Sign In  \   Register  \   Forgot Password?

Nov. 7, 2006

LOGAN, Utah -

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Game 1
UTAH STATE (0-0) vs. NORTHWESTERN STATE (0-0)
Fri., Nov. 10, 2006 • 6:45 p.m. MT • Natchitoches, La.
Prather Coliseum (3,400) • Aggie Radio Network

GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is beginning its 102nd season of basketball this year and has an overall record of 1,324-966 (.578).

• Utah State has won 12 straight season openers dating back to the 1993-94 campaign and is 73-28 (.723) all-time in its first game of the year. The last team to defeat USU in its season opener was Colorado State (78-65) on Dec. 3, 1993 in Fort Collins, Colo., as the Rams were coached by current Aggie head coach Stew Morrill.

• Since the 1957-58 season, Utah State is 11-11 in season openers away from home, which includes an 8-11 road record. Under Morrill, USU is 5-0 in season openers away from home, which includes a 3-0 road record. Last year, Utah State won its season opener at Oral Roberts 72-67 in overtime.

• Under head coach Stew Morrill, Utah State is 55-39 (.585) on the road, which includes a 12-13 (.480) road record against non-league opponents.

• Utah State is 27-6 (.818) in the month of November under Morrill and has won 17 of its last 20 games during the month.

• Under Coach Morrill, Utah State is 19-2 (.905) in games played on Friday.

• Utah State returns two starters (Jaycee Carroll, Durrall Peterson) and five lettermen from the 2005-06 team that went 23-9, finished in second-place in the WAC with an 11-5 record, played in the WAC Tournament championship game, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, losing to Washington 75-61 in the first round.

• Utah State returns one player from last season who was honored by the Western Athletic Conference in junior guard Jaycee Carroll (second-team All-WAC). Carroll averaged 16.3 points and 3.5 rebounds during his sophomore season.

UP NEXT
Utah State (0-0) will begin the 2006-07 season at Northwestern State (0-0) on Fri., Nov. 10 at 6:45 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast live on KVNU 610 AM in Logan and on 1320 AM or 1230 AM in Salt Lake City.

LOOKING AT UTAH STATE
After posting its seventh straight 20-win season, advancing to its sixth postseason tournament championship game in the last seven years, and playing in its fifth NCAA Tournament in the last seven seasons, Utah State will be looking to make another run at postseason play. Leading the way for Utah State will be one of the best shooting guards in the country in junior Jaycee Carroll. Carroll, who is a two-time all-league player, averaged 16.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore and finished the season first in the Western Athletic Conference and 12th in the nation in three-point shooting at 45.1 percent. Joining Carroll will be four other returning lettermen from last season including senior guard/forward Durrall Peterson who started 26 games in his first season at USU and averaged 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. The Aggies will also have the services of two other seniors in forwards Chris Session and Chaz Spicer. Session started five games as a junior and averaged 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while Spicer finished the season fourth on the team in scoring as he averaged 7.9 points per game. The fifth letterwinner returning for Utah State is junior guard Nick Hammer who played in 21 games as a sophomore and averaged 1.0 point and 1.3 rebounds per game.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN STATE
Northwestern State opens the 2006-07 season against Utah State after winning its only exhibition game of the preseason 103-100 against Division II Harding. The Demons are picked to win the Southland Conference for the third straight season, while senior guard Luke Rogers is named to the Southland Conference all-preseason team. Northwestern State returns just one starter, but nine lettermen from last year's team that went 26-8 on the season, finished in first-place in the Southland Conference with 15-1 league record, and defeated 15th-ranked Iowa in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament (64-63), before losing to West Virginia (67-54) in the second round. That one starter returning for NSU is Rogers who averaged 9.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game as a junior. In the Demons preseason game against Harding, Rogers scored a team-high 30 points.

UTAH STATE-NORTHWESTERN STATE SERIES HISTORY
This will be just the second meeting between the two schools as Utah State won the first meeting 66-63 in Logan on Feb. 18, 2006 as part of ESPN BracketBusters.

VERSUS THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
Utah State 2-0 all-time against current members of the Southland Conference as it defeated Lamar 59-58 during the 1983-84 season, and Northwestern State 66-63 during the 2005-06 season. USU head coach Stew Morrill is also 2-0 all-time against current members of the Southland Conference, defeating McNeese State while he was the head coach at Colorado State, along with last year's win against the Demons.

VERSUS THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
Utah State is 12-5 all-time against teams from the state of Louisiana, which includes a 3-2 road record. Overall, Utah State is 3-0 against Louisiana Tech, 2-1 against Centenary, LSU and Tulane, 1-1 against New Orleans, 1-0 against Grambling and Northwestern State, and 0-1 against Louisiana-Lafayette.

DID YOU KNOW?
The only time Utah State played a regular season game earlier than Nov. 10 was Coach Morrill's first season at USU, when the Aggies defeated Simon Fraser 96-79 on Nov. 9 at home during the 1998-99 campaign.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHWESTERN STATE
Nate Harris scored a game-high 27 points, including 19 in the second-half to lead Utah State to a come-from-behind 66-63 win against Northwestern State in the fourth annual ESPN Bracket Busters presented by eBay in Logan on Sat., Feb. 18, 2006. The Demons had its eight-game winning streak snapped with the loss. Northwestern State raced out to an early nine-point advantage at 15-6 with 14:48 remaining and went into the locker room up 13 at 34-21 as it shot 46.2 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range, making six-of-12 shots from behind the arc. Conversely, Utah State shot just 34.8 percent in the opening period, and made just one-of-eight three-pointers. Utah State scored the first nine points of the second-half to cut the lead to four at 34-30 before Northwestern State got its advantage back up to 11 at 49-38 with 10:25 remaining. Utah State then went on an 11-0 run over the next 2:36 to tie the game at 49 with 7:49 to go. With Northwestern State leading 58-52 with 4:41 remaining, Utah State went on a 10-3 run over the next 2:50 to take its first lead in nearly 36 minutes at 62-61 on a free throw from Chaz Spicer. With USU up one, the Demons got two free throws from Tyronn Mitchell to go ahead 63-62 with :57 seconds remaining. Jaycee Carroll was then fouled on Utah State's next possession and made both free throws to give the home team a one-point advantage. On the following possession, Clifton Lee was fouled for Northwestern State, but missed both free throws with :11 seconds remaining. Carroll was then fouled and converted two more free throws with :07 seconds remaining to give USU the come-from-behind three point win. Carroll finished the game with 19 points, while Harris added a season-high tying 12 rebounds to go along with his 27 points, as he recorded his fifth double-double of the year. Northwestern State was led by Lee who had 20 points, while Jermaine Wallace scored 12. Utah State finished the game by shooting 46.9 percent from the field, including 57.7 percent in the second-half. Northwestern State shot 42.0 percent overall, but made just nine second-half field goals. USU also out-rebounded the Demons 34-28.

THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
Playing in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum is definitely an advantage for the Aggies. In the eight-year Stew Morrill era, Utah State teams have won almost 92 percent of its home games (112-11), including 52 of its last 57.

FAST STARTS UNDER MORRILL
Utah State has traditionally played very well early in the season under head coach Stew Morrill. When looking at the first five games of each year over Morrill's first eight years at Utah State, USU is a combined 33-7. During that stretch, USU has gone 5-0 three times, 4-1 three times, and 3-2 twice.

NEXT WEEK
Utah State will travel to Fairbanks, Alaska to compete in the 2006 BP Top of the World Classic on Nov. 17-19. USU will open the tournament against Centenary on Fri., Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. (MT). The Aggies will then play either Southeast Missouri State or Drake on Sat., Nov. 18, and will conclude the tournament on Sun., Nov. 19 against Alaska-Fairbanks, Rhode Island, Troy, or Weber State. It will be the third time in the last seven years that Utah State has participated in this tournament, and the Aggies have a 4-2 record in its two previous appearances.

PLAYER NOTES
#3 Nick Hammer - Played in 21 games in his first season at Utah State and averaged 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game off the bench... Shot just 14.3 percent from the field (5-35) and 16.7 percent from three-point range (4-24), but did make 77.8 percent of his free throws (7-9)... Started his only game of the year against Idaho on Jan. 14... Scored a season-high seven points against Binghamton.

#20 Jaycee Carroll - Earned second-team all-conference honors for the second straight season as he finished first in the WAC and 12th in the nation in three-point shooting at 45.1 percent... Also finished fifth in the WAC in overall shooting at 46.5 percent, and ninth in the league in scoring at 16.3 points per game... Shot 78.9 percent from the free throw line to lead the team... Finished second on the team in minutes played (33.3), was first in steals (31), and third in assists (83)... Made 93 three-point field goals during the season, which ranks second all-time at Utah State... Attempted 206 three-pointers during the year which ranks third all-time on USU's single-season charts... Scored in double-figures 28 times during the season, including six 20-point games and two 30-point games... Scored a career-high 32 points at New Mexico State on Feb. 2 as he was 11-of-19 from the field and 10-of-16 from three-point range... Those 10 made three-pointers is a school and WAC record... He also tied USU's single-game record with his 16 three-point attempts... Concluded his season by scoring 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists against Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament... Finished the season with 521 points, which ranks 46th all-time at Utah State for a single-season... Named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 1 after leading Utah State to a pair of wins against Middle Tennessee at home and at Weber State... Against the Blue Raiders, he scored 17 points on seven-of-13 shooting to go along with three rebounds... He then scored a then career-high 30 points at Weber State on 10-of-16 shooting.

#21 Chris Session - Played in 31 games and started five as a junior... Scored a season-high nine points against Brigham Young on Dec. 22 and at Idaho on Feb. 15... Recorded a season-high nine rebounds against the Cougars... Played extremely well in the 2006 WAC Tournament as he averaged 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game, while shooting 80.0 percent from the field (4-5)... Finished the season by averaging 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game... Averaged 15.0 minutes per game and shot 47.1 percent from the field and 69.6 percent from the free throw line.

#24 Durrall Peterson - Played in all 32 games as a junior, and started 26, including the final 13 of the year... Scored in double-figures eight times and also had two 20-point games... Scored a season-high 23 points against Middle Tennessee on Dec. 5 and had 21 points against New Mexico State on Feb. 11... Recorded a season-high nine rebounds at Weber State on Dec. 10 and against San Jose State in the regular season finale on Mar. 4... Finished the year by averaging 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25.9 minutes per game... Shot 37.0 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point range, and 68.9 percent from the free throw line.

#30 Chaz Spicer - Played in all 32 games as a junior and scored in double-figures nine times, including 12 points against Washington on five-of-seven shooting in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament... Scored a season-high 16 points against Lewis & Clark College on Nov. 26 as he was eight-of-nine from the field... Recorded a season-high six rebounds in three different games, including at San Jose State on Jan. 6... Finished the year by scoring in double-figures in four of his final eight games, and in those final eight games of the year he averaged 10.8 points and 3.0 rebounds, while shooting 68.0 percent from the field (34-50) and 85.7 percent from the free throw line (18-21)... Overall, he finished fourth on the team in scoring at 7.9 points per game, and was third on the team in field goal percentage at 56.5 percent... Also shot 73.6 percent from the free throw line and averaged 2.8 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game.

CARROLL CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS
Junior guard Jaycee Carroll is just nine points shy of becoming the 32nd player in Utah State history to score 1,000 points in a career. Entering the 2006-07 season, Carroll has scored 991 points in 64 career games for an average of 15.48 points per game, which ranks 18th all-time in school history. If Carroll scores nine points in USU's season opener against Northwestern State Friday night, he will have scored 1,000 points in 65 career games, which will rank 12th in school history, along with Bob Lauriski. Furthermore, of the 12 players to score 1,000 points in fewer games, only Marvin Roberts, Wayne Estes, Cornell Green, and Greg Grant accomplished the feat during their junior seasons.

CARROLL AMONG SINGLE-SEASON BESTS
Junior guard Jaycee Carroll scored 521 points during his sophomore season, which was tied for the 36th-most in a single-season in school history. He also made 93 three-point field goals during the year to rank second all-time, while his 206 three-point attempts rank third on the single-season charts. Furthermore, Carroll owns two of the top-five single-season shooting percentages from three-point range, including 45.1 percent during his sophomore season, which ranks fifth all-time. During his freshman season, Carroll shot 47.6 percent from three-point range, to rank second in school history.

CARROLL FIRST IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Junior guard Jaycee Carroll ranks first all-time at Utah State in career three-point field goal percentage at 46.2 percent. He also ranks fifth all-time in school history in three-pointer made (172) and attempted (372).

CARROLL RETURNS AS BEST THREE-POINT SHOOTER IN THE WAC
Guard Jaycee Carroll returns for his junior season as the top three-point shooter in the Western Athletic Conference after shooting a league-best 45.1 percent from behind the arc during his sophomore season. Carroll also ranked 12th in the nation in three-point shooting last season. Among those top-12 three-point shooters nationally, only five (including Carroll) return this year.

CARROLL NAMED PRESEASON ALL-WAC, UTAH STATE PICKED FOURTH
Junior guard Jaycee Carroll was named a preseason first-team all-WAC player by both the media and coaches for the second straight year, while Utah State is picked to finish in fourth-place in the league by both the media and coaches.

OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS UTAH STATE IS...

• 75-6 when holding its opponents below 60 points.
• 150-17 when leading at the half.
• 160-14 when shooting better from the field than its opponent.
• 132-24 when out-rebounding its opponent.
• 124-10 when shooting better from three-point range than its opponent.
• 101-16 when blocking more shots than its opponent.
• 62-9 when scoring 70-plus points in a game.

UTAH STATE IN THE NCAA STATS
Utah State ranked among the top teams in the country during the 2005-06 season in several statistical categories as USU ranked third in the nation in field goal percentage (.498), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.401), 11th in assists per game (17.3), 18th in fewest personal fouls committed per game (15.4), 38th in winning percentage (.719), and 41st in scoring margin (+7.4). Individually, Nate Harris ranked seventh in field goal percentage (.621), while Jaycee Carroll ranked 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.451), and 39th in three-point field goals made per game (2.9).

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State is one of just five teams in the country to win at least 23 games in each of the last seven seasons joining Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse. Overall, Utah State teams have won 20-plus games in a season 21 times.

PRESEASON NOTES
• Utah State is picked to finish fourth in the Western Athletic Conference by both the coaches and media in the preseason polls, while junior guard Jaycee Carroll was named a preseason all-WAC first-team selection by both the coaches and media.

• Utah State returns 48.1 percent of its points, 39.5 percent of its rebounds, 47.4 percent of its minutes, 38.2 percent of its assists, and 64.7 percent of its three-point field goals from a year ago.

• During the 2005-06 season, Utah State finished third in the nation in field goal percentage (.498), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.401), 11th in assists per game (17.3), 18th in fewest personal fouls committed per game (15.4), 38th in winning percentage (.719), and 41st in scoring margin (+7.4).

• During the 2005-06 season, Utah State led the WAC in overall shooting, three-point shooting, and free-throw shooting (.722).

• Head coach Stew Morrill is entering his ninth season with the Aggies and 21st as a collegiate head coach. In his eight years at USU, Morrill has a 190-63 (.751) overall record, a 105-34 (.755) record against league opponents, and a 15-4 (.789) record in conference postseason play. Overall, Morrill owns a 408-201 (.670) record. Morrill is second all-time at USU in wins (190) and fifth all-time in games coached (253). He also has the longest tenure at Utah State (entering ninth season) since the Rod Tueller era (1980-88).

• Among active coaches at the Division I level, Morrill ranks 22nd in the nation with his 408 career wins and 25th in winning percentage at 67.0 percent.

• Morrill is also one of just 23 active coaches with 400 career wins at the Division I level and one of just 17 active coaches to notch 11 20-win seasons.

• Aggie players from the state of Utah include junior forward Nick Hammer (St. George, Utah/Snow Canyon HS), sophomore center Brayden Bell (Brighton, Utah/Brighton HS), freshman guard Aaron England (West Valley City, Utah/Cyprus HS), freshman guard Josh Taylor (Bountiful, Utah/Bountiful HS), and freshman guard Blake Tillotson (Sandy, Utah/Alta HS).

• Utah State lost five lettermen from last season, including first-team all-WAC selection Nate Harris, along with Nate Bendall, Chris Huber, Cass Matheus and David Pak. Harris led USU in scoring (17.3) and rebounding (7.7), and ranked seventh in the nation in field goal percentage (.621).

UTAH STATE TRADITION
• Over the last seven years, Utah State has averaged 25.0 wins per year and is one of just five schools in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of those seasons joining Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.

• Over the past seven years, Utah State has won three regular season conference championships and four tournament championships.

• Utah State has advanced to seven straight postseason appearances, which is a school record, going to the NCAA Tournament in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006, and to the National Invitation Tournament in 2002 and 2004.

• Over the last seven years, Utah State has gone 15-3 (.833) in conference postseason tournaments, and has advanced to the championship game six times.

• The Aggies have won 23-plus games in each of the last seven seasons, which is a school record.

• During the 2005-06 season, Utah State recorded the eighth-most wins in school history (23) and advanced to postseason play for the 24th time.

• Over the past seven seasons, Utah State has gone 175-50 overall and 95-25 in conference play. Those 175 wins are the ninth-most in the country over that time period, while its 77.8 percent winning percentage is the fourth-best in the country.

• The 1999-2000 team set a school record with 28 wins and went a perfect 19-0 in the Big West Conference.

• The 2000-01 team tied the school record for wins (28) and recorded USU's first NCAA Tournament win in 31 years with a 77-68 overtime victory against Ohio State.

• From 2000-2001, Utah State won 26-straight Big West games, which is the fourth-longest winning streak in the history of the conference.

• Over the last seven years, Utah State has recorded seven of the top eight winningest seasons in school history.

• Over the past seven years, Utah State has had one All-American selection, 13 first-team all-conference selections, 22 all-conference selections (first and second team), and 25 conference player of the week honorees, not to mention Coach Morrill being named the league's Coach of the Year on two separate occasions.

AGGIES WELCOME NINE NEWCOMERS TO THE PROGRAM
Utah State head coach Stew Morrill welcomes nine new players to this year's team, which is made up of five junior college transfers, one four-year transfer, and three high school players. Highlighting those nine newcomers is a pair of junior college transfers from the state of California in guard Mikel Watson and forward Michael Earl. Watson, who sat out during the 2005-06 season, earned first-team all-Orange Empire Conference honors as a sophomore at Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College during the 2004-05 season. As a sophomore he averaged 14.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists as he led the Gauchos to a 28-3 record and the Final Four of the California Junior College State Tournament. Earl also earned first-team all-Orange Empire Conference honors as a sophomore at Fullerton College during the 2005-06 season as he led his team to a perfect 37-0 record and the California Community College State Championship. As a sophomore, Earl averaged 17.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting 61.9 percent from the field and 81.7 percent from the free throw line. Three other newcomers who should make immediate impacts for Utah State include juniors Stephen DuCharme and Kris Clark, and sophomore O.J. Harrison. DuCharme led Hutchinson Community College in both scoring (12.4) and rebounding (9.0) as a sophomore, while Clark and Harrison led Vincennes University to a Region 12 Championship and a 26-6 record during his sophomore season as Clark averaged 9.1 points and 5.9 assists per game, and Harrison averaged 10.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Other newcomers to the program include sophomore Brayden Bell, who will have to redshirt after transferring from Ohio State University, and freshmen Aaron England, Josh Taylor and Blake Tillotson. Bell will give Utah State a quality big man who will pay big dividends in practice, while England, Taylor and Tillotson will add plenty of depth to the back-court for the Aggies.

UTAH STATE AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Over the last seven years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 175-50 (.778) record. Those 175 wins are the ninth-most in the country, while the 77.8 percent winning percentage is fourth-best. USU has also been among the top-13 teams in the country in points allowed in six of the last seven years, and among the top-35 teams in the country in winning percentage in each of those seasons.

UTAH STATE HAS DOMINATED CONFERENCE PLAY SINCE 2000
Utah State has had tremendous success in league play over the last seven years recording a 95-25 (.792) record, which includes an 84-20 record in the Big West Conference and an 11-5 record in the WAC. Here is a look at how the current members of the Western Athletic Conference has done in league play dating back to the 1999-2000 season. Note: Utah State and Idaho's league record includes six years in the Big West Conference (2000-2005); Boise State's record includes two years in the Big West (2000-2001); Nevada's record includes one year in the Big West (2000); Louisiana Tech's record includes two years in the Sun Belt Conference (2000-01); and New Mexico State's record includes one year in the Big West (2000) and five years in the Sun Belt (2001-05).

HEAD COACH Stew Morrill
Stew Morrill (Gonzaga, 1974) is in his ninth season at the helm of the Utah State men's basketball program and has posted seven straight 20-win seasons, not to mention guiding the Aggies to seven straight postseason appearances. In his ninth year at USU, he has an incredible 190-63 record, which is the best record by any coach at Utah State during that time span. Over the past seven years, Morrill has coached 13 first-team all-league players in Shawn Daniels (twice), Troy Rolle, Bernard Rock, Tony Brown, Desmond Penigar (twice), Mark Brown, Cardell Butler, Nate Harris (three times), and Spencer Nelson. In his first eight years at USU, he has had over an 80 percent graduation rate. He has been involved in postseason action 10 times in his career, including the NCAA Tournament at Utah State in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006, and the National Invitation Tournament in 2002 and 2004. He has been named Coach of the Year three times, winning the award in 1991 at Montana, and in 2000 and 2002 at Utah State. He is only the fourth coach in the history of the Big West Conference to go undefeated in the league, as he led the 1999-2000 squad to a perfect 19-0 league record, joining Lou Henson, Jerry Tarkanian and Bob Thomason. Prior to coming to Utah State, Morrill had been the head coach at Colorado State University for seven seasons, recording a 121-86 record (1992-98). Prior to his stint at CSU, Morrill spent five seasons as the head coach at the University of Montana (1987-91), where he went 97-52. During his 20 years as a head coach, Morrill's teams have won at least 20 games 11 times and have won at least 17 games in 17 of his 20 seasons as a head coach. He was the second winningest coach at Colorado State behind only Boyd Grant.

Men's Basketball Home