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Logan • Through Utah State's first 11 games, coach Stew Morrill hasn't done much juggling of his starting lineup and regular rotation.

But is that about to change?

After a 68-65 overtime loss to South Dakota State in the final game of last week's World Vision Classic, Morrill hinted he might make adjustments after the Aggies' five-day Christmas break.

Utah State rallied from a 15-point deficit in the final 5:45 of regulation against the Jackrabbits, but the Aggies fell short in overtime and dropped to 6-5 this season.

Afterward, Morrill said his team would be fine "... as long as we can keep our spirits up. That's always a tough thing when you lose games. You have to keep your spirits up and keep competing. And I'm going to play guys that are going to do that.

"That's what you have to do as a coach — [find] guys that are going to keep fighting. That's who were going to play and who we're going down the stretch with when we get to league play."

Utah State faces Wayland Baptist on Saturday. The game is the Aggies' final tuneup before they open Mountain West Conference play against San Jose State on New Year's Eve.

So far, Morrill's only change among his starters came in a 50-47 win at Utah Valley on Dec. 13. He replaced sophomore wing Jojo McGlaston with freshman Julion Pearre.

Rotation-wise, Morrill used more bench players for longer stretches in the World Vision Classic. The group included junior college transfer Trace Cureton, sophomore guard Viko Noma'aea and freshmen guards Henry Bolton and Sam Orchard.

Because the Aggies played three games in three nights, Morrill could have gone farther down the bench to avoid over-taxing his starters and regulars off the bench — Sean Harris, Elston Jones and McGlaston.

Or maybe he was auditioning players for expanded roles.

It seems unlikely Morrill would take minutes from cornerstones Jalen Moore and David Collette.

Beyond those two, Darius Perkins didn't have a big impact in the World Vision Classic, but he collided with a teammate in practice and played with a gash over his eye and chipped tooth.

That leaves junior transfer Chris Smith.

Smith's performance has mirrored his team's roller-coaster ride through the nonconference portion of the season.

He followed an eye-popping 25-point performance against BYU by going without a field goal at USC. He went 4 for 16 and wasn't a factor in World Vision Classic games against Idaho State and South Dakota State after scoring 15 in the opener against Cal State Bakersfield.

"Chris is a good player," Morrill said earlier this season. "He just has to — like a lot of guys — really focus on being good every game. And I have talked to him about that. He's just such a laid-back kid. He floats sometimes, and he just can't float." —

Utah State vs. Wayland Baptist

P At the Spectrum

Tipoff: • 7 p.m.

TV • none Radio • 610-AM, 102.1 FM, 95.9-FM

Records • Utah State 6-5, Wayland Baptist 11-1

Series • First game

About the Aggies • This is their final game before the Mountain West Conference season starts Wednesday against San Jose. ... In the past three games, freshman C/F David Collette averages 16.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. ... They won 132 of their past 138 games when opponents score less than 60 points.

About the Pioneers • They are an NAIA school based in Plainview, Texas. ... They went 23-11 last year and reached the NAIA national tournament. ... They are led by senior F Royal Crouch (18.8) and junior G Robert Walters (14.3). ... As a team, they average 89.1 points and shoot 52.5 percent.