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Logan • Brian Green took a rebound, dribbled behind his back to avoid a New Mexico State defender, weaved his way through traffic and threw a beautiful pass to Brady Jardine, who finished with a rousing dunk.

Green couldn't have done half of that last year.

Last season, the Utah State guard was strictly a spot up shooter. Last season, he could come off a screen, maybe take a dribble or two and that was it. But Green, if anything has expanded his game. And while he remains one of the best pure shooters in the Western Athletic Conference, he's expanded his game.

"I knew that teams were going to scout me and try to take some things away from me that I normally do," Green said. "So I had to work on things to counter that."

Heading into Utah State's matchup against San Jose State on Thursday night, the Aggies first this season as a top 25 team, Green has made himself a vital part of Stew Morrill's rotation.

And he's done it unconventionally. In preseason pick-up basketball, Green took very few shots from the perimeter, instead preferring to drive to the basket. He worked off the dribble in pick and roll situations. He dribbled around cones. He worked on becoming quicker when defenders crowded him around the three-point stripe.

As a result, Green's Utah State's third leading scorer. If the WAC had a sixth man of the year award, he would certainly be a front-runner. And he's done it without losing the deadly jumper that's made him a commodity in the first place.

"My teammates do a good job of getting me the ball in spots that I can work with," Green said. "I'm fortunate to be playing on a team like this."

This is Utah State's second game of the season against the Spartans, who feature one of the best guards on the West Coast in Adrian Oliver. The first time around didn't go so well as the Aggies barely escaped with a win. And with a newly minted national ranking, USU it needs to play a better game to get the road victory.

"We know that teams are going to want to knock us off so we have to be aware of that," Senior guard Tyler Newbold said. "We have to know that every game is going to be tough."

tjones@sltrib.comTwitter: @tonyaggieville