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Starkville, Miss. • Unbeaten Utah State continues its NBA-like schedule Saturday at Mississippi State.

The Aggies' game against the Bulldogs will be their fourth in nine days. By the time coach Stew Morrill and his players return home, they will have flown nearly 6,000 miles in the past week.

"Now we just have to get to Mississippi is all," Morrill said after Wednesday night's 60-54 win over Santa Clara. "That's not far at all."

Morrill thought his team looked a little fatigued against the Broncos, especially redshirt freshman David Collette. He scored only nine points and missed an open dunk in the second half after averaging 19.5 points in the first two games.

The Aggies need Collette to be in top form against Mississippi State, which is off to a 2-0 start. The Bulldogs are led by 6-foot-7 senior forward Roquez Johnson, who averages 18 points a game.

"Roquez does a good job because of his speed and his athleticism," Bulldog coach Rick Ray told the Starkville Daily News this week. "He does a really good job of getting a nose on the ball, finding it and getting offensive rebounds. ... He's not afraid."

Utah State was outrebounded in its win over Santa Clara, 43-30.

The Aggies also struggled to score at times — they managed three points in the first 5½ minutes — and got only four points in a combined 41 minutes from the nonstarters.

The good news?

Utah State has used the combination of a switching man-to-man and active zone on defense to limit opponents to 56.7 points on 35 percent shooting, including 14 for 57 on 3-pointers.

"Our defense," Morrill said, "is giving us a chance right now."

luhm@sltrib.com Twitter: @sluhm —

Utah State at Mississippi State

P At Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Miss.

Tipoff • 11 a.m. MST

TV • SEC Network online

Radio • 610 AM, 1280 AM, 95.9 FM

Records • Utah State 3-0; Mississippi State 2-0

Series • Tied, 1-1

Last meeting Utah State, 87-68 (2013-14)

About the Aggies • They haven't led at halftime in any game so far. ... They are led by C/F David Collette (16.0), F Jalen Moore (14.3) and G Darius Perkins (9.7). ... Collete shoots 60 percent from the field. ... Moore averages 7.7 rebounds per game. ... They are 5-12 against SEC teams.

About the Bulldogs • They have beaten Western Carolina (66-56) and Mississippi Valley (89-68). ... They are led by senior F Roquez Johnson (18.0), junior F Gavin Ware (16.5) and junior G Fred Thomas (16.0). ... They were picked last in the Southeast Conference preseason poll after finishing 14-19 overall and 3-15 in the league last year.