Utah State center Trevin Dorius (32) shoots against SMU during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
LOGAN – Utah State finished with one of its better non-conference records in recent memory but now the true test begins with the start of Mountain West Conference play. The Aggies’ first opponent is a solid Fresno State team that’s started to recover from a rough start to the year. The Bulldogs started 1-5 but in December have gone 4-2.
How to watch
- Tip-off: 12 p.m. MT
- Location: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum | Logan, UT
- Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
- Aggie GameDay Coverage on KVNU (102.1 FM/610 AM & KVNU mobile app): 11:00 a.m. MT
- KVNU Aggie Call (102.1 FM/610 AM, KVNU mobile app): Immediately after game ends
Injuries
Utah State
No injuries reported
Fresno State
G – Joseph Hunter – OUT (Thumb)
The freshman guard has not played all year for the Bulldogs and is out for the season after having surgery on his thumb.
Projected Starters
Utah State (11-2)
- G – Rylan Jones (6-0, Jr.) – 4.5 points | 1.3 rebounds | 3.7 assists
- G – Max Shulga (6-4, Jr.) – 12.7 points | 5.5 rebounds | 4.7 assists
- G/F – Sean Bairstow (6-8, Sr.) – 11.0 points | 4.3 rebounds | 2.2 assists
- F – Taylor Funk (6-9, Gr.) – 14.2 points | 6.7 rebounds | 2.2 assists
- C – Trevin Dorius (7-0, Sr.) – 4.8 points | 3.6 rebounds | 0.4 assists
- 6th Man – Steven Ashworth (6-1, Jr..) – 17.4 points | 2.7 rebounds | 4.5 assists
Fresno State (5-7)
- G – Isaiah Hill (6-0, Sr.) – 7.9 points | 2.0 rebounds | 2.3 assists
- G – Jemari Baker (6-5, Sr.) – 11.1 points | 2.5 rebounds | 2.3 assists
- G – Anthony Holland (6-5, Sr.) – 7.1 points | 4.3 rebounds | 0.7 assists
- F – Leo Colimerio (6-7, Jr.) – 4.7 points | 2.8 rebounds | 0.3 assists
- F/C – Isaih Moore (6-10, Jr.) – 11.8 points | 7.8 rebounds | 1.2 assists
Team Statistical Ranks
Stats and ratings are from Basketball Reference (except the NET ranking). All ranks are out of 363 Division I teams.
Utah State
- Pace – 72.1 (61st)
- Offensive Rating – 116.9 (8th)
- Defensive Rating – 98.2 (175th)
- Field Goal % – 49.8 (19th)
- 3-point % – 43.5 (1st)
- Rebounding % – 53.4 (82nd)
- NET Rank – 21st
Fresno State
- Pace – 63.8 (355th)
- Offensive Rating – 96.1 (324th)
- Defensive Rating – 95.7 (117th)
- Field Goal % – 42.3 (283rd)
- 3-point % – 27.7 (351st)
- Rebounding % – 48.7 (289th)
- NET Rank – 203rd
This will be a game where dictating the pace could be a huge determining factor of how this game will go. Fresno State very much wants to slow the game down. It’s why only one opponent this year has scored more than 67 points against the Bulldogs. If Utah State allows itself to get sucked into a slow-paced game things could get tricky real quickly as the Aggies have struggled in grind-it-out low-scoring games this year.
The most dangerous player for the Bulldogs will likely be Isaih Moore. He’s a forward/center capable of scoring inside and outside the arc, making nearly 60 percent of his 2-point attempts and 33 percent of his threes. Moore isn’t the only dangerous foe, though, as Jemari Baker is also very capable of putting the ball in the bucket. Baker is second on the team at 11.1 points per game, though he’s prone to inefficiency. Baker has shot just 40 percent from the field this year including a below-average 31 percent on threes.
The fact that Fresno State’s top two scorers only average 11-12 points per game shouldn’t be taken too literally. The slow pace the Bulldogs play saps points away from these players. Adjusting for pace, Moore’s scoring rate is only a little bit back from Steven Ashworth who averages 17 points per game for the Aggies.
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