Bracket Busters - Utah State Aggies
January 31st 2011 20:48
Utah State Aggies
When “Utah State” is mentioned, most people think of Mormonism – and that would be a decent assumption. This religious view for a majority of the students at Utah State University is actually a positive thing for the basketball team. Why? Well, because some players choose to go on a Latter Day-Saints (LDS) Mission for one to two years. Not only are they helping others out, but the players are maturing. The maturity that is gained gives the Aggies a huge advantage on the basketball court and is a big reason to why the team has been so successful. Six players for Utah State have been on their LDS mission (Bendall, Brown, Formisano, Jardine, Newbold, and Wesley). Of the six, four of them average at least 19 MPG and have led their team to another fine start to a season – 20-2 overall, 9-0 in WAC play.
Utah State is one of the most all-around teams in the nation. They don’t really have a go-to-guy, but if you had to pick someone, it would be Senior F Tai Wesley. He is a hardnosed player who works the entire time he is on the court and is the leading scorer for the Aggies at 14.3 PPG. Wesley also hauls in 7.8 RPG to help out frontcourt mates Brady Jardine and Nate Bendall in that respect.
Jardine and Bendall are two big's that are the opposite of flashy, but get the job done. Jardine is the unsung hero of the team and comes off the bench but on any given night can play starter’s minutes. He is averaging 7.9 RPG in only 23 MPG. His spark off the bench has been huge for the Aggies this season and will continue to be the rest of the way.
Junior G Brockeith Pane is a transfer from Houston and is playing in his first season for Utah State. He is a solid guard who plays very good defense and can make tough passes. However, his jump shot still needs to be improved, especially if he expects to help the Aggies this year and next, where he will be the go-to-guy in the 2011-12 season.
Senior G Pooh Williams has had a tough time with his shot this season (39.5 FG percent), but has shown promise at times. He will need to figure it out soon in order to be an asset, rather than a liability to the Aggies cause in the WAC tournament and possibly the NCAA tournament.
Most successful teams have a bench guy that can score to give a spurt when the team needs it, and the Aggies have Senior G Brian Green to fill that role. Green is shooting 47 percent from the three-point line this year and is averaging 11.8 PPG. His work ethic on the court makes up for his lack of size at the two guard position.
Key Wins: Long Beach State
Key Losses: at BYU, at Georgetown
Prediction: 7-1 the rest of the way to finish at 27-3 (15-1 in conference), wins conference tournament to go to 30-3, nine seed in the NCAA tournament with a first round loss. I really like what this team brings to the table and if Green gets hot, they could earn an upset in the first round and give a top team in the second round fits.
Fun Fact: The average age of a Utah State basketball player is 21.35 years.
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