College Basketball
College Hoops Preview: #12 Nevada vs Utah State
- Matchup: #12 Nevada Wolf Pack (26-2, 13-2 MWC) at Utah State Aggies (23-6, 13-3 MWC)
- Date: March 2nd, 2019
- Time: 8:30 pm EST
- Network: CBSSN
- Location: Logan, UT
- Venue: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum
- Seating Capacity: 10,270
Utah State will be looking for revenge
Utah State Aggies will be looking to avenge their blowout loss earlier this season to the Nevada Wolf Pack. On January 3rd, the Aggies suffered a defeat of epic proportions when they fell to the Wolf Pack 72-49. In that game, the Aggies played zone defense, which they are not accustomed to doing, and it backfired. Craig Smith will be hoping a new game plan will help his players pull off the upset at home.
Nevada’s senior trio knows how to fill it up
Nevada is known for its offense. Led by the senior trio of the Martin twins, Caleb and Cody Martin, and Jordan Caroline, the Wolf Pack boast the 25th best offense in the nation — averaging 81.5 points per game. Caleb is the lead scorer, putting in 19.4 ppg, and Crawford (18.4 ppg) provides efficient shooting from long range, shooting 40.9% from deep. Unlike his brother, Cody (11.2 ppg) is more known for his ability to create shots for his teammates than scoring the rock. He leads the Wolf Pack dishing out over five assists per game.
While the senior trio provides the scoring pop Nevada needs to crush opponents, junior guard Jazz Johnson also averages in double-figures in points (10.8 ppg), and he’s Nevada’s most efficient long-range sniper, shooting 42.9% from three.
After suffering a tough loss to San Diego State on the road, Nevada has recovered with two straight wins against Fresno State and UNLV. Eric Musselman will be hoping he can lead the Wolf Pack to a third straight win.
Utah State is led by junior guard Sam Merrill
Utah State has been consistent all season and is currently second in the Mountain West Conference. Unlike Nevada, who boasts a plethora of weapons on offense, there’s no question who the offense is coming from with the Aggies. Junior guard Sam Merrill’s specialty is to get buckets. He averages 20.2 ppg and shoots over 90% from the stripe. Also, he has the range to fill it up from the land of plenty (38.8% from three). Merrill’s contribution on offense will be vital to the Aggies success.
Freshman center Neemias Queta has also proven to be a beast this season. The freshman from Portugal scores over 10 points per contest (11.6 ppg), and he dominates the glass, grabbing 8.9 rebounds per game.
In their last five games, the Aggies have been victorious. The question is will the Aggies be able to carry their winning momentum to pull off the upset and take over the number one spot in the MWC.
Utah State will dominate Nevada on the glass
In the previous matchup, Nevada’s defense stifled Utah State, holding the Aggies to shooting 26.2% from the field and 17.4% from deep. Also, the Aggies, who are known for their rebounding prowess, only outrebounded the Wolf Pack by one, 44-43. Expect those stats to be different in this game.
Utah State is aware of the importance of this game, and with the help of the home crowd, the Aggies will come out on top. Queta will crash the boards, and Quinn Taylor won’t have another one point, five rebound game. Both players will attack the glass, and as a team, the Aggies will dominate the boards and get second-chance points. Merrill will surpass his season average in points.
Nevada will still get theirs on offense, but the Aggies will do enough work on the boards to eliminate Nevada’s scoring advantage.
Final Score Prediction
Nevada – 72
Utah State – 76
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Photo Credit
@USUBasketball via Twitter
Written by Ryan Gayle
