This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This is the week when Utah State will catch up on its games. And by the end of the week, it's going to feel like an endurance trial.
The Aggies (6-1) are hosting the World Vision Challenge from Thursday to Saturday, playing at 8 p.m. every night. They'll take on Nicholls State (1-5), UC Davis (1-6) and Southern Illinois (5-2) in a round-robin format — Utah State's first tournament-style competition this season.
The Colonels and the other Aggies seem less of a threat on the first two nights, but the Salukis could be more of a challenge on the Saturday finale. Like Utah State, Southern Illinois scores inside and rebounds well. All of the visiting teams have been on the road much more than the Aggies this year.
But Utah State's main liability is probably its own health. The coaching staff has been concerned about injuries, and some of the absences are forcing a lot of minutes out of the team's top players. Preston Medlin hardly came off the floor in Saturday's win over Utah Valley.
There's likely some short, lighter practices this week for the Aggies, as the team tries to save its legs as much as possible for their first single-day turnarounds. The luxury for Utah State is all the games are at the Spectrum — it should be a luxury for fans, too.
— Kyle Goon
Twitter: @kylegoon