By Austin Turner – Content Editor
In 2016-17, San Jose State earned its only Mountain West victory in a hard fought 64-62 win over Utah State in the Event Center. This season, the Spartans (3-12, 0-3 MWC) once again find themselves searching for their first conference victory against the Aggies (12-5, 2-2 MWC). This time, however, it’ll be an even tougher test.
The Aggies are perhaps the most improved team in the conference this season. With a statement 19 point victory over Saint Mary’s, Utah State brings a solid 12-5 record into San Jose this time around, after being a .500 squad last year.
USU plays a more old-school game than the Spartans are accustomed to competing against. They shoot just 35 percent from three as a team, with its best 3-point shooter, junior guard Sam Merrill, shooting it at only a 38 percent clip.
Merrill, the second leading scorer in the Mountain West, shoots 49 percent from the field. The 6-foot-5 point guard adds 4 assists and rebounds per game to give the Aggies solid, well rounded offensive point guard play.
San Jose State is going to have to climb a mountain to get to the bucket against the Aggies. That mountain? 6-foot-11 freshman center Neemias Queta. If Queta were his own team, he would rank eighth out of the eleven teams in the conference in blocks, with 43. SJSU as a team has 32.
Driving to the basket is something that the Spartans struggle with even against teams without the conference’s best defensive player. Expect their shooters, namely Noah Baumann and Michael Steadman, to get lots of looks in the perimeter against the stout Aggie defense.
The Spartans host Utah State in the Event Center on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
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