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LOGAN — Utah State head coach Stew Morrill was looking for a way to help his bench contribute more to the score sheet as he prepares the Aggies (3-2) to host in-state rival BYU (5-2) on Tuesday night.
Then he looked at his most consistent bench minutes: freshman, freshman, freshman. It wasn’t until the ninth player on his roster that he found senior Sean Harris, the only eligible final-year player on his squad.
Problem found. Now to address it.
“We have a whole new cast of players and a lot of guys trying to figure things out,” said Morrill, whose squad is coming off back-to-back road losses at Mississippi State and UC Davis. “We’ve had some good moments and we’ve had some ugly moments. We have to be more consistent if we’re going to play with BYU tomorrow night. They’re like they always are. I’ve played them for a long, long time, and they’re always scary.”
Utah State’s rivalry with BYU is the longest stretch of games against one opponent in school history, dating back to the 1905-06 season. The Cougars lead the all-time series, 138-92, but Utah State has won the past six games played at the Spectrum in Logan.
“Crazy environment. I think it’s one of the best in college basketball; it’s fun,” BYU senior Tyler Haws told reporters Monday before leaving Provo. “The fans are really close, and it feels like they are right on top of you. It’s going to be fun. We’re looking forward to it.”
The Aggies hold a 60-51 home-court advantage over BYU.
Even with the friendly confines, Morrill knows the game won’t be easy.
“They’re always talented offensively, and there’s a lot of high-profile recruits on their roster,” he added. “They’re always very well-coached. They make you try and prepare a lot of different things with their system.”
While Utah State holds a decided home advantage, BYU is also looking forward to playing in front of a raucous crowd in the Cougars’ first true road game of the season. Haws mentioned Monday that famed Aggie fan "Wild Bill" is the only arena patron to date to make him laugh at the free-throw line, and BYU guard Skyler Halford expects the student section to bring its A-game.
“It’s so great having that many people invested in one game,” said Halford, who started his collegiate career as a preferred walk-on at Utah State. “Their fans are crazy. They camp out before all the games, and come running down. When you have so much invested in a game like this, it makes it that much more fun.”
The Aggies are finally healthy after a bout with the flu spread among the team. Freshman standout David Collette, who averages 12.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, “was not anywhere close to half-strength” after flying from Starkville, Mississippi, to play at UC Davis, Morrill admitted Monday.
“It’s all part of a season,” the coach added. “You deal with injuries, you deal with sickness, and you have to just keep plugging.
“Whatever schedule you have, you have to play the games and see how you do. The main focus for us is try and get our basketball team better. It’s not really surprising, some of the things we went through; we just have to let those things help us grow and get better. As long as we keep our effort and our attitude good, we’ll get better.”
While BYU’s penchant for shooting long-range shots has been well-documented, the Aggies have relied on a steady stream of points closer to the rim in their first five games. Sophomore wing Jalen Moore leads the Logan school with 14.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and redshirt freshman post Collette rates second on the team. Even guard Chris Smith is averaging 4.8 rebounds on top of his 10.8 points per game.
“I don’t know if we’re getting better (at rebounding) or not, to be honest with you. We’re sure emphasizing it,” Morrill said. “We don’t have a lot of natural rebounders. We don’t have a lot of size. We’re short in height, we’re short in bulk, so that’s going to be a concern probably all year long is how we can rebound the ball.”
Tuesday night’s matchup, no matter if it turns into a down-low slugfest or a light’s-out 3-point contest, remains an important rivalry to preserve for both institutions.
“I look forward to getting after it and seeing how we do tomorrow,” said BYU coach Dave Rose, whose team practiced Monday in the Spectrum. “I hope we can continue to do (this rivalry game). I’ve been here for 17-18 years, and it hasn’t really changed. It seems like all of us have changed leagues … and hopefully we can continue to play each other.
“When I came to Utah to play at Dixie State, I was just really impressed with the basketball in the state of Utah and how popular it was. The games are great; the fans really enjoy them. The players love it, the fans love it, and hopefully we can keep doing it.”
