BYU @ Utah State Game Preview
By James Pigott
Nov 30, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars forward Nate Austin (33) and Utah State Aggies forward Kyle Davis (23) scramble for a loose ball during the first half at EnergySolutions Arena. Brigham Young Cougars won the game 85-74. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
BYU Cougars (5-2) @ Utah State Aggies (3-2)
Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Location: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, Logan, UT
Time: 7:00 PM MT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Livestream: None
Live Stats: Utah State’s CBS GameTracker
PROJECTED STARTERS
BYU
Kyle Collinsworth, 11.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.3 APG
Tyler Haws, 22.1 PPG
Chase Fischer, 16.3 PPG
Nate Austin, 3.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG
Luke Worthington, 4.1 PPG
Utah State
Darius Perkins, 11.2 PPG, 3.8 APG
Chris Smith, 10.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG
JoJo McGlaston, 8.2 PPG
Jalen Moore, 14.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG
David Collette, 12.2 PPG
Meet the Opponent
The Utah State Aggies are in rebuild mode this season after losing their top three scorers from last season to graduation: Jarred Shaw (14.1 PPG), Spencer Butterfield (12.9 PPG), and Preston Medlin (12.4 PPG). Their fourth leading scorer from last year, Kyle Davis (9.1 PPG), is now a member of your BYU Cougars. In all, the Aggies return only two players who played any kind of minutes last season and only one returning starter, Jalen Moore. Moore is an athletic 6’7 wing player who is a good rebounder for his size. They are also benefitting from two junior college transfers in the backcourt, Darius Perkins and Chris Smith. With losses to Mississippi State and UC Davis already, Utah State has had some struggles, and on paper, BYU should be heavily favored in this matchup. The Aggies average 65 points per game and 57 of them come from the starting lineup. BYU has one bench player in Anson Winder who averages almost twice as many points as Utah State’s entire bench. However, the homecourt advantage at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum should not be overlooked. The Aggies almost knocked off the #7 ranked San Diego State Aztecs in overtime last year at home.
Keys to the Game for BYU
BYU will need to keep the crowd in their seats as soon as possible in this game. The longer the Aggies hang around, the more excited their fans will get, and the harder it will get for the Cougars to execute in this game on the road. Kyle Collinsworth has been too turnover prone this season so he needs to play more under control. Like any game, if Tyler Haws is hitting his mid range shots BYU will be tough to beat. It will be interesting to see how the Cougars guard Jalen Moore. Will they use a physical but shorter/less athletic Kyle Collinsworth, or a bigger player like Nate Austin who is known for good defense, but not really out on the perimeter.
Prediction
The Cougars will have some early struggles in their first true road game (not counting Chaminade), but will prove to have too much offensive firepower for the Aggies to handle, despite the fact that they have some talented offensive weapons. BYU’s bench is significantly stronger than Utah State’s which will come to the Cougars’ advantage in the second half. BYU 78, Utah State 65.