in free throw shooting at 81.1 percent (163-201).

QUAYLE, NEWBOLD AND WESLEY RANK AMONG TOP 20 ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN ASSISTS
Utah State has three players on its current roster who rank among the top 20 all-time at Utah State in assists as junior forward Tai Wesley and senior guard Jared Quayle both have 261 career assists to rank 18th all-time, while junior guard Tyler Newbold has 255 career assists to rank 20th all-time.

UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Scored in double-figures for the 12th time this year and 20th time in his career with 12 points at Hawai'i... Had a career-high tying 17 points against Southern Utah... Tied his career-high with six assists against Idaho at home... Made a career-high four three-pointers against SUU... Averaging 8.8 points and 2.4 assists, while shooting 46.0 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three-point range and 55.8 percent at the free throw line... Has started 61 games during his USU career... Ranks 13th in the WAC in three-point shooting.

#12 Brian Green - Scored a season-high 17 points at Fresno State... Had a season-high four rebounds against Utah Valley... Had season-highs with four assists and three steals against Southern Utah... Averaging 7.2 points and shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from three-point range and 94.1 percent at the free throw line... Has scored in double-figures seven times this year... Ranks first in the WAC in three-point shooting.

#13 Preston Medlin - Scored a career-high 17 points against Southern Utah as he was 5-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point range... Averaging 4.1 points and shooting 42.2 percent, including 39.5 percent from three-point range.

#15 Modou Niang - Had career-highs with 13 points and seven rebounds against Weber State... Made his first career start against Western Oregon and played a career-high 26 minutes... Tied his career-high with three blocks against Idaho... Averaging 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds, while shooting 61.8 percent from the field and 58.3 percent at the free throw line.

#21 Jared Quayle - Recorded his fifth-career double-double against Louisiana Tech as he had 13 points and 10 rebounds... Has six career double-figure rebounding games... Tied his career-high with eight assists against Fresno State... Has scored in double-figures 19 times this year and 44 times in his career... Has eight career 20-point games... Averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists, while shooting 40.1 percent from the field, 43.9 percent from three-point range and 88.5 percent from the free throw line... Currently ranks first in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.56), is fourth in free throw shooting, fifth in three-point shooting, fifth in assists, ninth in steals (1.2) and 13th in rebounding... Has started 62 straight games for USU.

#22 Brady Jardine - Scored a career-high 17 points against San Jose State... Tied his season-high with eight rebounds against Nevada and tied his season-high with two blocks against Fresno State... Has scored in double-figures six times in his career... Averaging 6.1 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 57.5 percent from the field and 75.0 percent at the free throw line... Ranks 15th in the WAC in blocked shots (0.63).

#23 Tyrone White - Has played in 15 games this year and is averaging 4.6 minutes per contest... Tied his season-high with two points against Boise State.

#24 Tyler Newbold - Recorded his first career double-double against Western Oregon with 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds... Tied his career-high with 11 boards at Nevada... Averaging 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 43.1 percent from three-point range and 89.5 percent at the free throw line... Tied his season-high with 15 points against Hawai'i... Has scored in double-figures 13 times this year and 33 times in his career, including two 20-point games... Has started 90 straight games for USU which is the longest active streak on the team... Ranks sixth in the WAC in three-point shooting.

#25 Jaxon Myaer - Scored a season-high nine points at Northeastern as he tied his career-high with three made treys against the Huskies... Averaging 1.7 points and is shooting 38.6 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from three-point range and 69.2 percent at the free throw line... Has scored in double-figures twice in his career.

#35 Nate Bendall - Had a career-high 20 points to go along with a career-high tying 10 rebounds against San Jose State for his third career double-double... Had a career-high five blocks against Morehead State... Posted his first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Utah... Had 14 points and 10 rebounds against BYU... Has scored in double-figures 16 times this year... Averaging 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds, while shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 80.7 percent at the free throw line... Ranks third in the WAC in field goal shooting, eighth in free throw shooting and 10th in blocked shots (1.00).

#42 Tai Wesley - Scored a season-high 22 points at Long Beach State.... Recorded his first double-double of the season at Cal State Bakersfield as he had 15 points and a season-high 10 rebounds... Averaging 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds, while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 71.9 percent from the free throw line... Has scored in double-figures 25 times this year and 69 times in his career... Has scored 20-plus points seven times in his career and has seven double-doubles... Has started 70 straight games and 89 of its last 90 overall... Ranks fourth in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.94), seventh in blocked shots (1.27), seventh in field goal shooting, 10th in rebounding, 13th in assists (3.17), 13th in scoring and 14th in free throw shooting.

#44 Matt Formisano - Made his first career start against Weber State... Scored a season-high seven points against Morehead State... Had a season-high four rebounds against BYU and Saint Mary's... Averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds, while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 80.0 percent at the free throw line.

UTAH STATE'S MAGIC NUMBER AS OF LATE HAS BEEN FIVE
Utah State's magic number as of late has been five, as in five made three-pointers. During its last 24 games, USU is 20-0 when making at least five three-pointers in a game, but 0-4 during that time period when it makes less than five treys in a game.

AGGIES GETTING SOLID PRODUCTION FROM ITS BENCH
Utah State is 17-3 on the year when its bench out-scores its opponent's bench and 7-3 when its bench is out-scored. Overall, USU's bench is averaging 20.5 points (615) and 8.8 rebounds (264) and had season-highs of 39 points against Southern Utah and 18 rebounds versus Idaho State.

UTAH STATE'S BENCH PLAYING WELL DURING 14-GAME WINNING STREAK
Utah State's bench has been playing very well during its 14-game winning streak as USU's reserves are averaging 20.9 points and 11.4 rebounds over the last 14 games, while shooting 53.3 percent from the field (113-212) and 55.9 percent from three-point range (33-59).

UTAH STATE PLAYING SOLID DEFENSE WITHOUT FOULING
One of Utah State's trademarks under head coach Stew Morrill is to play solid defense without fouling and that is exactly what this year's team is doing. During its first three games of the year, USU was averaging 20.7 fouls per game, but during its last 27 games it is averaging just 15.7 fouls and had a season-low seven fouls against Nevada at home. On the season, USU is 12-0 when it commits fewer fouls than its opponents.

UTAH STATE RANKS SIXTH IN THE NATION IN TURNOVERS PER GAME
After averaging 16.3 turnovers during its first three games, Utah State is averaging just 9.6 turnovers during its last 27 games and just 10.3 turnovers per game on the season which ranks sixth in the nation. Overall, USU has committed single-digit turnovers in 12 games this year.

AGGIES UNDEFEATED WHEN SHOOTING 50 PERCENT FROM THE FIELD THIS YEAR
Utah State has shot at least 50.0 percent from the field in eight of its last 14 games, and in 13 games on the season, and is undefeated (13-0) this year when shooting 50 percent.

UTAH STATE UNDEFEATED THIS YEAR WHEN SCORING AT LEAST 70 POINTS
Utah State is 17-0 this year and is 173-20 (.896) during the last 11 years when scoring at least 70 points in game. Overall, USU has won 21 straight games when scoring at least 70 points.

AGGIES ALMOST UNBEATABLE WHEN HOLDING ITS OPPONENTS UNDER 60 POINTS
Utah State is 13-1 this year when holding its opponents under 60 points with its one loss coming at New Mexico State, 55-52. In fact, USU has won 86 of its last 87 games and is 151-12 (.926) under Morrill when allowing fewer than 60 points.

AGGIES AT THE HALF
Utah State is 22-2 this year and 230-23 (.909) over the last 11 years when leading at the half. Conversely, USU is 2-4 this year and 39-58 (.402) during the last 11 years when trailing at the half.

UTAH STATE RECORDS DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAGUE WINS AGAIN
Utah State has won at least 10 league games 22 times in school history and 15 times during the last 17 years, which includes a streak of 10 times in the last 11 years under Morrill. Furthermore, its 13 league wins this year are tied for the fifth-most in school history.

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State had six players earn academic all-WAC honors during the 2008-09 season (Matt Formisano, Brady Jardine, Tyler Newbold, Jared Quayle, Gary Wilkinson, Stavon Williams), while the other eight teams in the league combined for 10 academic all-WAC honorees.

UTAH STATE AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Over the last 11 years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 276-84 (.767) record. Those 276 wins are the sixth-most in the country, while the 76.7 percent winning percentage is fourth-best behind Duke (.829), Kansas (.814), and Gonzaga (.803). USU has also been among the top teams in the country in field goal and free throw shooting as it led the nation in both categories during the 2008 season, and led the nation in field goal shooting in 2009 at 49.6 percent.

UTAH STATE IN THE WAC
Since joining the Western Athletic Conference prior to the 2005-06 season, Utah State has been one of the most consistent programs in the league and has the second-best record in WAC games during the last five years with a 59-20 (.747) mark. During its first four years in the league, Utah State has won two regular season championships (2008, 2009), one tournament championship (2009), and has played in the tournament championship game three times (2006, 2007, 2009).

AGGIES LEAD THE NATION IN SHOOTING FOR SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON
Utah State shot 49.6 percent from the field during the 2008-09 season to lead the nation for the second straight year (USU shot 51.4 percent in 2008 to lead the nation). USU also led the nation in field goal shooting during the 2004-05 season as it shot 52.5 percent. Utah State is the first team to lead the nation in shooting in consecutive seasons since UCLA did it in 1996 and 1997, and just the eighth team in the history of the NCAA to accomplish the feat. George Washington is the only school to lead the nation in three straight years as it accomplished that feat from 1954-56. USU's current run of being the top shooting team in the nation in three of the last five years is the best-ever streak in the history of NCAA Division I basketball.

UTAH STATE'S FALL SIGNING CLASS RANKED BEST IN THE WAC BY ESPN.COM
Utah State's fall recruiting class has been tabbed as the best in the WAC according to ESPN.com. The results are based solely on high school players. Utah State announced three players during the early signing period including a pair of prep stars in Ben Clifford and James Walker. USU also signed one junior college player in Brockeith Pane. Clifford is a 6-8, 215-pound senior forward at Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah and Walker is a 6-2, 180-pound senior guard at Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, Calif. Both players will enroll as freshman at USU in the fall of 2010. Scouts Inc.'s Paul Biancardi, Joel Francisco, Reggie Rankin, Michael LaPlante, John Stovall and Adam Finkelstein all contributed to the ESPN.com report.

NEWBOLD EARNS ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Junior guard Tyler Newbold has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII first team it was announced Feb. 5. Newbold joins Luke Babbit (Nevada), Kurt Cunningham (Boise State) and Nedeljko Golubovic (Fresno State) as the only players from the Western Athletic Conference to earn academic all-district honors. Newbold, who has twice earned academic all-WAC honors, was also the only player from the state of Utah recognized. Newbold has a cumulative 3.46 grade-point average in journalism.

UTAH STATE FOLLOWING A LOSS
Utah State is 4-2 this year and 56-18 (.757) over the last 11 years following a loss, and has dropped back-to-back games just 15 times during that time period. The last time USU lost three straight games was during the 2007-08 season when it dropped road games at Nevada (85-80), Hawai'i (71-66) and San Jose State (70-67). Overall, USU has lost three consecutive games just once in the last 11 years.

UTAH STATE IN CLOSE GAMES
Utah State was 0-4 on the season in games decided by five or fewer points before winning at Boise State, 72-67, on Feb. 11, 2010. Prior to its one point loss to Marquette (58-57) in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, Utah State had won 10 of its previous 12 games decided by two or fewer points including five straight wins in games decided by just one point.

UTAH STATE FROM THREE-POINT RANGE
Utah State has made at least one three-point basket in 124 straight games and the last time USU did not make a three-pointer in a game was on Dec. 16, 2006 in Provo as BYU defeated the Aggies, 75-62. USU entered that game having made at least one three-pointer in 127 games dating back to Dec. 14, 2002 when BYU held USU without a three-pointer in a 66-56 win in Provo.

UTAH STATE CLOSING IN ON SINGLE-SEASON TEAM RECORDS
Utah State is closing in on setting several single-season records this year and currently ranks in the top 10 in three-point shooting, free throw shooting and blocks. USU is currently shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range which ranks second all-time in school history behind the 1997-98 team that shot 42.9 percent. USU is also shooting 76.4 percent from the free throw line to rank third behind the school record of 79.2 percent set during the 2007-08 season. USU has also made 210 three-pointers this year which ranks third (the school record is 232 set during the 2005-06 season), has 106 blocks which ranks tied for fifth (the school record is 139 set during the 1989-90 season), and is seventh in three-point attempts with 493 (the school record is 579 set during the 2005-06 season).

UTAH STATE DURING ITS LAST FIVE GAMES
During its last five games, Utah State is averaging 70.6 points and shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 46.6 percent from three-point range and 72.9 percent at the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 54.6 points and shooting 36.5 percent from the field, 29.5 percent from three-point range and 72.4 percent at the free throw line. USU is also out-rebounding its opponents by 2.6 boards (32.4-29.8) during its last five games and winning by a margin of 16.0 points per game.

UTAH STATE ON THE ROAD
Utah State has won six straight road games and is 8-5 on the road this year. Overall, USU is 84-68 (.553) on the road under Morrill, which includes a 60-40 (.600) record against conference opponents and a 23-17 (.575) WAC record. During the last three years, Utah State is 19-8 (.704) on the road and 21-10 (.677) away from home.

QUAYLE & WESLEY NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior guard Jared Quayle was named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 18, 2010 as he led USU to home wins against Hawai'i (98-54) and Boise State (81-59), and an overtime win at Nevada (79-72). For the week, Quayle averaged 14.0 points, 5.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 55.2 percent from the field (16-29), 53.8 percent from three-point range (7-13) and was 3-of-3 at the free throw line. Junior forward Tai Wesley was named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 28 after leading the Aggies to wins against Morehead State (79-72), Cal State Fullerton (83-60) and Weber State (85-73) in its own Basketball Travelers Invitational last week en route to earning Most Valuable Player honors. For the tournament, Wesley averaged 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting 65.4 percent from the field (17-26) and 69.6 percent at the free throw line (16-23).

THE MORRILL COACHING TREE
Utah State head coach Stew Morrill currently has five former assistants who are head coaches at the Division I level, which ranks tied for the fourth-most by any current Division I coach in college basketball. Morrill's former assistants who are current head coaches include Terry Dunn (Dartmouth), Jeff Jackson (Furman), Randy Rahe (Weber State), Blaine Taylor (Old Dominion) and Don Verlin (Idaho). Arizona State's Herb Sendek has the most assistants who are currently Division I head coaches with eight, followed by Louisville's Rick Pitino with seven and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun with six. Other coaches with five assistants as current Division I head coaches include Ben Braun of Rice, Tom Izzo of Michigan State and Jay Wright of Villanova.

UTAH STATE GRADUATES WAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR AGAIN
Utah State lost three lettermen from last season, including one starter in Gary Wilkinson who was named the WAC's Player of the Year as he averaged 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and shot 58.0 percent from the field and 82.6 percent from the free throw line. USU also lost the WAC Player of the Year in 2008 in guard Jaycee Carroll who averaged 22.4 points and 6.0 rebounds, and shot 52.6 percent from the field, 49.6 percent from three-point range and 91.9 percent from the free throw line.

UTAH STATE TRENDS DURING THE 2009-10 SEASON
• Utah State is 12-0 when committing fewer fouls than its opponent.
• Utah State is 15-2 when it commits fewer turnovers than its opponent.
• Utah State is 14-2 when it blocks more shots than its opponent.
• Utah State is 11-1 when it has more steals than its opponent.
• Utah State is 21-3 when it has more assists than its opponent.
• Utah State is 21-2 when it has more defensive rebounds than its opponent.
• Utah State is 21-2 when it shots better from the field than its opponent.
• Utah State is 20-2 when it shots better from three-point range than its opponent.
• Utah State is 16-1 when its backcourt outscores its opponents backcourt.
• Utah State is 21-2 when its frontline outscores its opponents frontline.

HEAD COACH Stew Morrill
In his 24th season as a collegiate head coach and 12th year at Utah State, Stew Morrill has taken the Aggie Basketball program to unprecedented heights leading it to an incredible 291-97 (.750) record, including a 151-48 (.759) conference mark in the Big West and WAC. Morrill became the winningest coach in school history on Jan. 17, 2008 in the Aggies' 82-78 win against Boise State, passing E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) who won 225 games in 22 seasons. In his 12 years at USU, Morrill has guided the Aggies to 11 straight 23-win seasons and 10 straight postseason appearances (NCAA-6, NIT-4), both of which are school records. Morrill has also led Utah State to the fourth-best winning percentage in the nation during the last 11 years at 76.7 percent with an overall record of 276-84. Against conference opponents, Utah State has a 172-54 record with five regular season league championships and five tournament titles during that time, including appearances in its league's tournament championship game eight times in the last 10 years. Under Morrill, Utah State has notched 10 of the top 12 seasons in school history during the last 10 years as the Aggies set a school record with 28 wins during the 2000 season, tied that record with 28 wins during the 2001 season, and set a new school record with 30 wins in 2009. During the 2008-09 season, Morrill guided Utah State to its second straight Western Athletic Conference regular season championship and its first WAC Tournament title. The 2008-09 Aggie basketball team also led the nation in field goal shooting at 49.6 percent, marking the second straight year and the third time in the last last five years that USU has led the nation in that category. For the 10th straight year, USU had at least one player earn first-team all-league accolades as Gary Wilkinson was named the WAC Player of the Year in 2009, while Jaycee Carroll was named the league's MVP in 2008. Overall, Morrill has coached 11 first-team all-league players at Utah State who have won the award a total of 16 times. Morrill has also taken full advantage of the home court at USU, the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. In Morrill's 12 years, USU is an amazing 175-13 (.931) at home, which includes a 91-8 (.919) record in league play. As for Morrill, he has won 20 or more games on 15 different occasions during his career, and he has won at least 17 games 20 times. Overall, Morrill ranks 19th in the nation among active coaches and 71st all-time with his 509 career wins, while his career winning percentage of 68.4 percent ranks 28th among active coaches and 100th all-time. He is also one of just 13 active coaches to notch at least 15 20-win seasons. His current streak of 11-straight 20-win seasons ranks ninth among active coaches and is tied for the 13th-longest streak ever at the Division I level. Morrill has also been named Coach of the Year (2000 BWC, 2002 BWC, 2009 WAC) three times in his 11 years at USU, along with winning the Big Sky award while the head coach at Montana in 1991. His overall coaching record is 509-235 (.684).