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FORT COLLINS, Colo. — It is official: Utah State is on a Mountain West Conference winning streak.
The Aggies moved to 5-7 in conference play Tuesday, and in the process, picked up their first road victory: a 71-62 victory over Colorado State at Moby Arena. Utah State coach Stew Morrill, who coached the Rams before taking over the Utah State program from current Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy, picked up his first win as the opposing coach at Moby, where he coached from 1992-1998.
The victory was important for several reasons. First, it establishes that the Aggies can win on the road in the Mountain West; second, it caused the Aggies to continue to climb up the conference standings; and third, it gives Utah State valuable momentum as it prepares to host UNLV at the Spectrum on Saturday.
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Defense keyed the victory over Colorado State, as the Aggies held the Rams to just 17.2 percent shooting in the first half, and a mark of 29.8 percent for the entire game. Also, Colorado State made just 3 of 18 three point shots. The numerous offensive problems for Colorado State keyed Utah State’s attack, as the Aggies shot 49 percent for the game and made 7 of 15 three-point shots.
However, there are a few holes in Utah State’s night that have to be examined in preparation for the game Saturday against UNLV. The biggest problem for Utah State was the Aggies committed 14 turnovers, leading to 17 Colorado State points. Still, the Aggies were able to best the Rams in a variety of different areas, including second-chance points (11 to 6) and bench points (13 to 1).
After the win over Boise State, Morrill said his team was playing with confidence. That confidence has helped the Aggies move up to a tie for seventh place with Colorado State, with Utah State holding the tiebreaker over the Rams. A week ago, the Aggies would have had to have climbed from the bottom of the bracket come conference tourney time to have a chance at making the NCAA tournament. Now, as the standings currently sit, Utah State would play Air Force in a first-round game before likely facing New Mexico in the second round.
Tuesday’s win over Colorado State was important for the Aggies, who are 3-0 in the second round of conference play. The winning has produced confidence, but confidence in players, specifically. In the win over the Rams, Preston Medlin and Spencer Butterfield combined for 32 points. During the three-game winning streak, the combo has averaged almost 33 points a game, while they struggled to score during a five-game losing streak. The combo scored just 23 points in a loss at Wyoming, and only 10 points in the aforementioned loss at UNLV.
The game Saturday against the Runnin’ Rebels will tell much about how much of a contender Utah State is, as the Aggies try to stretch their conference win streak to four games. UNLV currently sits at third in the conference, with a 7-4 start, and is still trying to figure itself out as well.
At this point, time will tell if the confidence of a three-game winning streak, and the comfort of playing at home in the Spectrum, will help the Aggies continue their second-half climb in the standings.
