This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah State can take comfort in that it's not the only team coming off a loss when it hosts Illinois State on Saturday.
The Aggies' BracketBuster opponent suffered its worst defeat of the season at Evansville, falling 79-62 to the Purple Aces on Wednesday. Illinois State had been one of the hotter teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, beating Creighton and Evansville the first time around.
Now after losing two straight, the Redbirds have to come to Logan. Utah State will benefit from some extra tape of how to beat their next opponent. Of note:
• Illinois State struggled to contain Evansville's 3-point ace, Colt Ryan.
• The Redbirds sent Evansville to the line 28 times, and only shot seven free throws themselves.
• The Purple Aces limited Illinois State star forward Jackie Carmichael to only seven points.
It will be interesting to see if the Aggies can find a way to exploit those weaknesses again when Illinois State comes to town.
Football banquet tickets still available
The Aggies will wrap up celebrations from their 11-2 football season on Friday when they host the end-of-season banquest at 5 p.m. At Riverwoods Conference Center at Springhill Suites in Logan.
The Utah State athletic department is still selling tickets to the event, which will include a highlight reel from the season and coach Matt Wells handing out awards. Tickets are $28 per person, and they are available through the USU ticket office.
Fans who wish to attend must pre-register - no walk-ups will be admitted.
— Kyle Goonkgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon