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Logan • This isn't supposed to happen.

After suffering a season-ending knee injury that required surgery last February, Wyoming star Larry Nance Jr.'s game hasn't missed a beat.

Heading into Tuesday night's contest against Utah State at the Spectrum, the forward averaged 16.6 points and seven rebounds in a remarkable 33 minutes per game.

Aggie coach Stew Morrill noticed.

"I don't see any difference in his physicality or his ability to jump and play and move," he said. "He must have done a great job in rehab."

Laughing, Morrill added, "I've never heard of a bad surgery, but he must have had an extra-special surgery. I've never heard of a [doctor] coming out of the operating room and saying, 'Boy, it just didn't go very well.' All of the surgeries I've heard of went well. But he must have had an extra-special one."

According to Morrill, the 1-2 punch of junior guard Josh Adams and Nance have been the keys to the 17-3 overall record the Cowboys brought to Logan.

"When you talk about Wyoming, it starts with Nance," he said. "They play through him. He's a dominant inside guy. He plays the four and the five, he's very athletic and very smart.

"Then, complimenting him in an awfully strong way, Adams is one of the most aggressive guards I've seen in a long time. He plays full-tilt. He thinks he can make every shot. He really looks to take it at you in the open court."

Finish line closing in

Barring an appearance in the postseason, Utah State has only five home games remaining in Morrill's 29-year head coaching career.

He announced his retirement three weeks ago.

"I've learned a lot under him," said sophomore forward Jalen Moore. "He's one of the best college coaches ever. He helped me become the player I am today. … He's always telling me, 'Don't be happy with where you are now. Keep working.' "

Moore says the current Aggies know they have become part of the school's basketball history: "It's great to be a player in his last team. I think all of are looking onward and will be trying to help him end on a good note."

Empty seats

Morrill was hoping from big-time support for the game against the first-place Cowboys, but, strangely, there were plenty of empty seats at the Spectrum.

"These are the games that everybody wanted in the Mountain West Conference, so here they are," Morrill said. "… The home courts you find in this league are exceptional, and when ours is at its best, it's exceptional. We need it at its best."