Nothing against the three previous opponents the Aggies have handled, but the level of competition is about to get a bit stiffer.
The next five schools the Utah State men?s basketball team faces have better RPI?s than the Aggies, who have moved up to No. 118 as of Wednesday afternoon. But looking too far down the road can be a bit overwhelming and quite frankly distracting.
The Aggies are concentrating on the next game, and that would be tonight at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. USU (17-5, 8-4 Western Athletic Conference) puts its three-game winning streak on the line against Denver (15-8, 11-2), which has won four in a row and 11 of its last 12 contests.
?We?ve got a number of really tough games coming up and the best thing to do is just try and focus on the first one,? USU head coach Stew Morrill said. ?Denver has just basically been carving people up with their personnel and their Princeton system. From a purist standpoint, when you watch them you have to appreciate what they do. ... They do a great job on both ends of the court.?
The Pioneers seem to score layups or knock down 3-pointers as they are very precise and not afraid to use most of the shot clock. On defense, they routinely switch from man-to-man to zones to a mixture.
?You definitely got to guard them for 35 seconds,? said Aggie guard Spencer Butterfield, the reigning WAC Player of the Week. ?You usually don?t have to do that. Most teams within 15 seconds are getting up shots, but Denver is really good about being patient and waiting for the last few seconds of the shot clock. We need to focus in a little longer, be ready to lock in for 35 seconds every possession. If we can do that, I think we can come out with a win.?
In the first meeting, USU did ?lock in? on a handful of possessions, but Denver still made shots despite being guarded well. In fact, at least five buckets came as the shot clock was about to expire.
The Pioneers built a 53-31 lead with 12 minutes to play and won 68-57. Morrill said Denver ?carves us up.?
That game was the first without the services of Preston Medlin and Kyisean Reed. It took a few games, but the Aggies that are healthy have pulled together and are playing with confidence now.
?We?re excited about playing,? Morrill said. ?Our guys are playing hard. They?re enjoying playing basketball, they?re enjoying each other, which is what it?s supposed to be all about.
?... We?ve played really hard and now we?re stepping up a level in opponent. The thing we need to make sure of is that we don?t lose how hard we?re playing. The problem with Denver is they can frustrate you. They swarm the post, for example. If you?re a big guy down there, you can get frustrated by double and triple teams. ... They have a tremendous knack for running over, taking the ball and apparently not fouling. ... I?ve got great respect for what they?ve got going.?
With a depleted roster, trying to simulate the Pioneers in practice is not easy. The coach is stressing composure, especially the Aggie big men who are going to have to deal with being ?swarmed? tonight.
In the first meeting, four Denver players reached double figures in scoring. Guard Brett Olson led the way with 18. The Pioneers two starting forwards lead the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. Chris Udofia averages 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, while Royce O?Neale is averaging 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
?They?ve got veteran, good personnel with a player of the year candidate at the five position in Udofia,? Morrill said of the Pioneers. ?They have great shooters in Olson and (Chase) Hallam. They shoot at a real high percentage from three. They cause a lot of turnovers. They?ve been forcing people into 15-16 turnovers a game in league. That off-sets their rebound disadvantage. When you look at the number of threes they take, compared to their opponents, it?s almost shocking in league play.?
In WAC games, Denver is 109 of 291 in 3-point attempts, while its opponents are 46 of 144.
Last month at Denver, Marvin Jean led the Aggies with a career-best 14 points. The junior has not been scoring a lot of late, but has been helping in many other areas.
?He has responded really well to the situation,? Morrill said of Jean. ?... He?s active and he can really shoot the ball. He plays hard and his attitude is super right now.?
Medlin asked Morrill if he could address the team after practice Monday, and congratulated his teammates for playing so hard. Medlin, Reed, Danny Berger and Sean Harris have been encouraging the eight that are playing.
?Preston (Medlin) said some really nice things to the team,? Morrill said. ?... Any support they can give verbally is great. They?re all trying to remain part of the team.?
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The next five schools the Utah State men?s basketball team faces have better RPI?s than the Aggies, who have moved up to No. 118 as of Wednesday afternoon. But looking too far down the road can be a bit overwhelming and quite frankly distracting.
The Aggies are concentrating on the next game, and that would be tonight at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. USU (17-5, 8-4 Western Athletic Conference) puts its three-game winning streak on the line against Denver (15-8, 11-2), which has won four in a row and 11 of its last 12 contests.
?We?ve got a number of really tough games coming up and the best thing to do is just try and focus on the first one,? USU head coach Stew Morrill said. ?Denver has just basically been carving people up with their personnel and their Princeton system. From a purist standpoint, when you watch them you have to appreciate what they do. ... They do a great job on both ends of the court.?
The Pioneers seem to score layups or knock down 3-pointers as they are very precise and not afraid to use most of the shot clock. On defense, they routinely switch from man-to-man to zones to a mixture.
?You definitely got to guard them for 35 seconds,? said Aggie guard Spencer Butterfield, the reigning WAC Player of the Week. ?You usually don?t have to do that. Most teams within 15 seconds are getting up shots, but Denver is really good about being patient and waiting for the last few seconds of the shot clock. We need to focus in a little longer, be ready to lock in for 35 seconds every possession. If we can do that, I think we can come out with a win.?
In the first meeting, USU did ?lock in? on a handful of possessions, but Denver still made shots despite being guarded well. In fact, at least five buckets came as the shot clock was about to expire.
The Pioneers built a 53-31 lead with 12 minutes to play and won 68-57. Morrill said Denver ?carves us up.?
That game was the first without the services of Preston Medlin and Kyisean Reed. It took a few games, but the Aggies that are healthy have pulled together and are playing with confidence now.
?We?re excited about playing,? Morrill said. ?Our guys are playing hard. They?re enjoying playing basketball, they?re enjoying each other, which is what it?s supposed to be all about.
?... We?ve played really hard and now we?re stepping up a level in opponent. The thing we need to make sure of is that we don?t lose how hard we?re playing. The problem with Denver is they can frustrate you. They swarm the post, for example. If you?re a big guy down there, you can get frustrated by double and triple teams. ... They have a tremendous knack for running over, taking the ball and apparently not fouling. ... I?ve got great respect for what they?ve got going.?
With a depleted roster, trying to simulate the Pioneers in practice is not easy. The coach is stressing composure, especially the Aggie big men who are going to have to deal with being ?swarmed? tonight.
In the first meeting, four Denver players reached double figures in scoring. Guard Brett Olson led the way with 18. The Pioneers two starting forwards lead the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. Chris Udofia averages 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, while Royce O?Neale is averaging 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
?They?ve got veteran, good personnel with a player of the year candidate at the five position in Udofia,? Morrill said of the Pioneers. ?They have great shooters in Olson and (Chase) Hallam. They shoot at a real high percentage from three. They cause a lot of turnovers. They?ve been forcing people into 15-16 turnovers a game in league. That off-sets their rebound disadvantage. When you look at the number of threes they take, compared to their opponents, it?s almost shocking in league play.?
In WAC games, Denver is 109 of 291 in 3-point attempts, while its opponents are 46 of 144.
Last month at Denver, Marvin Jean led the Aggies with a career-best 14 points. The junior has not been scoring a lot of late, but has been helping in many other areas.
?He has responded really well to the situation,? Morrill said of Jean. ?... He?s active and he can really shoot the ball. He plays hard and his attitude is super right now.?
Medlin asked Morrill if he could address the team after practice Monday, and congratulated his teammates for playing so hard. Medlin, Reed, Danny Berger and Sean Harris have been encouraging the eight that are playing.
?Preston (Medlin) said some really nice things to the team,? Morrill said. ?... Any support they can give verbally is great. They?re all trying to remain part of the team.?
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