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Logan • It's no coincidence that St. Mary's guard Mickey McConnell hit a trio of consecutive 3-pointers in the first half of Utah State's 75-65 win over the Gaels last Saturday.

It's no coincidence that McConnell found himself locked down in the final 20 minutes.

The common variable? Tyler Newbold, USU's senior guard.

Amidst the fanfare of Tai Wesley, Brockeith Pane and even Brian Green, Newbold often finds himself lost in the mix of recognition.

But make no mistake, Newbold is vital to Utah State's success as a nationally ranked team. This year, Newbold has been USU's best perimeter defender. But he's also the best on the team at feeding the post, a four-year starter, and has the best assist to turnover ratio on the team. In most instances, those attributes more than make up for the fact that Newbold isn't a prolific scorer or a dead-eye shot from the perimeter.

"Tyler's not often talked about, but he's one of the most important players on the team," Aggies coach Stew Morrill said. "He's a great defender, a great leader and he's been our glue."

Morrill is often at ease when Newbold is on the floor because the 6-foot-5 shooting guard knows the system so well. He embodies the cliché of a player that does many things that don't show up in the stat sheet.

The win over St. Mary's provided the perfect example. When Newbold had to sit for the last 12 minutes of the first half because of foul trouble, Utah State's defense hit the skids. Eventually, with Newbold on the bench, the Aggies found themselves down by as much as 34-22.

With Newbold back in the fold in the second half, USU outscored the Gaels 48-29.

"He does everything right," Wesley said. "He's always in the right place at the right time and he does so many things that aren't talked about. He makes us a better team."

A chance at greatness

With a win over Idaho on Saturday, Utah State will clinch its fourth consecutive Western Athletic Conference title. The Aggies have already clinched at least a share of the title. But much like the win over New Mexico State last season, USU has a chance to celebrate on Senior Night in front of its fans at the Spectrum.

Odds and ends

USU will be the top seed in the upcoming WAC tournament. … Wesley is the league player of the week for the third time this season

tjones@sltrib.comTwitter: @tonyaggieville