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Laramie, Wyo. • High-scoring Utah State has turned into a nightmare for opposing Mountain West Conference coaches.

Next up: Larry Shyatt.

USU visits Wyoming on Wednesday night, when the Aggies shoot for their seventh straight win. A victory would clinch a top-four seed in the conference tournament.

Utah State has come a long way since a so-so nonconference season, thanks mostly to an offense that has evolved from inconsistent to nearly unstoppable.

"… It's hard to pick your poison," Shyatt said, "when teams are that balanced and dangerous."

Consider:

• League-leading Boise State and Utah State are the only teams in the 11-member Mountain West that rank among the top four in scoring, field-goal percentage and three-point shooting.

• In their past five games, the Aggies are averaging 78.6 points. They have made 44 of 96 3-pointers, or 45.8 percent. Overall, they haven't shot less than 47.2 percent from the field since Jan. 31.

• In the past 22 games, all five Utah State starters have scored 20 points or more at least once. Another, sixth-man Jojo McGlaston, scored 14 in only 27 minutes against Idaho State on Dec. 19.

Asked about the Aggies' improvement on offense, coach Stew Morrill said, "Good players have gotten comfortable. We've got good offensive players and they've gotten comfortable in the system. They've freed up as we've went along.

"We don't always take the perfect shot, but … we've got a lot of guys who can shoot the basketball and a lot of guys who can pass the basketball. That helps you," he added.

By turning into one of the Mountain West's most explosive teams, the Aggies have exceeded expectations.

With two games left in the regular season, Utah State is 18-10 overall and 11-5 in conference play, including 5-3 on the road. Mathematically, the Aggies are still alive in league championship race, although overtaking Boise State and San Diego State would require some help.

Still, it's been a shockingly successful run for a team picked 10th in the conference's preseason poll and began the year with only one part-time starter returning.

Said senior Sean Harris: "This season has turned out better than anything we expected, just because we had such a young team coming in — not just a young team, but a new team. Everybody was new to each other. No one knew what to expect because we hadn't played together. More than anything, it's exciting to see what happened."

Harris called the Aggies' late-season surge "… a lot of fun. It's been even more fun because of the kind of character these guys have. We go out and play hard every night. We play to win and we play to get better. Everybody plays for everyone else on the team."

Utah State comes off a 74-60 victory at Air Force on Saturday. Freshman guard Julion Pearre, coming off a scoreless outing against UNLV four days earlier, led the Aggies with a career-high 21 points.

The win gives Utah State a chance to sweep their week-long trip to the Front Range.

"… You got the first one and you know you at least have a split," Morrill said. "Now, you try to get greedy and see if you can find a way to win in Laramie." —

Utah State at Wyoming

P At the Auditorium Arena

Tipoff • 7 p.m.

TV • Mountain West Network

Radio • 610-AM, 95.9-FM, 102.1-FM

Records • Utah State 18-10, 11-5; Wyoming 21-8, 10-6

Series • Wyoming, 45-25

Last meeting • Utah State, 56-44 (Jan. 27)

About the Aggies • They have won six straight games, including three on the road at New Mexico, San Jose State and Air Force. … With a victory over Wyoming, they clinch a top-four seed in the Mountain West tournament. … Sophomore F Jalen Moore (15.3), freshman C David Collette (13.1) and junior G Chris Smith (12.1) are the leading scorers.

About the Cowboys • They have lost four of their past six. … They come off a 69-57 loss at UNLV. … They are 0-2 since senior F Larry Nance Jr. returned from a four-game absence because of mononucleosis. … They are 16-2 at home. … Nance averages 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. … They shoot 31.8 percent on 3-pointers.