Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle instructs his team against the UNLV during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
Utah State’s two-game road trip featured quite the range of emotions, going from the thrill of an incredible rally to beat UNLV and then the pain of losing a 15-game win streak in a double-digit loss at New Mexico. After all that, it’s time for the Aggies to get back to work with a home game against Fresno State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20th.
The Bulldogs’ last game finished with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Isaiah Hill to defeat San Jose State 85-82. That victory broke a three-game losing streak and handed the Bulldogs their first conference win of the season despite a season-best shooting performance by the Spartans.
ICE ICE ICE IN HIS VEINS🚨❄️ HILL with the buzzer beater!! pic.twitter.com/reIV0otu77
— Fresno State Men’s Basketball (@FresnoStateMBB) January 17, 2024
“When San Jose (State) shoots 17 of 29 from three and you still beat them, it shows that (Fresno State has) got some toughness and heart to them,” USU head coach Danny Sprinkle said.
That shot marked the second straight game the Bulldogs have played in that featured a buzzer-beater, though in the previous instance Fresno State was on the wrong side of it. On Jan. 13, Akuel Kot hit what was his own second straight buzzer-beater on behalf of Wyoming and the Cowboys won 68-67.
Going back to Hill, he’s the engine of the Bulldogs offense, being its leader in both scoring (12.9 points per game) and assists (5.6). In games where Hill has scored at least 17 points, Fresno State is 4-1 (the lone loss being by just four points in which the rest of the team shot just 35 percent from the field). A notable majority of Hill’s scoring comes off pick-and-roll action according to Synergy Sports tracking. Nearly 40 percent of Hill’s scoring comes from pick-and-roll plays alone and it’s also his most efficient method of accruing points despite the volume of attempts out of that action.
Dealing with talented guards is nothing new for the Aggies, as nearly every team in the Mountain West boasts one or more high-scoring and/or passing backcourt players (USU’s already faced all three of the conference’s top scoring guards, Sam Griffin, Ethan Taylor and Isaiah Stevens), but what will be different is the size and length of Fresno State’s frontcourt. The two starters for most of the season have been a pair of 6-foot-11 centers, Eduardo Andre and Enoch Boakye. The two have very similar stat-lines (both average 7.9 points per game) and combined for 15.8 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.
Sprinkle, referring to Andre and Boakye, said they are “two really good post guys,” noting that “they’re shot-blockers, they’re physical,” and saying “they’re gonna make it tough in the paint.”
Finding ways to stop opposing bigs is suddenly a high priority for Utah State’s defense, that has faced a lot of difficulty defending the paint its last two games. UNLV post players Kalib Boone and Rob Whaley combined for 29 points in last Saturday’s game with New Mexico forwards JT Toppin and Nelly Junior Joseph combining for 38 points. These forwards were able to get their points in a variety of ways, from simple post-ups to pick-and-roll action.
“We have to answer the bell from what we didn’t do on Tuesday night at New Mexico,” Sprinkle said. “We have to be a lot more physical in the post and we have to have a better presence down there. Then we’re gonna have to be able to control their guards.”
Two names on Fresno State’s roster will be a little familiar to the Aggies, though not for their roles with the Bulldogs — guards Xavier DuSell and Isaiah Pope. DuSell has faced the Aggies five times previously, but all with Wyoming. In one of last year’s matchups DuSell scored 21 points, which is one point off his career high. Pope faced Utah State once when his previous school, Utah Tech, traveled to Logan last year and lost a closely-fought game 86-81, though Pope was held to just six points, one of his lowest scoring totals of the season (he averaged 13.1 points for the season). Both are key players for the Bulldogs with DuSell being the second leading scorer on the team at 10.0 points per game and Pope having started the last five games, a span in which he’s averaged 12.8 points per game.
Projected Starters
Utah State: 16-2 (4-1, 1st in MW)
- G — Darius Brown (6-2, Sr.) – 10.7 points | 3.5 rebounds | 7.2 assists
- G — Mason Falslev (6-3, Fr.) – 11.9 points | 4.7 rebounds | 2.8 assists
- G — Ian Martinez (6-3, Jr.) – 13.6 points | 3.2 rebounds | 1.5 assists
- F — Great Osobor (6-8, Jr.) – 18.7 points | 9.6 rebounds | 2.8 assists
- C — Isaac Johnson (7-0, So.) – 6.1 points | 2.7 rebounds | 0.9 assists
Fresno State: 8-9 (1-3, 9th in MW)
- G — Isaiah Hill (6-0, Sr.) — 12.9 points | 3.8 rebounds | 5.6 assists
- G — Xavier DuSell (6-4, Jr.) – 10.0 points | 2.1 rebounds | 0.7 assists
- G — Isaiah Pope (6-5, Sr.) – 7.8 points | 2.8 rebounds | 1.3 assists
- F — Enoch Boakye (6-11, Sr.) – 7.9 points | 8.3 rebounds | 0.3 assists
- F — Eduardo Andre (6-11, Sr.) – 7.9 points | 5.6 rebounds | 0.8 assists
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