Basketball: Aggie Men Tip Season Off at Home against BYU Friday Night

Game 1

Utah State (0-0) vs. Brigham Young (0-0)

Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 • 7:07 p.m. (MT) • Logan, Utah

Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) • Aggie Sports Network • KCSG-TV

GAME DAY HEADLINES
•Utah State is beginning its 107th season of basketball this year and has an overall record of 1,458-1,006 (.592). USU hasn't had a losing season since 1993, a span of 18 years.

•Utah State is 77-29 (.726) all-time in season openers and has won 16 of its last 17 season openers dating back to the 1993-94 campaign. Under head coach Stew Morrill, USU is 12-1 (.923) in season openers including a 6-0 record at home.

•Since the 1957-58 season, Utah State is 29-1 (.967) when it starts the season at home and has won 11 straight games with its last lost coming against Weber State, 87-86, on Dec. 7, 1993. USU is also 45-9 (.833) in its first home game of the season dating back to 1958, winning 17 straight contests.

•Utah State and Brigham Young will be playing each other in the month of November for the second straight year, but for just the seventh time in series history, which dates back to the 1905-06 season. Of the previous 227 meetings, this date is the earliest ever. USU is also playing BYU in its first game of the season for just the seventh time in school history joining the 1908, 1925, 1984, 1991 and 1992 teams.

•Utah State has won 23 straight home games against in-state competition and is 25-1 (.962) at home against teams from the state of Utah under Morrill. The only in-state team to defeat USU at home under Morrill was Brigham Young, 82-73, on Jan. 8, 2000.

•Utah State has won 27 of its last 34 games versus in-state opponents and is 34-11 (.756) against the state of Utah during the last 11 years. During that time period, USU is 6-5 versus Brigham Young, 7-4 versus Utah, 11-2 versus Weber State, 6-0 against Utah Valley and 4-0 against Southern Utah. Overall, USU is 35-16 (.686) versus teams from the state of Utah under Morrill.

•Utah State has won 31 straight home games to rank as the third-longest active home winning streak in the nation behind Duke (36) and Kentucky (34). Overall, USU has won 83 of its last 85 home games 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.

•Utah State is 193-13 (.937) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Morrill, which includes a 93-5 (.949) record against non-conference opponents. Overall, USU is 487-106 (.821) in this its 42nd year in the building

THIS WEEK
Utah State (0-0) will begin the 2011-12 season at home as its hosts in-state rival Brigham Young Friday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on KCSG-TV (Comcast Ch. 116, DirecTV Ch. 44, Dish Network Ch. 37) with Mychal Clayton (play-by-play) and Brooks Hansen (color) calling the action. The game can also be listened to live on the Aggie Radio Network throughout the state of Utah with Al Lewis (play-by-play) and Rod Tueller (color).

ON THE AIR
Utah State basketball games are broadcast on KVNU (610 AM/102.1 FM) and KLZX (95.9 FM) in Logan, KZNS (97.5 FM) in Salt Lake City, KZNU (1450 AM) in St. George, KVEL (920 AM) in Vernal, KRPX (95.3 FM) in Price, and KLZX (105.3 FM) in Montpelier, Idaho, as well as on the Internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

UTAH STATE IN THE PRESEASON
Utah State won both of its exhibition games this year as it defeated UC San Diego, 74-42, and Adams State, 73-63. Senior forward Brady Jardine led USU during the preseason as he averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds, while shooting 64.7 percent from the field (11-17). Senior guard Brockeith Pane averaged 12.0 points, and sophomore guard Preston Medlin averaged 9.0 points. As a team, USU averaged 73.5 points and shot 49.1 percent from the field (57-116), 35.0 percent from three-point range (7-20) and 55.3 percent at the free throw line (26-47). Defensively, USU allowed 52.5 points during the preseason and its opponents shot 37.4 percent from the field (40-107), 27.3 percent from three-point range (9-33) and 61.5 percent at the free throw line (16-26).

LOOKING AT UTAH STATE
After posting its 12th straight 23-win season, winning its fourth-straight WAC regular season championship, including its second WAC Tournament title in the last three years and playing in its 12th straight postseason (8-NCAA, 4-NIT), including its third-straight NCAA Tournament, Utah State will be looking to replace four starters and six seniors, including the reigning WAC Player of the Year in forward Tai Wesley. Despite the loss of Wesley, along with forwards Nate Bendall and Matt Formisano, and guards Brian Green, Tyler Newbold and Pooh Williams, Utah State does return two of its top five scorers from last season, including senior guard Brockeith Pane and senior forward Brady Jardine. Pane, who was named the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year by the media heading into the 2011-12 season, earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior as he finished the year averaging 11.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game, while ranking fourth in the league in free throw shooting (.802), fifth in assists and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.32). Pane, who was also named the Most Valuable Player of the 2011 WAC Tournament, finished the season shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 21.1 percent from three-point range. Jardine has played in 91 games with seven starts during his first three years at USU and averaged 7.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 21.4 minutes as a junior, while shooting 54.1 percent from the field and 64.7 percent at the free throw line. Other returners from last season's WAC Championship team include senior forward Morgan Grim and junior guard E.J. Farris. Grim played in 32 games during his first year at Utah State and averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.7 minutes, while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 62.9 percent at the free throw line. Farris played in 21 games in his first year as an Aggie and averaged 1.9 points in 7.3 minutes. Utah State also returns three redshirts in 2011-12 in junior guard Antonio Bumpus, sophomore guard Preston Medlin and freshman forward Ben Clifford. While Bumpus and Clifford have never played for USU, Medlin appeared in 22 games as a true freshman during the 2009-10 season and averaged 3.7 points while shooting 40.9 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 92.9 percent at the free throw line. Joining Utah State's four returnees and three redshirts are 10 newcomers in junior forwards Igor Premasunac, Kyisean Reed and Jarred Shaw, sophomore forwards Danny Berger and Mitch Bruneel, freshmen forwards David Collette and Adam Thoseby, freshmen guards Sam Orchard and Steven Thornton, and freshman center Jordan Stone.

Read much more in the Men’s Basketball Game Notes in the full summary on the Athletics webpage.

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.