March 17, 2008

LOGAN, Utah -

Complete Release in PDF Format

GAME 35
Utah State (24-10) vs. Illinois State (24-9)
Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2008 • 8 p.m. (MT)
Normal, Ill. • Redbird Arena (10,200)
Aggie Radio Network • ESPNU

GAME DAY HEADLINES
• Utah State is in its 103rd season of basketball and has an overall record of 1,370-988 (.581). USU has not had a losing season since 1992-93 when that team finished with a 10-17 record.

• Utah State is one of just three teams in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of the last nine seasons along with Gonzaga and Kansas. During the last nine years, Utah State has averaged 24.6 wins and ranks fifth in the nation with a 75.5 (222-72) winning percentage.

• Utah State is making its ninth National Invitation Tournament appearance in school history, and its fourth in the last seven years. All-time, Utah State is 2-8 (.200) in the NIT, including an 0-2 road record. Overall, USU has lost seven straight NIT games and its last win was against St. Bonaventure (99-83) in 1960.

• Utah State is making its ninth straight postseason appearance, which is a school record. During the last nine years, Utah State has played in the NCAA Tournament five times (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006) and the National Invitation Tournament four times (2002, 2004, 2007, 2008). Overall, USU has lost seven straight postseason games. The last time USU won a postseason game was when it defeated Ohio State, 77-68, in overtime in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

• Utah State is making its 26th postseason appearance all-time, having qualified for the NCAA Tournament 17 times and the NIT on nine occasions. Utah State's overall postseason record is 8-27 (.229).

• Utah State is 5-3 (.625) on the year and 48-15 (.762) under head coach Stew Morrill following a loss. This season, Utah State lost three straight games for the first time since the end of the 1998-99 season, a span of 287 games.

• Utah State is leading the nation in overall shooting at 51.5 percent and in free throw shooting at 79.2 percent, and is ninth in the nation with 17.9 assists per game. USU also leads the WAC and ranks eighth in the nation in three-point shooting at 40.4 percent and is allowing 68.4 points per game to rank first in the WAC as well.

• Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is currently shooting 50.7 percent from three-point range which ranks first in the nation. Carroll also ranks third nationally in free throw shooting at 92.3 percent and is 13th in the nation in scoring with 22.6 points per game, all of which lead the WAC. Carroll also ranks eighth in the WAC in overall shooting at 53.3 percent.

UP NEXT
Utah State (24-10, 12-4) will travel to Normal, Ill., this week and play at Illinois State (24-9, 13-5) on Wednesday, Mar. 19 at 8 p.m. (MT) in the first round of the 2008 MasterCard NIT. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU which can be found on DIRECTV on channel 609 and on the DISH Network on channel 148.

ON THE AIR
Utah State basketball games are broadcast on KVNU (610 AM) and KLZX (95.9 FM) in Logan, Utah, KFAN (1320 AM) or ESPN Radio (1230 AM) in Salt Lake City and KLZX (105.3 FM) in Montpelier, Idaho, as well as on the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. Al Lewis serves as the play-by-play announcer while Rod Tueller serves as the analyst during home games.

ON THE INTERNET
All of Utah State's home games are available for fans to listen and watch live via the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com. Aggie fans will also be able to follow Utah State home games through its web site via GameTracker, a program that documents each play and updates statistics. Fans can also listen to every road game live via USU's web site.

LOOKING AT UTAH STATE
Utah State is 24-10 on the season after losing to Boise State, 88-78, in the semifinals of the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Tournament. USU finished league play tied for first-place with a 12-4 league record and was the top-seed in the WAC Tournament. USU is led by senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll who is averaging 22.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and shooting 53.3 percent from the field, 50.7 percent from three-point range and 92.3 percent from the free throw line, while junior forward Gary Wilkinson is averaging 13.4 points and 6.9 rebounds and shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 81.2 percent from the free throw line. Freshman forward Tai Wesley is also scoring in double-figures for USU as he is averaging 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds and shooting 64.9 percent from the field and 72.2 percent from the free throw line. As a team, Utah State is averaging 74.4 points and shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from three-point range and 79.2 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are averaging 68.4 points and shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three-point range and 70.0 percent from the free throw line.

UTAH STATE RECORDS NINTH STRAIGHT 20 WIN SEASON
Utah State has now won at least 20 games for the ninth straight year, extending its current school record. Overall, it is the 23rd time in school history that USU has won at least 20 games. The previous school record for consecutive 20-win seasons was three from 1962-64.

UTAH STATE WINS EIGHTH REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP
Utah State won a share of it first-ever Western Athletic Conference regular season championship, in just its third year in the league this season with its 12-4 WAC record. USU tied Boise State, Nevada and New Mexico State for the league crown. Overall, it is the eighth time that Utah State has won or shared a regular season championship as it claimed seven league titles (1980, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008) as a member of the Big West Conference from 1979-2005.

COMPUTER RANKINGS
As of Monday, Mar. 17, Utah State has an RPI of 71 and a strength of schedule of 168, while the WAC is currently ranked 20th in the nation out of 32 conferences.

AGGIES ON ESPN
Utah State will be making its third appearance on ESPN this year as the Aggies lost at New Mexico State, 100-70, and defeated UC Santa Barbara at home, 72-59. Overall, USU teams have won 23 of its last 29 games that have been televised by ESPN.

UTAH STATE LEADING THE NATION IN BOTH FIELD GOAL AND FREE THROW SHOOTING
Utah State is once again the top shooting team in the nation as it ranks first in both field goal and free throw shooting according to the latest NCAA statistics released Monday. On the season, USU is shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 79.2 percent from the free throw line. The last time a Division I team finished the season leading the nation in two of the three statistical shooting categories was 1999 when Northern Arizona was first in both field goal shooting (.523) and three-point shooting (.445). The last time a team led the nation in field goal and free throw shooting was 1986 when Michigan State shot 56.1 percent from the field and 79.9 percent from the free throw line. Overall, there have been only three teams in the history of the NCAA (Auburn, 1960; Ohio State, 1970; and Michigan State, 1986) to lead the nation in both field goal and free throw shooting and only one team to lead the nation in both field goal and three-point shooting (Northern Arizona, 1999). No team has ever led the nation in all three categories.

LOOKING AHEAD
Should Utah State defeat Illinois State in the first round of the 2008 MasterCard NIT, it would stay on the road and play at either Cleveland State (21-12, 12-6) or Dayton (21-10, 8-8). That contest would most likely be played on either Friday, Mar. 14 or Saturday, Mar. 15.

CARROLL BECOMES 58TH PLAYER IN NCAA HISTORY TO SCORE 2,500 POINTS
With his 20 points against Boise State in his last game, senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll became just the 58th player in the history of the NCAA to score 2,500 points at the Division I level. Carroll currently has 2,507 career points which ranks 54th all-time in the history of the NCAA.

UTAH STATE VERSUS THE TOURNAMENT FIELDS
Utah State went 4-2 against NCAA Tournament teams as it was 2-1 against Boise State, 1-0 against Austin Peay and Oral Roberts, and 0-1 against Vanderbilt. Utah State was also 1-0 against teams in the National Invitation Tournament as it defeated UC Santa Barbara, 72-59, at home, and 1-2 against teams participating in the College Basketball Invitational as it was 1-1 against Nevada and 0-1 against Utah.

AGGIES LOSE TO WAC CHAMPIONS AGAIN
For the third straight year, Utah State lost to the WAC Tournament champion with its 88-78 loss to Boise State in the semifinals. The Broncos went on to defeat host New Mexico State, 107-102, in triple overtime. In 2007, USU lost to host New Mexico State, 72-70, in the championship game, and in 2006 the Aggies lost to host Nevada, 70-63, in overtime.

UTAH STATE ENDS SEASON WITH A FLURRY
Utah State ended its regular season and WAC Tournament with a flurry of games as it played three games in six days during the final week of the regular season and then played back-to-back games in the WAC Tournament, meaning it played five games in 12 days.

AGGIES NEED TO KEEP THEIR OPPONENT UNDER 70 POINTS
Utah State's magic number, defensively, seems to be 70 as it is 20-0 on the season when allowing fewer than 70 points, but 4-10 when its opponent scores 70 or more points in a game.

FOUR AGGIES RANK AMONG TOP EIGHT SHOOTERS IN THE WAC
Utah State has four of the top eight field goal shooters in the WAC in Tai Wesley who is second (.649), Gary Wilkinson who is fourth (.581), Stephen DuCharme who is fifth (.573), and Jaycee Carroll who is eighth (.533).

UTAH STATE CONTINUES TO SCORCH THE NETS
Utah State continues to shoot an unbelievable percentage as it has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 17 of its last 24 games. USU began the year by shooting 50.0 percent or better in just two of its first 10 games. During its first 10 games of the season, Utah State was shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range. During its last 24 games, USU is shooting 53.5 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from behind the arc and 80.3 percent from the free throw line.

UTAH STATE TIES SEASON-HIGH WITH 11 TREYS AGAINST BOISE STATE
Utah State tied its season-high with 11 made three-pointers in its last game against Boise State and attempted 25 three's which is a season-high. In its last four games, Utah State is shooting 47.6 (30-63) from behind the arc.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Utah State plays mainly an eight-man rotation and during its last six games, five of those players are shooting at least 50 percent from the field. During the last six games, freshman forward Tai Wesley is shooting 66.7 percent (26-39), freshman guard Tyler Newbold is shooting 63.3 percent (19-30), senior forward Stephen DuCharme is shooting 62.8 percent (27-43), junior forward Gary Wilkinson is shooting 62.3 percent (33-53), senior guard Jaycee Carroll is shooting 57.4 percent (54-94), and freshman guard Pooh Williams is shooting 50.0 percent (9-18).

UTAH STATE HOLDING A BLOCK PARTY AS OF LATE
Utah State is averaging 4.4 blocks during its last seven games after registering just nine blocks in its previous nine games. USU also tied its season-high with seven blocks against San Jose State in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament. On the year, Utah State is 9-1 when recording more blocks than its opponents.

UTAH STATE GETTING SOLID PRODUCTION FROM ITS BENCH AS OF LATE
Utah State's bench has played much better as of last as it has scored 10-plus points in six straight games and in seven of its last eight overall. During its last six games, USU's bench is averaging 17.0 points and 6.8 rebounds.

AGGIES ON THE ROAD
Utah State is 65-58 (.528) on the road under Coach Morrill, which includes a 16-21 (.432) record against non-conference opponents. This year, Utah State is 4-8 on the road which includes a 1-4 road record in non-conference games. USU has, however, won each of its last two road games, including an 88-69 win at WAC Tournament Champion Boise State.

UTAH STATE IN MARCH
Utah State is 33-17 (.660) in the month of March under Coach Morrill, which includes a 4-3 (.571) record on the road.

CARROLL NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR - WILKINSON EARNS SECOND-TEAM HONORS
A day after leading Utah State to a share of its first-ever Western Athletic Conference regular season championship, Jaycee Carroll was named the conference's player of the year it was announced by the league office on March 9, while teammate Gary Wilkinson was named to the second-team. It is the second time in the last three years that USU has had two players earn all-WAC honors. Carroll, a 6-2 senior guard from Evanston, Wyo., becomes the fourth player in school history to earn player of the year honors joining Dean Hunger (1980), Greg Grant (1986) and Eric Franson (1995) who were each recognized as the Big West Conference's top player. Carroll, who was tabbed by both the coaches and media as the league's preseason player of the year, earned first-team all-WAC honors for the second straight season. He also was named second-team all-WAC as a sophomore and was a second-team all-Big West honoree as a freshman in 2005, along with earning freshman of the year honors. Utah State has now had 15 first-team all-conference selections over the last nine years and it is the ninth straight year that USU has had at least one first-team all-league selection. Overall, Utah State has had 27 first-team all-conference selections in the last 30 years as it was a member of the Big West Conference/Pacific Coast Athletic Association for 27 seasons from 1979-2005 before joining the WAC prior to the 2005-06 campaign.

CARROLL NAMED DISTRICT 14 SECOND-TEAM
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced March 4 its Division I All-District teams and Utah State's Jaycee Carroll was named to the District 14 second-team for the second year in a row. The NABC recognized 150 student-athletes from 15 districts, who are now eligible for selection to the NABC Division I All-American team which will be announced at the end of the season. Carroll was one of five players from the Western Athletic Conference recognized by the NABC along with Marcelus Kemp of Nevada (District 13 First-Team), Reggie Larry of Boise State (District 13 First-Team), Kevin Bell of Fresno State (District 13 Second-Team) and Justin Hawkins of New Mexico State (District 15 Second-Team). Carroll was also one of four players from the state of Utah to be honored joining Trent Plaisted and Lee Cummard of BYU (District 13 First-Team), and Luke Nevill of Utah (District 13 Second-Team).

CARROLL NAMED TO USBWA DISTRICT VIII TEAM
Jaycee Carroll was named an All-District VIII selection by the United States Basketball Writer's Association (USBWA) it was announced on March 11. It is the second year in a row that Carroll has been named to the team. District VIII includes schools from the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. In all 10 players were named to the team which include J.R. Giddens (New Mexico) who was named the Player of the Year in the district. Other players honored include Wink Adams (UNLV), Lee Cummard (BYU), Brandon Ewing (Wyoming), Justin Hawkins (New Mexico State), Marcelus Kemp (Nevada), Reggie Larry (Bosie State), Trent Plaisted (BYU) and Carlos Taylor (Montana State). The Coach of the Year in District VIII was UNLV head coach Lon Kruger.

CARROLL NAMED TO 2008 WAC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Despite losing in the semifinals of the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Tournament, Utah State's Jaycee Carroll was named to the all-tournament team for the second straight year as the Aggies lost to eventual tournament champion Boise State, 88-78, Friday night. Overall, it is the third time in his career Carroll has received all-tournament honors as he was also named to the all-tournament team last year and was named the most valuable player of the Big West Tournament in 2005. Boise State's Reggie Larry was named the most valuable player of the 2008 WAC Tournament, while teammates Matt Nelson and Matt Bauscher were named to the all-tournament team along with New Mexico State's Justin Hawkins. In two games during the WAC Tournament, Carroll averaged 22.0 points and 4.0 rebounds and shot 54.8 percent from the field (17-31) and 55.6 percent from three-point range (10-18). Carroll had 24 points in an 85-65 quarterfinal win against San Jose State, before scoring 20 points against Boise State.

CARROLL 2005 BIG WEST TOURNAMENT MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll became the first freshman in the history of the Big West Conference to be named the tournament's Most Valuable Player in 2005 as he scored 12 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists in USU's 84-77 semifinal win against Cal State Fullerton, and had a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds in the Aggies' 65-52 win against then 16th-ranked Pacific in the championship game. For the tournament, Carroll averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.

CARROLL TO PLAY IN FOURTH STRAIGHT POSTSEASON
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll will be playing in his fourth straight postseason tournament this year and second straight National Invitation Tournament. Carroll began his USU career by playing in the NCAA Tournament his freshman and sophomore seasons. In three career postseason games, Carroll is averaging 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists and shooting 49.0 percent from the field (23-47), 50.0 percent from three-point range (10-20) and 62.5 percent from the free throw line (5-8).

SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
Illinois State is 24-9 on the season and finished in second-place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 13-5 league record. The Redbirds then advanced to the championship game of the MVC Tournament where it lost to Drake, 79-49. ISU, who is 15-1 at home this year, is led by sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge who is averaging 16.1 points and 5.7 rebounds and senior forward Anthony Slack who is averaging 9.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Eldridge earned first-team all-MVC honors this year and was also named to the Valley's postseason all-tournament team. As a team, Illinois State is scoring 66.0 points per game and shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from three-point range and 63.8 percent from the free throw line, while its opponents are scoring 59.5 points and shooting 40.3 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from three-point range and 68.8 percent from the free throw line. This year, Illinois State returned four starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's team that went 15-16 overall and finished in a tie for seventh-place in the Missouri Valley with a 6-12 league record. The Redbirds are coached by Tim Jankovich who is in his first season as Illinois State's head coach. Overall, he has a 127-80 record in seven years as a collegiate head coach.

UTAH STATE-ILLINOIS STATE SERIES
Utah State and Illinois State will be meeting for just the fifth time this Wednesday as the series is currently tied at two games apiece. The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 29, 2003 in Logan, with USU notching an 89-84 win. The last time the two teams played in Normal was on Nov. 23, 2002 with Utah State winning, 68-53. This will also be the second time the two teams have played in the postseason as Illinois State defeated Utah State, 93-87, in overtime in the first round of the 1995 NIT.

VERSUS THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
Utah State is 15-13 (.536) all-time against current members of the Missouri Valley Conference, while USU head coach Stew Morrill is 6-2 (.750). At USU, Morrill is 4-0 versus the Missouri Valley Conference with a pair of wins against both Illinois State and Drake. The last time USU played a team from the MVC was on Nov. 18, 2006 when it defeated Drake, 92-74, in the semifinals of the BP Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska.

UTAH STATE-ILLINOIS STATE CONNECTIONS
The Western Athletic Conference is 3-2 all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference in the National Invitation Tournament. USU's game against Illinois State will mark the first time that a WAC team has played Illinois State in the NIT.

UTAH STATE VERSUS THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
Utah State is 4-8 (.333) all-time against teams from the state of Illinois as USU has faced Bradley (1-2), DePaul (1-0), Illinois (0-2), Illinois State (2-2) and Southern Illinois (0-2).

UTAH STATE-ILLINOIS STATE CONNECTIONS
Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich and Utah State assistant coach Tim Duryea have spent a lot of years together in the coaching profession as both were assistant coaches at Colorado State from 1988-90. Duryea was then an assistant for Jankovich at North Texas from 1992-96 and at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College from 1996-98.

UTAH STATE CONNECTIONS WITH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
Utah State has two players on its roster who have ties to the state of Illinois. Junior guard/forward DeUndrae Spraggins is from East St. Louis, Ill., and junior guard Desmond Stephens played at Southeastern Illinois Junior College which is located in Harrisburg, Ill.

AGGIES ON WEDNESDAY
Utah State is 14-5 (.737) in games played on Wednesday under Coach Morrill, which includes an 0-1 record this year.

AGGIES PLAYING LATE IN MARCH
Utah State's game against Illinois State on March 19 will be the second latest date it has ever played in the month of March. USU's latest game in a season was during the 2003 NCAA Tournament when it lost to Kansas, 64-61, on March 20.

LAST MEETING AGAINST THE REDBIRDS
Mark Brown recorded career highs with 20 points and 13 assists to lead Utah State to an 89-84 victory against Illinois State on Nov. 29, 2003 in Logan. Brown scored 17 of his team-best 20 points in the second half, hitting six of nine shots in the game. His 13 assists tied for fifth on the USU single-game record list and bettered his career mark of 12 set the previous year against Cal State Fullerton. Brown's previous scoring best was 19 at Illinois State in 2002. In all five Aggies scored in double figures as Cardell Butler added 14 points, Spencer Nelson 13 and Jason Williams and Nate Harris each had 11. Nelson added a game-high seven rebounds. ISU was led by 21 points from Neil Plank. The Redbirds also had five players reach double-digits in points. The Aggies shot 66.7 percent from the field, while ISU hit 58.5 percent of its attempts. USU trailed 31-30 at halftime, but opened the second half with a quick Nelson layup to take a lead they would never relinquish. USU went on a 17-4 run early in the half to lead 50-37 with 13:46 left in the contest and ISU never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

CARROLL BECOMES UTAH STATE'S ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll became Utah State's all-time leading scorer on Jan. 19, 2008 at home against Idaho as he made a three-pointer from the left wing with 13:35 to play in the first-half to eclipse Greg Grant's (1983-86) record of 2,127 points. Carroll now has 2,507 career points and is one of just three players in school history to score 2,000 points along with Grant and Wayne Estes (1963-65) who scored 2,001 career points.

CARROLL CURRENTLY SECOND ALL-TIME IN SCORING IN THE STATE OF UTAH
With his 2,507 career points, senior guard Jaycee Carroll currently ranks second all-time in the state of Utah in scoring. In fact, Carroll is one of just 10 collegiate players in the "Beehive State" to ever score 2,000 points. Utah's Keith Van Horn holds the state's scoring record with 2,542 points, followed by Carroll's 2,507 points. Other 2,000 point scorers from the state include BYU's Danny Ainge (2,467), Utah's Billy McGill (2,321), BYU's Michael Smith (2,319), BYU's Devin Durrant (2,285), USU's Greg Grant (2,127), Weber State's Bruce Collins (2,019), USU's Wayne Estes (2,001) and Utah's Josh Grant (2,000).

CARROLL CONTINUES HIS ASSAULT ON UTAH STATE'S RECORDS BOOK
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll continues to put his name at the top of Utah State's records book as he is now the school's all-time leader in points scored (2,507), three-pointers made (367), three-pointers attempted (786), three-point percentage (.468), field goals made (876), field goals attempted (1,706), 10-point games (120), games started (131), games played (133) and total minutes played (4,556). Overall, Carroll currently holds 10 career school records which is the most in school history.

MORE CARROLL RANKINGS AT UTAH STATE
Along with all of his school records, Carroll also ranks third all-time at Utah State in free throw percentage (.862) and is third in minutes per game (34.3). He also ranks seventh in steals (123), eighth in points per game (18.8), eighth in free throws made (388), 12th in rebounding (674) and 17th in assists (265).

CARROLL RANKS THIRD IN NCAA HISTORY IN THREE-POINT SHOOTING
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is shooting 46.8 percent from three-point range during his career, which ranks third all-time in the history of the NCAA at the Division I level. Tony Bennett of Green Bay holds the NCAA record for three-point shooting at 49.7 percent (290-584), followed by Stephen Sir of Northern Arizona at 46.9 percent (323-689), and Carroll at 46.8 percent (367-785).

CARROLL 12TH ALL-TIME IN NCAA HISTORY IN THREE-POINTERS MADE
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has made 367 three-pointers in his career to rank 12th all-time in NCAA Division I history for most made three-pointers in a career. Duke's J.J. Redick holds the NCAA record with 457 made three-pointers.

CARROLL 10TH ALL-TIME IN THE WAC IN SCORING & FIRST IN THREE-POINTERS MADE
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has scored 2,037 points since Utah State joined the WAC prior to his sophomore season which ranks 10th in the history of the league. If you could count his 470 points from his freshman season he would rank second in scoring (2,507), behind Keith Van Horn's 2,542 points. Carroll has also made 288 three-pointers in his three years in the WAC, which is a conference record breaking the old mark of 285 set by Raymond Dudley of Air Force and Clayton Shields of New Mexico. Carroll also ranks second all-time in the WAC in three-point shooting at 46.5 percent (288-619), third in free-throw shooting at 88.2 percent (343-389), and 11th in three-point attempts with 619.

CARROLL THIRD IN THE NATION AMONG ACTIVE PLAYERS IN SCORING
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll ranks third in the nation in scoring among active players at the Division I level with 2,507 points, behind Bo McCalebb of New Orleans who has 2,679 career points and Reggie Williams of VMI who has 2,586 career points. Carroll also ranks first in the nation among active players in career three-point shooting at 46.8 percent.

CARROLL HAS 58 CAREER 20-POINT GAMES AND 10 CAREER 30-POINT GAMES
Jaycee Carroll has scored 20 or more points in a game 58 times during his Utah State career, including 24 times thus far this year. He also has 10 career 30-point games and one career 40-point game as he scored 44 points against New Mexico State on Feb. 5, 2007. Overall, Utah State is 19-5 this season and 47-11 all-time when Carroll scores 20-plus points in a game.

CARROLL CONTINUES DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has scored in double-figures in all 34 games this year and in 38 straight games dating back to last season. Overall, Carroll has scored in double-figures in 67 of his last 68 games and in 120 games during his Utah State career. His 38 game streak of double-figure scoring ranks sixth all-time in school history. As a junior he scored in double-figures in 31 straight games, which ranks eighth all-time in school history.

DID YOU KNOW?
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has made at least one three-point basket in 55 straight games and in 122 of his 133 career games at Utah State.

STATISTICALLY, CARROLL IS THE BEST SHOOTER IN THE NATION
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll is without a doubt one of the best shooters in the nation as he is making 53.3 percent of his field goals, 50.7 percent of his three-pointers and 92.3 percent of his free throws. Overall, Carroll is the only player in the nation to shoot over 50 percent from both the field and three-point range, and over 90 percent from the free throw line.

CARROLL RANKS AMONG TOP ALL-AROUND SHOOTERS IN NCAA HISTORY
Along with being the only player in the nation to shoot over 50 percent from both the field and three-point range, and better than 90 percent from the free throw line this season, senior guard Jaycee Carroll is on the verge of becoming just the second player in NCAA history to accomplish that feat along with Arizona's Salim Stoudamire. During Stoudamire's senior season of 2004-05, he shot 50.4 percent from the field (210-417), 50.4 percent from three-point range (120-238), and 91.0 percent from the free throw line (122-134).

CARROLL HAS SCORED AT LEAST 20 POINTS IN 12 OF HIS LAST 13 GAMES
Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll has been on fire as of late, scoring at least 20 points in 12 of his last 13 games and at least 30 points in three of his last eight games. During his last 13 games, Carroll is averaging 25.2 points and 6.1 rebounds, while shooting 53.5 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from three-point range and 91.4 percent from the free throw line.

CARROLL ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY
Jaycee Carroll is one of the most efficient players in the country as he scores 22.6 points per game on just 14.50 shots, which averages out to 1.56 points per attempt. Of the 22 players nationally who average at least 21.0 points, only Eric Gordon of Indiana and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina are more efficient than Carroll. On the year, Hansbrough is averaging 23.0 points on just 13.62 shots, while Gordon is averaging 21.3 points on just 13.23 shots per game.

CARROLL BREAKS SINGLE-SEASON THREE-POINTERS MADE RECORD
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has made 112 three-pointers this season, breaking the previous Utah State record of 98 made three's set by Reid Newey during the 1988-89 season. Carroll also ranks first for a single-season in three-point shooting at 50.7 percent and free throw shooting at 92.3 percent. He is also first in minutes played with 1,264, second with his 770 points, third in three-point attempts with 221, third in field goals made with 263, and eight in scoring with 22.6 points per game. Those 112 treys are also the third-most in a single-season in the history of the WAC.

CARROLL CLOSING IN ON 800 POINTS THIS YEAR
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has scored 770 points this year which is the second-most in a single-season in school history behind Wayne Estes who scored 821 points during the 1963-64 campaign. Those 770 points are also the sixth-most in a single-season in the history of the WAC and the most since Lee Nailon (TCU) scored 791 points during the 1997-98 season.

CLARK EIGHTH IN THE NATION IN ASSISTS
Senior guard Kris Clark is averaging 6.44 assists per game which leads the WAC and ranks eighth nationally. Clark also ranks second in the WAC and 24th in the nation with a 2.38-to-1.00 assist to turnover ratio.

CLARK SETS SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS RECORD AND RANKS NINTH IN THE HISTORY OF THE WAC
Senior guard Kris Clark has 219 assists this year setting a new single-season record at Utah State. The previous record was 185 set by Jay Goodman (1992-93) and Oscar Williams (1976-77). His 219 assists are also the ninth-most in a single-season in WAC history.

CLARK FIFTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN ASSISTS
Senior point guard Kris Clark has 365 assists in his Utah State career to rank fifth all-time in school history moving ahead of Jay Goodman (1991-93) who had 364 career assists. Clark also has a career average of 5.29 assists per game, which ranks second all-time in school history.

WILKINSON CONTINUES TO PERFORM WELL
Junior forward Gary Wilkinson continues to play well for Utah State as he scored in double-figures in 17 of his last 18 game, including each of his last eight. Overall, Wilkinson has now scored in double-figures 27 times this season and leads the team with six double-doubles.

NEWBOLD LIGHTS UP PAN AMERICAN CENTER
Freshman guard Tyler Newbold had an outstanding WAC Tournament for Utah State as he scored 19 points against San Jose State and 16 points against Boise State. During the tournament, he averaged 17.5 points and shot 75.0 percent from the field (12-16) and 75.0 percent from three-point range (9-12).

WESLEY RECORDS SEASON-HIGH SIX BLOCKS AGAINST SAN JOSE STATE
Freshman forward Tai Wesley recorded a season-high six blocks against San Jose State in the quarterfinals of the 2008 WAC Tournament. Those six blocks are tied for the third-most in a single-game in school history and the most since Shawn Daniels had a school record seven blocks against Pacific during the 2000-01 season. On the year, Wesley has 33 blocks to led the team and is just three blocks shy of entering the single-season top 10 in that category at USU.

UTAH STATE AMONG THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Over the last nine years, Utah State has been one of the best basketball programs in the country, recording a 222-72 (.755) record. Those 222 wins are the seventh-most in the country, while the 75.5 percent winning percentage is fifth-best behind Duke (.833), Kansas (.803), Gonzaga (.800) and Florida (.761). USU has also been among the top-13 teams in the country in points allowed in six of the last eight years and among the top-35 teams in the country in winning percentage in six of the last eight seasons.

UTAH STATE HAS DOMINATED CONFERENCE PLAY SINCE 2000
Utah State has had tremendous success in league play over the last nine years recording a 116-36 (.763) record, which includes an 84-20 record in the Big West Conference as it won three regular season championships and four tournament titles and a 32-16 record in the WAC. Here is a look at how the current members of the Western Athletic Conference has done in league play dating back to the 1999-2000 season. Note: Utah State and Idaho's league record includes six years in the Big West Conference (2000-2005); Boise State's record includes two years in the Big West (2000-2001); Nevada's record includes one year in the Big West (2000); Louisiana Tech's record includes two years in the Sun Belt Conference (2000-01); and New Mexico State's record includes one year in the Big West (2000) and five years in the Sun Belt (2001-05).

UTAH STATE TRENDS DURING THE LAST NINE YEARS

• USU is 91-6 when holding its opponents below 60 points.

• USU is 184-21 when leading at the half.

• USU is 196-19 when shooting better from the field than its opponent.

• USU is 161-33 when out-rebounding its opponent.

• USU is 151-17 when shooting better from three-point range than its opponent.

• USU is 115-18 when blocking more shots than its opponent.

• USU is 96-19 when scoring 70-plus points in a game.

DID YOU KNOW?
Utah State has seven freshmen on its 2007-08 roster, which is the most-ever on a USU team dating back to the 1957-58 season.

CARROLL NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK THREE TIMES, DUCHARME ONCE
Senior guard Jaycee Carroll has been named the WAC Player of the Week three times this season and senior forward Stephen DuCharme has won it once. Carroll's first honor came on Dec. 24 as he averaged 32.5 points and 5.5 rebounds en route to being named the Most Valuable Player of the Gossner Classic as USU defeated Utah Valley (87-65) and Northern Arizona (78-62). During the tournament he shot an unbelievable 74.2 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from three-point range. He was also a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. His second honor came on Jan. 21 after averaging 25.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in a pair of wins against Boise State (82-78) and Idaho (79-64). Carroll's third honor came on Feb. 11 as he averaged 24.0 points and 10.0 rebounds and shot 50.0 percent from the field (16-32), 53.3 percent from three-point range (8-15) and 88.9 percent from the free throw line (8-9) in a pair of wins at Fresno State (77-72) and against San Jose State (78-73). DuCharme was named the WAC Player of the Week on Nov. 26 as he helped Utah State record a 2-1 record and a third-place at the 2007 South Padre Island Invitational with wins against Austin Peay (71-68) and Iowa (75-62) and a loss to Vanderbilt (77-56). DuCharme was named to the all-tournament team as he averaged 20.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 64.3 percent from the field (18-28).

HISTORIC WEEK IN UTAH STATE BASKETBALL
The weekend of Jan. 17-19 was without a doubt one of the most historic times in Aggie Basketball history as Stew Morrill became the school's all-time winningest coach in Utah State's 82-78 win against Boise State, and senior guard Jaycee Carroll became the school's all-time scoring leader in USU's 79-64 win against Idaho. Morrill passed E. Lowell Romney's (1920-41) 225 career wins, while Carroll passed Greg Grant's (1983-86) 2,127 career points.

CARROLL NAMED FINALIST FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Jaycee Carroll is one of 10 finalists for the men's 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award it was recently announced. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I male and female senior basketball player who excel both on and off the court. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving college early to turn professional. Ten finalists in both the men's and women's division were selected from a list of 30 candidates based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. The four primary areas of criteria include: classroom, community, character and competition. The other men's finalists are: Shan Foster of Vanderbilt, A.J. Graves of Butler, Roy Hibbert of Georgetown, Chris Lofton of Tennessee, Drew Neitzel of Michigan State, DeMarcus Nelson of Duke, Brian Roberts of Dayton, Sean Singletary of Virginia and Peyton Stovall of Ball State. The 10 finalists will be placed on the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award ballot for a nationwide vote beginning February 6 and concluding March 21. Fan balloting, available on the award's official web site www.seniorclassaward.com will be combined with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the NCAA Men's and Women's Final Four, scheduled on April 5-7 in San Antonio, Texas, for men and April 6-8 in Tampa, Fla., for women. The Lowe's All-Senior All-America Team will also be recognized.

UTAH STATE DROPS THIRD STRAIGHT CLOSE GAME
Prior to playing at Nevada on Feb. 11, Utah State was 6-0 on the season and had won 23 of its last 30 games decided by six or fewer points. However, since then Utah State has lost three straight games decided by six points or less with a pair of five-point setbacks at Nevada (85-80) and at Hawai'i (71-66), followed by a three-point loss at San Jose State (70-67). USU, has however, won four straight games decided by a single point.

UTAH STATE FINISHES 2008 WITH SEVEN STRAIGHT SELLOUTS
During its last seven home games, Utah State has played in front of a sold-out Dee Glen Smith Spectrum crowd of 10,270, marking the first time in the 37-year history of the building that USU has had seven straight sellouts. On the season, USU is averaging 9.012 fans which ranks second in the WAC and is the highest average in school history.

UTAH STATE IN THE DEE GLEN SMITH SPECTRUM
Utah State finished its 2007-08 regular season with a 17-0 home record, which is a school record for most wins in a single-season, marking just the fourth time in the 37 year history of the building that an Aggie team has gone undefeated at home. Utah State is now 142-12 (.922) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Coach Morrill, which includes a 76-8 (.905) record against conference opponents and a 21-3 (.875) record against WAC teams. Overall, USU is 436-105 (.806) in 37 years in the building. The other three times USU has gone undefeated at home was in 1973-74 (14-0), 1997-98 (15-0), and 2000-01 (15-0). Overall, USU's 17 game winning streak at home is the eighth-longest in the nation.

VERSUS THE WAC
Utah State is 178-100 (.640) all-time against current members of the WAC and the Aggies have a winning record against every team in the league. In 2006, USU finished in a tie for second-place with an 11-5 league record and advanced to the conference's championship game. In 2007, USU finished in fourth-place with a 9-7 mark and advanced to the WAC Tournament championship game for the second straight year.

Stew Morrill VERSUS THE WAC
Stew Morrill is 93-73 (.560) all-time in WAC games, which includes a 31-16 (.660) record at Utah State and a 62-57 (.521) record at Colorado State. Morrill is 93-65 (.589) all-time against current members of the WAC, which includes a 64-27 (.703) record at USU.

MORRILL RECORDS 20 WINS YET AGAIN
Utah State's Stew Morrill has now won at least 20 games 13 times as a collegiate head coach. In his 22 years as a head coach, he has had 21 winning seasons and won at least 17 games 19 times. Entering the 2007-08 campaign, Morrill was one of just 13 active coaches to notch 12 20-win seasons, while his streak of eight straight 20-win seasons entering the year was tied for the ninth-longest active streak in the nation.

UTAH STATE WILL PLAY ITS 35TH GAME OF THE SEASON
Utah State will play its 35th game of the season this week which is tied with last year's team for the most games in a single-season in school history. Utah State's 24 wins this year are tied for the fifth-most in school history as this is the fourth time that a USU team has won 24 games.

UTAH STATE RECORDS DOUBLE-DIGIT CONFERENCE WINS AGAIN
Utah State recorded double-digit conference wins for the eighth time in the last nine years as it went 12-4 in the WAC this season. Those 12 WAC wins are the most in its three years in the WAC.

UTAH STATE WINNING BY DOUBLE-DIGITS
Prior to its 88-78 loss to Boise State in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament, Utah State had won five straight games by at least 13 points.

UTAH STATE SETS SINGLE SEASON ASSISTS RECORD
Utah State has recorded 607 assists thus far this year which is a single-season school record. The previous record was 552 assists set during the 2005-06 season. USU is also averaging 17.9 assists per game which would break the school record of 17.4 set during the 1976-77 season.

UTAH STATE CLOSING IN ON SEVERAL OTHER SCHOOL RECORDS
Utah State is closing in on several school records this year as it is shooting 79.2 percent from the free throw line. The current school record for free throw shooting is 78.0 percent set last year. USU is also shooting 40.4 percent from three-point range which would rank second all-time at USU for a single-season. USU also currently ranks third for a single-season in three-pointers made (203), third in field goal percentage (.515), fifth in three-point attempts (503), fifth in points scored (2,528), and 10th in field goals made (901).

UTAH STATE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
F #42 Tai Wesley (6-6, 230, Fr., Provo, Utah) - Has started 23 games for Utah State... Has scored in double-figures 19 times this year and has three 20-point games... Also has two double-doubles on the year... Recorded a career-high six blocks against San Jose State on Mar. 13... Scored a career-high 27 points against Hawai'i on Jan. 3 and had a career-high 11 rebounds against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 15... Ranks second in the Western Athletic Conference in field goal percentage (.649) and is seventh in the league in blocks (0.97).. Leads the team with 20 charges taken this year.

F #55 Gary Wilkinson (6-9, 240, Jr., South Jordan, Utah) - Earned second-team all-WAC honors and was also named to the league's all-newcomer team... Has started all 34 games for Utah State... Scored a career-high 23 points against Nevada on Feb. 2... Has scored in double-figures 27 times this year, including in 17 of his last 18 games overall... Also has four career 20-point games and leads the team with six double-doubles... Ranks fourth in the WAC in field goal shooting (.581), is sixth in free throw shooting (.812), eighth in rebounding (6.9) and 13th in scoring (13.4)... Leads the team with 13 dunks on the year.

G #10 Kris Clark (6-2, 180, Sr., Wilmington, N.C.) - Has started 59 straight games for Utah State at the point and 67 in his career... Scored a career-high 16 points at Fresno State on Feb. 7 and has scored in double-figures three times this season... Has recorded 10 assists three times this year, including at Nevada on Feb. 11... Ranks first in the WAC and ninth in the nation with 6.44 assists per game... Also ranks second in the WAC and 26th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.38)... Has 219 assists this year which is a new single-season school record and the ninth-most assists in a single-season in the history of the WAC... Also ranks fifth all-time at Utah State with 365 career assists.

G #20 Jaycee Carroll (6-2, 175, Sr., Evanston, Wyo.) - Named the 2008 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was named to the WAC's All-Tournament team... Also earned first-team all-WAC honors in 2007 and was named second-team all-WAC as a sophomore in 2006... Named to the NABC District 14 second-team and to the United States Basketball Writers Association All-District VIII team... Leads the nation in three-point shooting at 50.7 percent and is third in free throw shooting at 92.3 percent... Also ranks 12th in the nation in scoring with 22.6 points per game... Has scored in double-figures in all 34 games this year and in 38 straight dating back to last season, and has had at least 20 points in 12 of his last 13 games... Owns 10 career school records.

G #24 Tyler Newbold (6-4, 200, Fr., Payson, Utah) - Has started 24 straight games for Utah State... Scored a career-high 20 points at New Mexico State on Jan. 26... Also had a career-high seven rebounds in that game... Has scored in double-figures in each of his last two games and in six games this season... Ranks first in the WAC in three-point shooting at 52.3 percent.

UTAH STATE ALUMNI

• Merlin Olsen, Football, 1961 Outland Trophy Winner, NFL Hall of Fame.

• Wayne Estes, Basketball, First player ever to be named AP All-America before the end of the regular season as he was electrocuted and killed less than two hours after scoring a Nelson Fieldhouse record 48 points against Denver on Feb. 8, 1965.

• Jay Don Blake, Golf, 1980 NCAA Individual Champion, current member of the PGA Tour.

• Cornell Green, Basketball, Two-time All-American and school's career rebound leader, who went on to an NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys where he was named to the Pro Bowl seven times.

RECAPPING THE 2008 WAC TOURNAMENT
Semifinal Game Versus Boise State
Fourth-seeded Boise State knocked off top-seeded Utah State, 88-78, Friday in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at New Mexico State's Pan American Center. The loss snaps USU's six-game win streak as the Aggies are now 24-10 while Boise State improves to 24-8. It was just the second loss in the last nine semifinal appearances for the Aggies, halting USU's conference championship game streak at three in a row after Utah State had played in the previous two WAC title tilts since its been a conference member. Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll led USU with 20 points, hitting 6-of-12 three-pointers. Carroll becomes just the 58th player in NCAA history to eclipse the 2,500 point plateau as Carroll now has 2,507 points. It was Carroll's 12th 20-point game in his last 13th outing while USU is now 19-5 this season and 47-11 all-time when Carroll nets at least 20 points. Junior forward Stephen DuCharme tallied 17 points while freshman guard Tyler Newbold posted 16 points, hitting 4-of-6 behind the three-point arc. Junior forward Gary Wilkinson tossed in 12 points and tied DuCharme with seven boards each for game-high rebounds. After not being out-rebounded in the previous five games, USU had fewer rebounds for the second night in a row after BSU had a 32-28 advantage Friday. Senior guard Kris Clark dished out a game-high seven assists, padding his single-season school record assists mark, as he now has 219 helpers. The Broncos were led by 23 points apiece from Matt Bauscher and Reggie Larry as Bausher hit 5-of-6 behind the arc. Aaron Garner hit 3-of-4 treys to finish with 14 points, matching Tyler Tiedeman's 14 points, who hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final 3:33 to thwart the Aggies' rally. Both teams made 28 field goals including 11 three-pointers each, but the difference was at the free throw line as the Aggies were 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) at the charity stripe, while the Broncos were 21-of-26 (80.8 percent). BSU hit 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from three-point range, a better percentage behind the arc than inside it, making 50.9 percent (28-of-55) field goal shooting. USU was 28-of-57 (49.1 percent) from the field, including 11-of-25 (44.0 percent) from three-pointers, tying a season-high for the Aggies. A baseline jumper by DuCharme gave USU an early 11-7 lead, but Boise State battled back before a Carroll triple from the top of the arc sparked a 7-0 Aggie spurt. Freshman guard Pooh Williams capped the run with a layup to put USU ahead 31-24 at the 5:55 mark. However, BSU closed out the half with an 18-6 streak to take a 42-37 halftime lead, as the Broncos improved to 17-2 when leading at the half while the Aggies fall to 1-7 when trailing at the break. The Broncos bucked their lead to 53-41 on a Bauscher layup and the lead swelled to 69-52 with 9:53 remaining on a Larry trey. USU trimmed the deficit to 83-76 with 1:07 left on a trey from Clark but couldn't get any closer as BSU hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Quarterfinal Game Versus San Jose State
Four players in double figures plus an 8-0 run and a 9-0 spurt equaled victory for Utah State, as the top-seeded Aggies opened the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a convincing 85-65 win over eighth-seeded San Jose State Thursday at the Pan American Center on the campus of New Mexico State. With the victory, USU improved to 18-4 in conference tournaments over the last nine years, including 5-2 in WAC Tournament play. Senior All-American guard Jaycee Carroll tallied a game-high 24 points, as he drained 4-of-6 three-pointers, including two in the first half on his way to 14 points before intermission. Carroll's 24 points gives him 2,487 career points, passing Danny Ainge to become the second-leading scorer in the history of the state of Utah. Keith Van Horn holds the top spot with 2,542 points and Van Horn also possesses the WAC all-time career points record. Freshman guard Tyler Newbold was 5-of-6 from three-point land, finishing the game with 19 points, one shy of his career high set on Jan. 26 in the same arena against New Mexico State. Junior forward Gary Wilkinson and freshman forward Tai Wesley had 15 points and nine rebounds each, as USU was out-rebounded for the first time in six games, 33-28. The Aggie defense tied a season-high for the third time this season with seven blocks, as Wesley tripled his career-high with six swats. The six blocks are tied for the second-most in the USU single-game records, and the most since Shawn Daniels' school-record seven rejections in 2001. USU's defense also improved to 20-0 on the year when holding the opposition to under 70 points. With the winning margin of 20, the Aggies have now won their last six games by 13 or more points. Offensively, Utah State shot 55.9 percent (33-of-59) from the field, tying a season-high with 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from three-point range. The Aggies also were 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) at the free throw line. San Jose State hit 27-of-55 (49.1 percent) of its shots, including 2-of-7 (28.6 percent) behind the arc and the Spartans hit 9-of-15 (60.0 percent) of their free throws. DaShawn Wright and C.J. Webster led SJSU with 16 points each with Webster snaring nine rebounds, tying USU's Wesley and Wilkinson for game-leading rebounding honors. The Aggies came out blazing, as Newbold and Carroll played H.O.R.S.E., each hitting three-pointers from the same spots on each of the left and right wings to open a 19-8 lead, prompting a SJSU timeout. Freshman guard Pooh Williams got into the three-point shooting contest, hitting a trey from the right wing, about the same spot as Carroll and Newbold's three's. Later, a steal and layup from junior guard Desmond Stephens put USU ahead 28-13. After San Jose State trimmed the margin to 31-23, Utah State went on an 8-0 streak, capped by an up-and-under from Wesley and a baseline jump hook from Wilkinson, and the Aggies took a 39-27 lead into halftime. A Newbold trey from the right wing followed by a three in the right corner by Carroll and USU had a 49-31 lead. SJSU scratched the deficit to 58-49 but another three-pointer from Newbold at the top of the arc and a Carroll steal and layup put the game out of reach at 21 at 70-49 and the Aggies cruised to their 14th conference tournament quarterfinal win.

HEAD COACH Stew Morrill
In his 22nd season as a collegiate head coach and 10th year at Utah State, Stew Morrill became the winningest coach in school history on Jan. 17, 2008 in the Aggies' 82-78 win against Boise State, passing E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) who won 225 games in 22 seasons. In his 10th year at USU, Morrill has taken the Aggie Basketball program to unprecedented heights leading it to an incredible 237-85 (.736) record, including a 124-44 (.738) conference mark in the Big West and WAC. While at Utah State, he has guided the Aggies to nine straight 23-win seasons and nine straight postseason appearances (NCAA-5, NIT-3), both of which are school records. Morrill has also led Utah State to the fifth-best winning percentage in the nation during the last nine years at 75.5 percent with an overall record of 222-72. Against conference opponents, Utah State has a 142-50 record with four regular season league championships and four tournament titles during that time, including appearances in its league's tournament championship game seven times in the last nine years. Under Morrill, Utah State has notched eight of the top 10 seasons in school history during the last nine years as the Aggies set a school record with 28 wins during the 2000 season, tied that record with 28 wins during the 2001 season and notched the eighth-most wins in school history during the 2007 season with 23 victories. During the 2006-07 season, Morrill guided Utah State to a fourth-place finish in the WAC during the regular season, followed by its second straight appearance in the WAC Tournament championship game. The 2006-07 Aggie basketball team also set a school record by shooting 78.0 percent from the free throw line, which ranked second in the nation. For the ninth straight year, USU had at least one player earn first-team all-league accolades as Jaycee Carroll was named the WAC Player of the Year in 2008. Overall, Morrill has coached 10 first-team all-league players at Utah State who have won the award a total of 15 times. Morrill has also taken full advantage of the home court at USU, the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. In Morrill's 10 years, USU is an amazing 142-12 (.922) at home, which includes a 76-8 (.905) record in league play. As for Morrill, he has won 20 or more games on 13 different occasions during his career, and he has won at least 17 games 19 times. Overall, Morrill ranks 23rd in the nation among active coaches and 96th all-time with his 455 career wins, while his career winning percentage of 67.1 percent ranks 28th among active coaches and 100th all-time. He is also one of 27 active coaches with 400 career wins at the Division I level and one of just 13 active coaches to notch at least 13 20-win seasons. His current streak of nine straight 20-win seasons ranks ninth among active coaches and is tied for the 13th-longest streak ever at the Division I level. Morrill has also been named Coach of the Year (2000 BWC, 2002 BWC) twice in his eight years at USU, along with winning the Big Sky award while the head coach at Montana in 1991.

• Head coach Stew Morrill (237-85) is the winningest coach in school history as he recorded his 226th win on Jan. 17, 2008 in an 82-78 home win against Boise State, passing E. Lowell Romney (1920-41) who won 225 games in 22 seasons at USU. Morrill is also second all-time in games coached (322) at USU and is the longest tenured coach at Utah State (entering 10th season) since the Ladell Andersen era (1962-71).

• Entering his 10th season with the Aggies, Morrill has a 237-85 (.736) overall record, a 124-44 (.738) conference record and an 18-6 (.750) record in conference postseason play. Overall, Morrill owns a 455-223 (.671) record in 22 years as a collegiate head coach.

• Among active coaches at the Division I level, Morrill ranks 23rd in the nation with his 455 career wins and 28th in winning percentage at 67.1 percent.

• Morrill is one of just 27 active coaches with 400 career wins at the Division I level and one of just 13 active coaches to notch 13 20-win seasons, while his current streak of nine straight 20-win seasons is tied for the ninth-longest active streak in the nation.

• Morrill has been named conference coach of the year three times during his career, winning the award in 1991 while at Montana, and in 2000 and 2002 while at Utah State.

• Morrill has coached 10 first-team all-league players who have won the award a total of 15 times. Those players are Shawn Daniels (twice), Troy Rolle, Bernard Rock, Tony Brown, Desmond Penigar (twice), Mark Brown, Cardell Butler, Nate Harris (three times), Spencer Nelson and Jaycee Carroll (twice).

• Utah State is 142-12 (.922) in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum under Morrill.

• Morrill has led Utah State to nine straight 20-win seasons and nine straight postseason appearances, both of which are school records.

• Morrill led Utah State to its first NCAA Tournament win in 31 years when USU defeated fifth-seeded Ohio State 77-68 in overtime during the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

• Morrill has been involved in postseason action 12 times in his career, including the NCAA Tournament at Utah State in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006 and the National Invitation Tournament in 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2008.

UTAH STATE PLAYER NOTES
#5 Pooh Williams - Averaging 2.2 points and 0.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 35.5 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from three-point range and 62.5 percent from the free throw line... Scored a season-high eight points against Montana-Western... Averaging 3.2 points during his last five games.

#10 Kris Clark - Has started 66 games at Utah State... Scored a career-high 16 points at Fresno State... Tied his career-high with 10 assists at Nevada... Averaging 5.6 points, 6.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 38.7 percent from the field, 26.3 percent from three-point range and 78.7 percent from the free throw line... Has recorded at least four assists in 32 of USU's 34 games this year... Ranks first in the WAC in assists and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.38)... Averaging 4.8 points and 5.8 assists during his last five games.

#11 DeUndrae Spraggins - Scored a season-high 14 points against Iowa and had a season-high five assists against Vanderbilt... Averaging 2.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 35.6 percent from the field, 26.5 percent from three-point range and 72.4 percent from the free throw line... Has scored just four points in his last 10 games.

#15 Desmond Stephens - Had a season-high four assists against Louisiana Tech... Tied his season-high with nine points against New Mexico State... Also had a season-high five boards against NMSU... Averaging 2.6 points and 1.7 assists, while shooting 29.6 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from three-point range and 72.7 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 1.4 points in his last five games.

#20 Jaycee Carroll - Tied his season-high with 33 points against Fresno State... Averaging 22.6 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 53.3 percent from the field, 50.7 percent from three-point range and 92.3 percent from the free throw line... Is playing a team-high 37.2 minutes per game... Has scored in double-figures in all 34 games this year, including 24 20-point games... Tied his career-high with eight assists against Austin Peay... Ranks first in the WAC in scoring and free throw shooting and second in three-point shooting... Averaging 24.6 points and 5.0 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 55.4 percent from the field, 52.6 percent from three-point range and 95.5 percent from the free throw line.

#24 Tyler Newbold - Scored a career-high 20 points at New Mexico State to go along with a career-high seven rebounds... Averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 55.3 percent from the field, 52.3 percent from three-point range and 83.9 percent from the free throw line... Averaging 7.3 points and 3.0 rebounds as a starter, and 10.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in his last five games... Ranks first in the WAC in three-point shooting.

#34 Modou Niang - Had season-highs in points (4), rebounds (3), blocked shots (3) and minutes played (17) against Cal Poly... Averaging 0.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game.

#40 Stephen DuCharme - Tied his career-high with 22 points at Cal Poly and had a season-high 11 rebounds at UC Irvine... Recorded his fifth career double-double against Santa Clara as he had 12 points and 10 rebounds... Has scored in double-figures 14 times this season and 32 times in his career... In his career, he has six 20-point games, six double-figure rebounding games and five double-doubles... This season he is averaging 9.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 75.6 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fifth in the WAC in field goal shooting... During his last five games he is averaging 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds.

#42 Tai Wesley - Had a season-high six blocks against San Jose State... Scored a career-high 27 points against Hawai'i... Recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds at Nevada... Had a season-high six assists against Utah Valley... Averaging 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and shooting 64.9 percent from the field and 72.2 percent from the free throw line... Ranks second in the WAC in field goal shooting and seventh in blocked shots (0.97)... Averaging 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds during his last five games, while shooting 63.3 percent from the field.

#44 Matt Formisano - Recorded season-highs with eight points and four rebounds in 25 minutes at New Mexico State... Averaging 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds and is shooting 36.0 percent from the field and 58.8 percent from the free throw line.

#55 Gary Wilkinson - Recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Fresno State... Scored a season-high 23 points against Nevada and had a season-high 13 rebounds against Idaho... Recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Utah... Averaging 13.4 points and 6.9 rebounds, while shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 81.2 percent from the free throw line... Ranks fourth in the WAC in overall shooting, is sixth in free throw shooting, eighth in rebounding and 13th in scoring.... Averaging 14.4 points and 7.6 rebounds during his last five games.