Nevada looks for revenge against Aggies
BY DARRELL MOODY
Appeal Sports Writer
RENO - Nevada coach Mark Fox and his Utah State counterpart Stew Morrill agreed that the Aggies don't have a psychological advantage based on their 14-point victory on Feb. 2.
"Kids are more resilient than us coaches," Fox said during last week's teleconference.
"I don't think it's a big factor," Morrill said last Monday on the same call. "It might help a little with preparation."
Maybe that's coach-speak. Maybe both coaches sincerely think that.
We'll find out when the Wolf Pack, 7-3 in Western Athletic Conference play and 15-8 overall, hosts first-place Utah State (8-1, 18-6) square off at 7:05 p.m. today at Lawlor Events Center.
This will be Nevada's third home game in a span of five days. The homestand has been a sweet one thus far with a 38-point win over San Jose State and a 20-point win over Hawaii.
The Pack is in the middle of a 10-day, five-game stretch, and has plenty of momentum built up after two big wins. Of course, the Pack had won three straight before being mugged by the Aggies, 77-64, earlier this month.
Utah State won the last game up front, as Gary Wilkinson scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Tai Wesley scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Both complemented Jaycee Carroll's 24-point effort nicely.
JaVale McGee had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds that night, but Fox still said that his front line collectively got outplayed.
"They are an excellent basketball team," Fox said. "Jaycee is a terrific player, but he's not alone. They have great players around him. They play very well. We have to play much better than we did the last time."
Certainly Nevada must get off to a better start. The Aggies, who shot 67 percent in the first half, rolled to a 14-point lead in the first several minutes of the game, and the closest Nevada got was eight points.
Fox was displeased with the team's defensive effort throughout the game, and commented that there were a long list of things that needed to be worked on.
Utah State is in the middle of a tough stretch itself. The Aggies are in a 12-day, five-game stretch which started with a road win at Fresno State. After tonight. The Aggies have road games at Hawaii and San Jose State, a team it barely beat at home on Saturday. Utah State has won 13 of its last 14 games.
Five of Utah State's last seven games are on the road, and that could go a long way in deciding who wins the regular season championship.
"We always talk about our homecourt and a lot of places you go, traditionally, have had similar homecourt [success] as we've had," Morrill said. "You are bucking the odds when you go to several of these places trying to get wins. But we've got to find some if we're going to be a legitimate contender in the league.
"We've got to find a way to win some tough gams on the road. I think a lot of it boils down to if you can defend and rebound on the road. That's been the biggest question mark for our team, consistently. Traditionally, you don't shoot as well on the road, either, so those factors become even bigger."
The Aggies outrebounded Nevada the last time out, 35-31, and held Nevada to a 39- percent effort from the field.
Morrill was displeased with his team's play against San Jose State. The Spartans, coming off a 38-point loss to Nevada on Thursday, took the Aggies down to the final seconds before losing 78-73.
"Our posts (Wilkinson and Wesley) ought to be embarrassed," Morrill told the Salt Lake Tribune after the game. "If we play this un-physical, we'll get beat by 30 at Nevada. We might get beat by 30 anyway."
• Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281
UTAH STATE (18-6, 8-1) AT NEVADA (15-8, 7-3)
When: Today, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Lawlor Events Center
TV/Radio: None/630 AM, pre-game at 6:25 p.m.
Coaches: Nevada's Mark Fox (96-26) is in fourth season; Utah State's Stew Morrill (231-83) is in his 10th season
Projected starters: UTAH STATE - F Tai Wesley (9.7 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game), Tyler Newbold (4.5, 2.5); C Gary Wilkinson (13.3, 6.3); G Jaycee Carroll (21.5, 6.2), Kris Clark (5.7, 1.5); NEVADA - F DeMarshay Johnson (7.1, 4.6); C JaVale McGee (13.4, 7.8); G Brandon Fields (12.6, 2.3); Armon Johnson (11.6, 4.1); Marcelus Kemp (19.2, 5.3)
Prediction: Nevada by two