BYU and Utah State running parallel season


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PROVO - Stew Morrill and Dave Rose are two highly respected coaches in the state of Utah, combining for over 500 wins at their schools and building respectable basketball programs.

They have similar programs, from their commitment to education to their involvement in the community through service.

When BYU and Utah State take the court in the Marriott Center Tuesday night, the two teams meet not only as in-state rivals, but as teams that have both undergone seasons of trials and [struggles](<http://www.ksl.com/?sid=23887234&nid=858&title=utah-states-run-of-bad-luck target=>) that would have been outlandish to presume at the beginning of the school year.

"Do I see similarities between the two teams?" Coach Rose was asked Monday after practice. "Yeah, I see a lot of similarities between the two teams. Both teams have lost a couple players to injury. There is good inside scoring from their post players, pretty good guards. Both teams go into the game believing they are going to win, and be successful."

BYU head coach Dave Rose has had to use seven different starting lineups this season.
BYU head coach Dave Rose has had to use seven different starting lineups this season.

Before the season began, BYU announced that two of their players, forward Chris Collinsworth and forward Stephen Rogers, would be retiring from basketball due to chronic knee injuries. The announcement meant that the team would have five players in the frontcourt, thinning a young group that was expecting to rely on the two players' familiarity with the team.

BYU lost three of their first eight games, falling to Florida State, Notre Dame, and Iowa State in matches away from the Marriott Center. The Cougars returned from Ames, Iowa, looking to right the ship and have a strong game against the Aggies.

Meanwhile, the Aggies were rolling, having lost at home to Saint Mary's, but were 4-1 prior to the game against BYU. Jarred Shaw had just been named player of the month by collegehoopsdaily.com, and the Aggies were practicing in preparation for the game.

That's when forward Danny Berger collapsed on the court. CPR was administered, and an AED was used until the ambulance arrived. Berger suffered a serious medical condition, and had a defibrillator inserted in his chest. While originally hopeful to return this season, Berger decided to sit out the remainder of the season and gain an extra year of eligibility as he works to return next season.

The two programs decided to postpone the game until February 19, the proper decision to make in regards of the situation.

Since then, the two programs have seen the seasons go downhill.

About three weeks after Berger collapsed in practice, freshman guard Quincy Bair, who had been activated from his redshirt status, decided to quit the team, citing a loss of passion for the game of basketball.

Another three weeks pass, and BYU is playing Saint Mary's at home on ESPNU. The Cougars and Gaels played a tight game, with Tyler Haws making a difficult jumper to put BYU ahead only to see Matthew Dellavedova win the game with a difficult shot from near half-court at the buzzer.

The next evening, Utah State would lose to New Mexico State 64-51. The loss was only the second on the season for the Aggies, but the real pain was felt with the loss of junior guard Preston Medlin to a broken wrist, and senior forward Kyisean Reed to a torn ACL.

Utah State would proceed to lose their next three games before bouncing back on the road against Idaho.

The injuries suffered by players at Utah State led Coach Morrill to joke that he could have a starting lineup with all the players who have had medical problems.

"If you decided to play Preston at the 1, Danny at the 2, Kyisean at the 3, Brady and Sean Harris at the post; that would've been a pretty good team."

USU vs BYU by the numbers

Leader inUSUBYU
PointsJarred Shaw (14.1)Tyler Haws (21.0)
ReboundsJarred Shaw (8.3)Brandon Davies (7.7)
AssistsMarcel Davis (3.3)Matt Carlino (4.5)
StealsMarcel Davis (0.8)Matt Carlino (2.1)
3-pt %Spencer Butterfield (43.3)Craig Cusick (42.4)

BYU had a losing streak of their own, losing to San Diego on the road in a game where nobody outside of Tyler Haws or Brandon Davies could score, and losing to San Francisco at home, with the Don's shooting 90 percent on three-pointers in the second half to overcome a 15-point deficit.

The Aggies would soon taste defeat at the buzzer as well. The Aggies hosted the Denver Pioneers on Valentine's Day, hoping to avenge a loss earlier in the season on the road. The Pioneers wound up winning in overtime, with Brett Olson knocking down a three-point shot from 29 feet away, with one second remaining, to give the Denver Pioneers a 63-60 win.

BYU and Utah State will face off Tuesday night both looking to build momentum for the end of the season. Utah State is five games behind WAC foe Louisiana Tech, who is 14-0 in conference. BYU is 3.5 games behind West Coast Conference foe Gonzaga, who is 12-0 in conference.

The Aggies will run their offense through a young point guard, Marcel Davis, who will try to get the ball to Spencer Butterfield on the wing and Jarred Shaw in the post.

The Cougars will run their offense through a young point guard, Matt Carlino, who will try to get the ball to Tyler Haws on the wing and Brandon Davies in the post.

One of the teams will go home with a victory, while the other will go home with a defeat.

The similarities have to end somewhere.

Utah State and BYU will tip-off at 7:00 pm MST in the Marriott Center. KSL pre-game coverage begins an hour before, helping get you ready for the game.

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BYU CougarsSportsUtah State Aggies
Dan Lewis

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