This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For Utah State, it could be the key to keeping the season alive. Jacob Pullen, the Kansas State guard, is indeed one of the best pure shooters in the country, a difference maker who can bury teams with a steady stream of jumpers.
Utah State, for its money, has two of the best perimeter defenders around in Tyler Newbold and Pooh Williams. And they've had success against some of the premier players in the country. Jimmer Fredette, Damian Lillard and Austin Freeman of Georgetown are some of the marquee guys that USU's played against this season. So guarding Pullen may not offer much shock value to the Aggies.
However, how effective will they be on Pullen? That remains to be determined because Pullen moves extremely well without the ball. He's adept at putting the ball on the floor and making twisting shots in traffic over big men. He also has the security blanket of Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly, two very good offense rebounders.
So clearly, Pullen can't be allowed to get into the lane on a regular basis. How good the Aggies are in keeping him in check is perhaps the biggest key of the matchup.
Tony Jones