These two team met earlier but it was a Washington Square crew racked with player suspensions. However, USU has gotten better as a team in the meantime. Try a 14-10 overall record and 7-5 in the Mountain West Conference, tied with Fresno State for fifth place.
The big three for the Aggies remain: Jalen Moore at 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds, David Collette with 13.0 points, 5.1 boards and 51 blocked shots plus Chris Smith in the backcourt offering 11.7 points. Darius Perkins is the point and leads with 83 assists.
The Achilles heel for Utah State is rebounding. They are a -7 per game but the Spartans are a -5. so call it a push.
Smith, Sean Harris and JoJo McGlaston are out of northern California so there should be a rooting section of sorts for them in attendance.
The game report from 12.31.14:
Utah State 66, SJSU 31
The score was 35-12 at halftime but the Spartan slow-it-down offense and zone defense gummed up Utah State until about the eight minute mark of the first half. For USU, 6-foot-8 sophomore Jalen Moore posted an 18 point, 11 rebound double-double but fellow frontcourter David Collette never got untracked and finished with a single point in 20 minutes of play.
Two positive elements worth noting: the San Jose crew was just -2 in rebounding on the night and garnered 10 assists on 12 made baskets.
Nobody for the Spartans was able to generate any effective offense which wasn't unexpected since but a single current available player -- freshman Darryl Gaynor II -- has that capability. He shot 3-18 but did pass for six assists, the latter a pretty remarkable effort considering the inability of SJSU to put the ball in the basket.
Also, do credit Ivo Basor for his 11 rebounds.
Here was the game preview:
Utah State isn't what it was
The 2014-15 Utah State squad is not worthy of their Western Athletic Conference and Big West Conference predecessors. A bold and even provocative statement for sure, but an accurate one. The crew the Spartans will be facing on New Year's Eve doesn't possess a Jaycee Carroll, a Gary Wilkerson, a Tai Wesley or even a Preston Medlin. Aggie recruitment has fallen off and this has unfortunately coincided with a move into a tougher conference.
Even the homecourt advantage in The Spectrum has diminished as the deafening noise and bold cleverness has dissipated. Wild Bill is absent, no longer baring his remarkable torso. Heck, just look at the Logan-ites to-date shooting stats: 42%, 35% and 71% -- very un-Aggie like.
Upfront for Coach Stew Morrill are 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman David Collete (14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 20 blocks)and 6-foot-8 sophomore Jalen Moore (15.3 points, 7.2 rebounds). Both are playing out of position as Collette is really a power forward and not a center while Moore is a wing and not a grinder inside. Of late, Collette has performed more consistently but Moore has yet to reach that sweet spot. Rebounding, annually a USU strength, is lacking this season.
Outside the paint, it's Chris Smith, JoJo McGlaston and Darius Perkins. Smith, a 6-foot-4 transfer from Yuba College, is averaging 11.1 points per contest but shooting a unique 40% overall yet 41% from long distance. He is a clever scorer inside and draws fouls very well plus he uses screens outside to get open looks. McGlaston is a 6-foot-5 sophomore out of Dublin High in the East Bay and a tremendous athlete but inconsistent with translating that into production. He'll go for 15 points one game but three the next. His accuracy aiming the basketball at the hoop is paltry: 27%, 36% and 59%. Perkins averages 10.3 points and a team best 3.0 in assists but owns a 36/29 assist-to-turnover ratio.
If you do watch the game, make sure to check out Sean Harris (on the right), another transfer from Yuba College. He has the best hair in college hoops although Jalen Moore is a close second:
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