This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Logan • They sit on the lawn outside where Utah State plays basketball. At last count, there were roughly 300 tents occupied by roughly 1,400 freezing students who have been camping out for 48 hours, waiting for the chance to go inside and give the Aggies one of the best college hoops atmospheres in the country.
There is a pingpong table. Hand warmers are in demand. Hot chocolate has been the drink of choice. "Occupy the Spectrum" is the slogan.
Yes, there is a big game at Utah State on Friday night.
BYU and USU kick off the college basketball season in a game that promises to be the best in-state matchup of the year. Both teams, even in a season-opener, need a win because the victor will receive a juicy bump to the at-large résumé when March rolls around and the NCAA Tournament is looming.
Neither team is really thinking about that now. They just want to get at each other.
"It's going to be crazy," Utah State senior forward Brady Jardine said. "It's going to be different because there are so many new guys on the team. Those of us who have been there before are trying to tell the others what to expect. We're just really excited to play this game."
After two exhibition games, Stew Morrill is worried about his frontcourt and its lack of size and depth. Of course, with Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock, frontcourt size and depth looks to be BYU's strength.
Beyond those two, Logan High product Charles Abouo is big and strong at the small forward slot, Brock Zylstra has size at point guard (6-foot-6), and Stephen Rogers is even bigger (6-8) at shooting guard.
"It's a concern for us," Morrill said. "They are very big. We don't know whether we're going to play them straight up, or double in the post. It's something that we're going to have to deal with. Rebounding is going to be a big part of this game. We are going to look small out there."
To counter, the Aggies are going to have to get into the lane, make open shots and get stops defensively. And Brockeith Pane, Utah State's senior point guard, is going to need a big game to go with Jardine in the paint.
The Cougars want to push tempo as much as possible. The Aggies want to force as many turnovers as possible and get easy baskets so they don't have to score over BYU's long arms. Whoever succeeds the best at style of play has the chance to pick up what will be a huge win.
"I think that you always have to prepare for the team, the players and the coaches first," BYU head coach Dave Rose said. "And then you just have to experience the arena. We've got some guys that have played in there, but for us we need to go in and execute like any road game."
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
BYU at Utah State
P Friday, 7:05 p.m.
Where • Smith Spectrum, Logan
TV • KCSG-TV (Comcast Ch. 116, DirecTV Ch. 44, Dish Network Ch. 37)
Radio • 102.7 FM, 1160 AM, Sirius XM 143
About the Cougars • They are 4-2 in season openers under coach Dave Rose, who begins his seventh season with a 159-45 career record. … They return three starters from last year's 32-5 team that won two NCAA Tournament games. … They have won at least 25 games each of the past five seasons along with only Butler, Kansas and Pittsburgh. … They have not won in Logan since 2000.
About the Aggies • Utah State lost six seniors from a 30-win team that went to the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive seasons. … Steven Thornton has worked his way into the starting lineup as a freshman small forward. … Senior point guard Brockeith Pane will be USU's only returning starter. … Former Sky View star Jordan Stone is expected to make his Aggie debut.