Tag: Sam Merrill

Utah State Basketball: Sam Merrill And Life Without The Big Dance

Utah State Basketball: Sam Merrill And Life Without The Big Dance Merrill like others moving forward after NCAA’s decision to cancel postseason. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Utah State’s Sam Merrill gives a first hand account of what this …

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Utah State Basketball: Sam Merrill And Life Without The Big Dance

Merrill like others moving forward after NCAA’s decision to cancel postseason.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Utah State’s Sam Merrill gives a first hand account of what this decision mean’s to collegiate athletes.

Sam Merrill has given a lot to Utah State University. After growing up an Aggie fan in Bountiful, UT just an hour south of Logan, Merrill will graduate this spring leaving his imprint on a program that received a ticket to go dancing after being led by their senior star to a Mountain West tournament championship for the second straight season.

But the world had different plans, and as sports leagues across the globe began postponing or suspending their seasons with the fear of outright canceling them still a very real possibility. Then as the dominoes began to fall midweek, the NCAA announced their plan. The tournament was to be played without fans, which many were against but ultimately accepted given the current state of sports around the globe.

In an interview conducted by the Utah State athletics department released this past week, which featured senior guard Sam Merrill inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Merrill spoke about life without the NCAA tournament from the perspective of a group this decision impacts the most, the players.

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He provided an inside look at the timeline between the start of the Aggies season to just this past week when the tournament was canceled. After a Mountain West conference tournament run that placed them in the championship game against the best team in the conference, No. 1 seeded and top-five ranked San Diego State.

After a hard fought game, Merrill and the Aggies found themselves tied 56-56 in possession of the ball and with only one guy to take the last shot. A Merrill three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left on the clock sealed the deal.

The Aggies would cut down the nets inside the Thomas and Mack Center for the second straight year and as one of the few conferences to start and finish their postseason tournament, it was time to wait. Wait for March 15th and wait for selection Sunday.

When first hearing about the news to continue on with a fan-less NCAA tournament, Merrill admits he thought it would be a better idea to cancel the whole thing altogether. In which you can’t blame him as one thing that makes this sport and time of year so special is the fans. Last year’s national championship game had over 72,000 fans in attendance and to Merrill’s point that would be a huge change in the tournament’s pageantry.

He then spoke about how head coach Craig Smith had been mentally preparing his guys for a complete cancellation going into the week as that was what everyone was expecting to happen next.

The news broke Thursday, March 12th regarding the tournament’s cancellation. It was tough news for everyone around the sport to hear, but as media, fans and businessmen complained. This decision really impacted two groups of people, the players and the coaches. While many student-athletes have taken to Twitter to protest, we hadn’t seen much out of the senior until this video interview. Many have

Merrill also spoke to the ups and downs of the 2019-2020 season, which for an Aggie team that came into the year with a mix of high expectations, injuries and inconsistent play in the first half of the season. But learning to adapt, bounce back and make adjustments during the season helped the Aggies finish second in an extremely competitive Mountain West. His senior season didn’t exactly go according to plan and even though it ended prematurely, to Merrill it still was a spectacular finish to his career.

“It’s a perfect way to go out for me personally and for us as a team to beat one of the best teams in the country and win a conference championship and be able to celebrate together, like I said we wish their was more but it’s a perfect way.” -Sam Merrill

When asked about his plans in the next coming weeks, Merrill mentioned his next steps for a life after Utah State. As the 24 year old talked about finding an agent, scheduling pre-draft workouts and accelerating that entire process. He also mentioned the possibility of spring athletes retaining a year of eligibility, which has now been confirmed as an official plan of the NCAA.

But after backing that idea he stated “you never know what’s going to happen in a year maybe some seniors won’t want to come back and we’ll just be ready to move on.” Then when asked about the possibility of winter sport athletes getting any sort of eligibility back and if that would be something he would be interested in coming back for, he replied by saying

“I’m definitely in support of it, especially all of the teams that…you know some team’s their seasons had already ended, like a lot of teams in our league and some tournaments had already started but a lot teams didn’t get a finish. And for a lot of those teams you sit their and wonder what if so i’m definitely in support of it but for me…I’m going to be twenty-four in a couple of months um…i’ll be graduating…I fell like I’ve given everything I had to Utah State so for me I feel like it is time to move on but I am definitely in support for those who feel like they’ve left things unsaid.”

With those words it seems as though Merrill is done with collegiate basketball and for fans of the Mountain West over the past four years, we can only be thankful for what he has brought to the Aggie program and the Mountain West as a whole and wish him well on his professional aspirations.

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2020 Mountain West Basketball Tournament: Championship Game Schedule, Bracket, Live Stream & Odds

2020 Mountain West Basketball Tournament: Championship Game Schedule, Bracket, Live Stream & Odds The Championship game is set and it’s No.1 vs. No. 2, as expected? Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The top two seeds in the tournament meet for …

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2020 Mountain West Basketball Tournament: Championship Game Schedule, Bracket, Live Stream & Odds

The Championship game is set and it’s No.1 vs. No. 2, as expected?

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The top two seeds in the tournament meet for chance to go dancing and the Mountain West tournament championship.

San Diego State had a slow start in Friday’s semifinal game against No. 5 Boise State, reminiscent of their quarterfinal victory over No. 9 Air Force where they found themselves down at the half only to rally to a 13-point win in the second half. Their victory over the Broncos didn’t exactly fit that same mold, but the Aztecs did find themselves tied forty a piece at the half. But it could have been worse if not for a 19-3 run in the final minutes of the first half.

Ultimately Brian Dutcher’s squad secured the 81-68 win over Boise State in the second half, and as a team ended the night shooting 27-55 on field goals (49.1%) and 15-36 from three

In the Championship game they will face No. 2 Utah State who ended the Cinderella hopes of No. 11 Wyoming in an 89-82 late Friday night. Wyoming certainly made it interesting, staying in the game the whole time and getting double-digit efforts from five different players, led by 18 points from freshman guard Kenny Foster. This was a different kind of Cowboys team that showed up in Las Vegas this week compared to what fans saw all season. There should be some hope around that program going into next season, as they do lose two key players in Jake Hendricks and AJ Banks to graduation but bring back literally everyone else.

Utah State was led by none other than senior leader Sam Merrill who finished the night with 27 points, 7 assists and 2 steals bringing his tournament scoring average to 28.0 PPG. He received some needed help from sophomore big man Neemias Queta who chipped in 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks while using his size and athleticism against a much smaller and more shallow Wyoming frontcourt.

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This match up of the top two seeds is just what the bracketology doctor ordered for the Aggies, as a team that is on bubble watch for many folks might need a win over the Aztecs to punch their ticket. San Diego State is in a better spot when it comes to attending the big dance but should have a sweep of both the regular season and tournament titles in mind as the cherry on top of an already stellar season.

History hasn’t been too kind to mid-major bubble teams and Sam Merrill who should be in the running for tournament MVP needs to take control Saturday, as his Aztec counterpart Malachi Flynn will attempt to do the same.

What will likely be the difference maker will be the performances of each team’s supporting casts. A Diogo Brito vs. Jordan Schakel match up should be an interesting one to watch, as well as a Neemias Queta vs. Yanni Wetzell match up down low. There is a lot on the line for both teams and should provide an exciting game of basketball for the rest of us.

Saturday, March 7th

Championship: No. 1 San Diego State vs. No. 2 Utah State, 5:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS OR (FuboTV Free Trial ), KenPom:

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch list Results: POY and All-Conference Selections

Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch list Results: POY and All-Conference Selections The results are in, take a look at the awards and the 17th week’s results. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The month of February made it a close …

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch list Results: POY and All-Conference Selections

The results are in, take a look at the awards and the 17th week’s results. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The month of February made it a close one but the Player of the Year watch list results are in, and the winner is….

The staff at the Mountain West Wire wanted to do something a little different this year. We kept track of the top performers from teams around the Mountain West throughout the year and voted on who had the best performances that week.

The process churned out 17 weeks of results, highlighting multiple player’s performances in that time. Overall 31 different players received top-5 votes and every Mountain West team is represented on the list. But without further ado here we go.

[Editor note: As a staff there will be a one-time vote on these same awards, plus more, and it will be interesting to see if they are different because a one or two week surge would help them in these weekly rankings.]

Player of the year: Malachi Flynn, San Diego State (42 total points)

NCAA Basketball: San Diego State at Fresno State

Malachi Flynn has been a major catalyst in the Aztec’s historic 2019-2020 season. His presence on the court this season for a Brian Dutcher team that reached twenty wins last season but lost it’s top-two scorers is more than impressive. Flynn’s leadership has led to a 28-1 (17-1 in MW) regular season finish, top-5 ranking, an at-large bid and maybe most importantly he’s helped make the players around him better.

His numbers weren’t eye popping, but were efficient and made an impact consistently on the best team in the Mountain West. He averaged 17.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 5.1 APG & 1.8 SPG in 29 games this season (all starts). Certainly an all-conference worthy stat sheet and his assists and steals per game totals were good enough to lead the entire conference in both categories. Flynn performed at a high level consistently throughout the season and had the best start of any in the conference and kept his level of play just high enough to fend off some other player’s late season surges for the award.

The dagger might have come this weekend in what looked like the battle for Player of the Year against Nevada and Wolf Pack guard Jalen Harris. Flynn helped his team obtain an 83-76 win while scoring 36 points on 13-20 made field goals (65%) while also grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing out five assists. This performance cemented Flynn as the inaugural 2020 Mountain West Wire’s Watch list Player of the Year. Congrats to Malachi and a special thank you to all who participated in the voting process throughout the year.

The rest of the All-Mountain West First team:

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Jalen Harris, Nevada (35 Points)

Sam Merrill, Utah State (20 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, Boise State(19 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, New Mexico (15 Points)

All-Mountain West second team:

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Nico Carvacho, Colorado State (12 Points)

Bryce Hamilton, UNLV (12 Points)

Seneca Knight, San Jose State (10 Points)

Jazz Johnson, Nevada (9 Points)

Justinian Jessup, Boise State (7 Points)

The order for the Final week is as follows:

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Sam Merrill, Justin Bean Lead Utah State Past Wyoming At Home, 78-58

Game Recap: Utah State 78, Wyoming 58 Merrill and company take care of business at home in search of a second-place finish. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Duo of Bean and Merrill lead Utah State past Wyoming at home. LOGAN, UT-The Aggies …

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Game Recap: Utah State 78, Wyoming 58

Merrill and company take care of business at home in search of a second-place finish. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Duo of Bean and Merrill lead Utah State past Wyoming at home.

LOGAN, UT—The Aggies played host to the Cowboys on Wednesday night inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum and closed the night with a 20-point win and sole possession of second place in the Mountain West.

Utah State was led by Sam Merrill who poured in 26 points on 69.2% shooting from the field and helped out on the defensive end chipping in three of the Aggies seven steals on the night. Merrill has hit peak form just in time to help push his team to a second-place finish behind San Diego State and almost in time for preseason play.

Sophomore big man Neemias Queta has been a bit hot and cold this season with only 8 points last night on 4-9 shooting. But the 7-footer was still able to use his height advantage on Wednesday night over a small ball Cowboys lineup, who were outrebounded 42-25 in starting big man Hunter Thompson’s continued absence.

Most of those rebounds came from Queta (15) and fellow sophomore Justin Bean (14) who garnered his 14th double-double of the season with his 20 points and 14 rebound performance last night.

The Cowboys limped to the finish line, with only two players reaching double figures at the end of the night. One of those players being sophomore guard Trevon Taylor who finished the night with a team-high 16 points and 4 rebounds, followed by fellow sophomore Greg Milton III with 10 points.

Leading scorer Hunter Maldonado was held to just 8 points on 2-12 shooting from the field in almost 38 minutes of play. Maldonado was the tallest man in a Cowboy uniform most of Wednesday night as an already struggling Wyoming had to play small without 6-10 sophomore post-Hunter Thompson who is still out indefinitely. Second leading scorer Jake Hendricks (9.7 PPG) struggled as well, finishing with 8 points on 2-8 shooting (all from deep).

Up Next:

Utah State Aggies:

Craig Smith and company take the weekend off before hosting San Jose State on Tuesday the 25th, which should shape up to be a pretty big senior night.

Wyoming Cowboys:

The Cowboys head south on Saturday to visit the Air Force Falcons in Colorado Springs for an afternoon match up in Clune Arena. The game will tip-off at 2:00 PM MST and can be seen on the AT&T Sports network. The Cowboys have three games left and have a chance at a couple of wins to tie with San Jose State to end the season. Wyoming would hold the tiebreaker to avoid a last play finish in the regular season.

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Fifteen

Who is in the running for Player of the Year? Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Fifteen Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Sam Merrill edges out Flynn and Harris with strong play to claim this weeks top …

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Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Fifteen

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Sam Merrill edges out Flynn and Harris with strong play to claim this weeks top honor. 

The staff at the Mountain West Wire wanted to do something a little different this year. We are going to keep track of the top performers from teams around the Mountain West throughout the year and vote on who had the best performances that week. 

How it works description now at the bottom of the article

The order for the fifteenth week is as follows:

1. Sam Merrill, senior guard Utah State (5 Points)

32 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists against Colorado State

24 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds against Fresno State

Four, that’s the current win streak Merrill and the Aggies are enjoying as they prepare to host the Cowboys of Wyoming on Wednesday. Three, that’s the number of games remaining on the schedule, including Wednesday’s game at home. These are some of the bigger numbers Sam Merrill and company are thinking about this week as they continue on looking for a second-place finish in the Mountain West.

The Aggies have caught steam over their last ten games, going 8-2 since a tough loss on the road to Boise State back on January 18th and they haven’t really looked back. And for a team that came into the season with some pretty lofty expectations their play as of late has been spectacular and so has their best player.

Merrill’s play over the last couple of weeks has been fantastic, and averaging 28.0 PPG last week in two much-needed victories put him a cut above the rest. Earning him a first-place finish ahead of Malachi Flynn and Jalen Harris, who are both ahead of him on the overall big board.

The race for player of the year doesn’t seem as clear cut as some may think, as late pushes from Harris and Merrill will make things interesting in the coming weeks.

2. Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (4 Points):

15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals against New Mexico

22 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds against Boise State

3. Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (3 Points):

29 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals against UNLV

4. Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (2 Points):

18 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists against Air Force

22 points, 1 assist and 4 rebounds against San Diego State

5. Richard Washington, junior guard San Jose State (1 Point):

17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists against Fresno State

31 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals against Air Force

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3| Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9| Week 10|Week 11| Week 12| Week 13|Week 14|

Current Overall Point Totals:

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (34 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (26 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (20 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (19 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (15 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (12 Points)

Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (9 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (7 Points)

Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming (7 Points)

Seneca Knight, sophomore guard San Jose State (6 Points)

Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (6 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (5 Points)

Carlton Bragg Jr., senior forward New Mexico (5 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Marvin Coleman, sophomore guard UNLV (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Neemias Queta, sophomore forward Utah State (4 Points)

Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (4 Points)

David Roddy, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Roderick “RJ” Williams, senior forward Boise State (3 Points)

Corey Manigault, senior forward New Mexico (2 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Abu Kigab, junior forward Boise State (1 Point)

Zane Martin, junior guard UNM (1 Point)

Matt Mitchell, junior forward San Diego State (1 Point)

Ryan Swan, senior center Air Force (1 Point)

Richard Washington, junior guard San Jose State (1 Point)

Yanni Wetzell, senior forward San Diego State (1 Point)

How It Works: 

Each person will award 15 points in total to five players and should award it as so:

1st place (Player of the week): 5 pts

2nd place: 4 pts

3rd place: 3 pts

4th place: 2 pts

5th place: 1 pt

The player with the most points total will be our player of the week and we will keep track of the point totals every week so that the player who has the most at the end of the year will receive the Mountain West Wire Player of the Year award. Just copy the players below and type your names above it like we do for the pick them docs we get and award your points. 

Now some guys made the list and others didn’t. A big thing to think about was consistency throughout the week. Something that hurt some guys was having a decent game one day and a bad one the other day. Guys who made the list had a great game one day and a good one on other days, or good games both days.

This column will come out on Sunday nights or Monday mornings depending on how late some games finish on Sundays. 

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Utah State vs. Fresno State: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Utah State vs. Fresno State: Game Preview The Aggies travel to Fresno to take on the Bulldogs with a four game winning streak in mind. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Utah State needs four wins to secure second place in the Mountain West, …

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Utah State vs. Fresno State: Game Preview

The Aggies travel to Fresno to take on the Bulldogs with a four game winning streak in mind. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Utah State needs four wins to secure second place in the Mountain West, and that campaign starts Saturday night.

WHO: Utah State Aggies (20-7, 9-5 Mountain West) At Fresno State Bulldogs (9-16, 5-9 Mountain West)

WHEN: Saturday, February 15th—7:00 PM PST/8:00 PM MST/9:00 PM EST

WHERE: Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA

TV: ESPNU

STREAM: Get a free trial through FuboTV

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: Utah State leads all-time series 38-24

PREVIEW: 

This mid-afternoon match up in the Central Valley comes with big implications for the Aggies and a chance for the Bulldogs to avenge their seven-point OT loss to then No. 25 Utah State back in Logan on December 7th.

That December 7th match up was also Neemias Queta’s first return back to the hardwood after rehabbing a knee injury suffered over the summer playing for the Portuguese men’s national team. For Queta shaking off a bit of rust was very apparent, scoring only 6 points on 6/7 made free throws but missing all three of his field goal attempts. Now Queta and the Aggies travel west to Fresno for a match up with tournament positioning on the line. And even though both are fighting for very different positions on the bracket, both know what’s at stake.

The stakes, 

Utah State is playing to help secure a second place finish in the Mountain West after San Diego State clinched the regular season title with their Tuesday night win over New Mexico. They are currently in a three-way tie for second with the Boise State Broncos and the Nevada Wolf Pack, but have the easiest final four games of those three teams to finish out the regular season. But four straight wins should secure at least a share of second place and position them nicely for a deep conference tournament run where they can hope for a second consecutive tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth.

The Bulldogs are a talented team, but don’t have the regular season resume to expect any sort of post season automatic bids. Their only way to the big dance will be a conference tournament championship, and to make that road smoother requires a strong performance in their final four games to afford them a higher tournament seed.

Matchup(s) of the night: Battle of the bigs

F Nate Grimes Fresno State vs.  F Neemias Queta Utah State

The Stats: Grimes (12.0 PPG 9.8 RPG & 1.5 BPG) and Queta (12.4 PPG 6.8 RPG & 1.5 BPG)

As well as,

F Orlando Robinson Fresno State vs. F Justin Bean Utah State

The Stats: Robinson (13.1 PPG 7.2 RPG & 1.7 APG) and Bean (12.2 PPG 10.2 RPG & 1.5 SPG)

There are several exciting position battles in this match up as Fresno State’s frosh have been an exciting bunch all season long. But where this game may be won tonight is in the post, as each team has two big men that can have a major impact to help win the game.

We can start with the visiting Aggies who will start Neemias Queta and Justin Bean, or at least should. Bean is in a close second behind Nico Carvacho (10.8) to lead the conference in rebounds at 10.2 RPG. And makes a lot of his money off of second chance boards, which shouldn’t be a problem with as many times this group gets shots up.

Queta who has been playing at the level maybe most expected him to be at after a sophomore jump, has been a force in the month of February. His overall season totals aren’t much of an improvement on his numbers last year as a freshman but his performance over the last three games (all wins), 18.6 PPG 8.3 RPG and 3.0 BPG is a trend in the right direction.

Now the hosting Bulldogs have one of the more underrated frontcourt tandems on the west coast, in senior Nate Grimes and freshman Orlando Robinson. Grimes is a double-double machine, with nine so far this season and three in his last four games.

While Robinson may very much be the future for Fresno State in the Mountain West, his play tonight is still vital to an upset of the Aggies at home. These guys aren’t just rebounders and can score when fed the ball down low. If the shots aren’t falling on the perimeter expect a lot of touches in the post from these two tonight.

Prediction: Utah State 88, Fresno State 70

The Aggies are deeper and boast more experience than this Bulldog team, but the last time these teams faced off produced a closer result than you’d of thought and even went to overtime. Fresno State is 3-2 over their last five games and do lead the all-time series between these two when played in Fresno, at 16-10.

If Utah State wins the battle of the bigs and Sam Merrill who just hit 2,000 career points mark in his career has a productive night on top of that, than the score predicted above isn’t too far fetched.

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Utah State Basketball: Was It Too Soon To Write Off The Aggies?

Utah State Basketball: Was It Too Soon To Write Off The Aggies? Aggies have climbed the conference standings with recent play. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Aggies are currently sitting in a three-way tie for second place after a rough …

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Utah State Basketball: Was It Too Soon To Write Off The Aggies?

Aggies have climbed the conference standings with recent play. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Aggies are currently sitting in a three-way tie for second place after a rough conference start. 

Utah State was placed on a pretty high pedestal in preseason media coverage, and that may have been unfair. Sam Merrill was pegged as the preseason player of the year and a preseason all-MWC first team member along with sophomore forward Neemias Queta. Not to mention the Aggies were picked to win the Mountain West receiving all seventeen first-place votes in the process.

San Diego State has already clinched the Mountain West regular season title with their 23-point win over New Mexico on Tuesday night at home, but there is still plenty up for grabs. But before we can move forward to this weekends batch of games which still have heavy conference standing implications at stake. Let’s take a look at the Aggie’s season as a whole and try to understand why their recent success feels a bit surprising, but shouldn’t at all.

No Neemias Queta, 

The first half of the season was spent without their star Portuguese big man, who sustained a knee injury playing for the Portuguese national team over the summer. At the time his injury seemed like a big blow to Utah State’s hopes at dominance in the coming season, and no one really assumed otherwise. As the seven-foot big man was one of the bigger surprises in all of college basketball in 2018-2019 with ten double-doubles (nine in conference play) while displaying an elite bounce, body control, defensive instincts and a back to the basket game that is hard to find in one package, especially among freshman.

Those performances also got his name on some NBA draft big boards last season, but ultimately deciding to come back to school placed him as a second round pick in the 2020 NBA draft on a couple of draft sites. He’s recently dropped from that position to being outside of the top-60 players draft eligible, but he is still one of the most pro-ready players on any Mountain West roster.

But most feared his absence early on would cause the Aggies to struggle, that wasn’t exactly the case. Queta made his return on Dec. 7th, against Fresno State. The sophomore big man posted six points, 1 rebounds and 1 block. He took some time to adjust back to the game since his injury, but he’s found a rhythm of late. Averaging 18.6 PPG and 8.3 RPG over his last three games (all wins). His presence was missed but the team played some of their best basketball without him in the line up and with him as he adjusted back to game level speeds. The team was 8-1 in his absence playing a smaller line up that at times included junior college transfer Alphonso Anderson in the post who averaged 13.1 PPG & 5.4 RPG without Queta in the lineup versus 6.1 PPG & 3.0 RPG with him in the lineup. He shouldn’t be all to blame for their bad run in January but his absence wasn’t their downfall either.

The Month of January, 

Utah State’s reception into the new decade and new year were not kind, as Craig Smith’s team went 4-4 during the month of January. They started off with a 17-point loss to UNLV and caught the Runnin’ Rebels right in the middle of their best run of the season (7-1, from Dec. 21st-Jan. 18th). This was the beginning of a three game losing streak that solidified the Aggies drop from the juggernaut status they were maybe prematurely given in preseason polls and coverage to just another team battling it out behind San Diego State.

I mean it wasn’t the worst month a Mountain West conference team had this season but Utah State was perceived to have the kind of season….well maybe the kind the Aztecs are enjoying. And that no knock on them, because the Aztecs took the expectations that were given to the Aggies back in September to the next level.

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Aggies fight off another Boise St. comeback to win 70-61 at home

Utah State won 70-61 at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday night, beating Boise State to pull even in the Mountain West standings.

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Game Recap: Utah State 70, Boise State 61

Aggies pull into three-way tie for 3rd place with BSU, Nevada

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Utah State bent but never broke as they evened the season series with Boise State on Saturday.

Utah State got revenge against their neighbors to the north, beating Boise State 70-61 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday. While the Aggies led for nearly the entire game, the Broncos didn’t allow themselves to be put away for good until the final minute. The win pulls Utah State up into a three-way tie for third place with Boise State and Nevada.

The Aggies (19-7, 8-5 MWC) led by as many as 12 points during the second half, but they also let the Broncos stay within reach for the duration of the game. The deficit shrunk to as small as a single point after Riley Abercrombie’s field goal with just over a minute remaining.

But on the ensuing possession, the Aussie freshman was charged with a flagrant foul after pulling down Utah State’s Neemias Queta on a shot attempt.

The decision from the referees meant that the Aggies retained the ball after Queta made both free throws, and fellow USU star Sam Merrill added two more on the bonus possession. The Broncos were unable to score another point, as Utah State ended the game on an 8-0 run.

Queta led all scorers with a game-high 21 points, adding five rebounds and five blocks. Merrill contributed 17 points and four assists. Diogo Brito had 11 ponts and seven rebounds for the Aggies, while Justin Bean had 16 rebounds to go along with seven points.

Despite getting the win, Utah State will not be happy with their three-point shooting performance. They finished the game just 2-for-19 from beyond the arc, barely eclipsing the 10% mark. For a team with multiple sharpshooters, this kind of inefficiency simply does not compute.

They were bailed out in this instance, by a Boise State team that didn’t fare much better from three-point land. The Broncos went 6-for-29 from deep, good for just 20.7% on the night.

Senior guard Justinian Jessup was the only Boise State player to hit multiple threes, knocking down a trio of triples to extend his newly-earned Mountain West record for career threes made to 301. He is the first player in league history to surpass the threshold.

Jessup led Boise State (16-9, 8-5 MWC) with 20 points. Alex Hobbs had a second-straight impressive offensive showing, putting up 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. After scoring a career-high 24 points off the bench against Wyoming earlier this week, Hobbs got the start in place of Abu Kigab, who sat out of Saturday’s game with a hip injury.

Derrick Alston Jr.’s struggles this week continued through the weekend. The junior went 0-for-7 and scored just two points against the Cowboys on Tuesday. His box score improved on Saturday, but he still managed only seven points on 2-of-8 from the floor.

Abercrombie was forced into extra action against the Aggies after RJ Williams and Robin Jorch both fouled out. Though he did have some success on the interior, Abercrombie was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc—and also committed the ill-timed flagrant foul near the end of the game.

UP NEXT

Utah State’s next matchup is a Tuesday showdown on the road against Colorado State (17-8, 8-4 MWC). Now that the Aggies have climbed back into third place in the Mountain West, only the Rams stand between them and San Diego State. A win in Fort Collins would give Utah State at least a share of second place in the league. It would also position the Aggies to hold firm in that position, with their final four games all coming against teams in the bottom half of the conference.

Boise State heads home to host Air Force (9-15, 3-9 MWC). The Falcons were the latest team to put a scare into San Diego State but were unable to seal the deal at Clune Arena. Dave Pilipovich’s team has been disappointing compared to preseason projections, but they are always capable of surprising an unsuspecting team. If the Broncos want to keep pace in the MW for second or third place, they cannot afford to overlook this midweek tussle, especially with a Sunday tilt with SDSU looming.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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Mountain West Conference’s All-Time Three-Point Leaders: Justinian Jessup Seeks Top Spot

A Record Will Be Set Tonight In Laramie. Justinian Jessup looks to become the conferences all-time three-point shooter with just one knocked down triple. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire A look back at some of the deadliest three-point …

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A Record Will Be Set Tonight In Laramie. 

Justinian Jessup looks to become the conferences all-time three-point shooter with just one knocked down triple. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

A look back at some of the deadliest three-point shooters in conference history.

As this week’s slate of conference games are set to kick off tonight, a bit of history is also set to be made by a certain Bronco in Laramie. Justinian Jessup is currently tied for first with former Mountain West star and BYU great Jimmer Fredette, for the all-time leader in three-point field goals made in Mountain West Conference history. It’s a big honor for any player, getting your name in the record books. But it has to feel a bit different seeing your name atop those record books in true dominant fashion.

As Jessup knocked down two threes in Boise State’s 73-64 win over Nevada over the weekend, he also stepped into the number one spot, tying Fredette with 296 made threes. He’s been able to do so in less games overall, with 120 games under his belt so far compared to Fredette’s 139.

With any knocked down three-point shots going forward, Jessup will become the Mountain West Conference’s sole all-time leader. While looking to be the only person to reach three hundred made three-point field goals in conference history with only four threes needed and at least a guaranteed eight games left to do it.

Now with the rest of the season to take sole ownership of first place, hit the 300 mark and create a gap between him and any other challenges on the list. Let’s revisit the career 3-Point field goal leaders top-10 list, which does feature another active player possibly capable of catching up to Jessup with his remaining eligibility.

The Top 10

T-1. Jimmer Fredette, BYU 2008-2011

3-Point Field Goals: 296

Career Stats: 18.7 PPG 3.7 APG 2.6 RPG 1.2 SPG & .394 3P%

Best Shooting Season: 2010-2011, Made 124 of his 313 three-pointer field goal attempts compared to 172 in the first three years of his career.

Jimmer mania was huge in 2011, a small list of accolades garnered in that season include; nation’s leading scorer, conference POY, National POY, 1st-team All-American and lottery pick (yeah, I know). Fredette made it rain from beyond the arc, sometimes closer to the half-court mark than the three-point line. Even with BYU’s exit from the Mountain West and Fredette’s lest than a stellar professional career, I think he is still a key component in the conference’s aim for national recognition and an all-time great.

Justinian Jessup, Boise State 2017-Current

3-Point Field Goals: 296

Career Stats: 11.9 PPG 4.1 RPG 2.0 APG & .407 3P%

Best Shooting Season: 2017-2018, Made a career-high 90 of his 197 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 45% from deep that year.

Jessup should see his name atop the list by season’s end, but how far above everyone else is completely up to him. He has had a pretty impactful career in Boise, starting 111 of his 120 career games and cementing a legacy as a Bronco on the court as one of the best shooters in conference history.

2. Nick Jacobson, Utah 2001-2004 

3-Point Field Goals: 287

Career Stats: 12.7 PPG 2.1 RPG 1.2 APG & 42.6 3P%

Best Shooting Season: 2003-2004, Made a career-high 99 of his 227 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 43% from deep that year.

Jacobson was lights out from beyond the arc during his time in Salt Lake City. Jacobson grew as a player in every season as a Ute and as a senior led Utah to a 3rd place finish in the Mountain West, a conference tournament championship and an NCAA tournament berth before falling 51-58 to Boston College in the first round. Jacobson never made his way onto an NBA roster but did have several summer league appearances and played a bit overseas in the Euro Cup.

3. Sam Merrill, Utah State 2017-Current

3-Point Field Goals: 285

Career Stats: 16.1 PPG 3.6 ROG 3.6 APG & 42.0 3P%

Best Shooting Season: 2017-2018, Made a career-high 98 of his 211 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 46% from deep that year.

Merrill is the only player aside from Jessup with any college eligibility left on this list. Both seniors, Merrill only has eight guaranteed games to catch up to Jessup but would need a near-flawless performance the rest of the way and a heck of a lot of threes to surpass him. Anything is possible but Merrill is having a bit of a down year in the shooting department, nevertheless, he will still go down as one of the more lethal players from deep in conference history.

4. Brandon Heath, San Diego State 2004-2007 

3-Point Field Goals: 281

Career Stats: 17.5 PPG 3.4 RPG 3.2 APG & 35.2 FG3%

Best Shooting Season: 2005-2006, Made 98 of his 240 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 41% from deep that year.

Everyone knows what state the San Diego State Aztecs program was in when Steve Fisher took over in 1999. Consistent years hovering just above .500 or well below, it was players like Brandon Heath who helped take the San Diego State program from the cellar of the Mountain West and molded it into the premier program we know today. Heath is still the Aztec’s all-time leading scorer and his scoring prowess has given him a successful career in Europe with a couple of stints in the NBA’s G-League.

5. Anthony Drmic, Boise State 2014-2017 

3-Point Field Goals: 275

Career Stats: 14.8 PPG 4.6 RPG 1.9 APG & 35.0 FG3%

Best Shooting Season: 2012-2013, Made 80 of his 204 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 39% from deep that year.

Drmic is one of three Boise State Broncos on the list and one of two Australians. He was a scoring force during his time at Taco Bell Arena (yes that felt good to type). Drmic did receive a fifth year of eligibility due to the 2014-2015 season cut short due to injury but was a consistent threat from deep and is still knocking them down from deep in Australia’s NBL with the Adelaide 36ers.

6. Chad Toppert, New Mexico 2006-2009

3-Point Field Goals: 266

Career Stats: 8.4 PPG 2.5 RPG 0.9 APG & 43.9 FG3%

Best Shooting Season: 2007-2008, Made 85 of his 177 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 48% from deep that year.

Toppert made a living on the three-point line in the Pit, especially in the corners and off of ball screens freeing him and his jump shot up to rain threes. The Albuquerque native was a part of a golden era for native New Mexicans taking the court in cherry and silver and he went on to enjoy a career in Europe and in the NBA’s G-League.

7. Jonathan Tavernari, BYU 2007-2010 

3-Point Field Goals: 265

Career Stats: 11.5 PPG 5.0 RPG 1.4 APG & 38.0 FG3%

Best Shooting Season: 2008-2009, Made 85 of his 223 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 38% from deep that year.

The Brazilian forward was a scoring threat and mismatch nightmare for the Cougars back in the Mountain West. Tavernari saw his role as a scorer diminish as Jimmer Fredette’s game began to grow. He is still one of the best Cougars to play in the conference’s first decade of existence and went on to enjoy a professional career in Europe and Latin America while also representing his native Brazil in FIBA competition in 2009 and 2010 winning gold medals in both.

8. Nick Duncan, Boise State 2014-2017 

3-Point Field Goals: 250

Career Stats: 8.8 PPG 3.5 RPG 1.2 APG & 36.6 FG3%

Best Shooting Season: 2014-2015, Made 76 of 198 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 38% from deep that year.

Ah yes, the famed Australian forward built like an offensive tackle Nick Duncan. Duncan was a fan favorite across the Mountain West (depending on which team you were rooting for). And will always go down as the big man who could knock down threes, and the guy who flipped off Utah State fans making fun of his weight (265 pounds during at the time of the incident).

9. Johnnie Bryant, Utah 2006-2008

3-Point Field Goals: 245

Career Stats: 14.1 PPG 2.6 RPG 2.1 APG & 44.0 FG3%

Best Shooting Season: 2007-2008, Made 89 of his 201 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 44% from deep that year.

Scary to think of what Bryant could have done with just one more season in Salt Lake City after spending his freshman year of college in juco at San Francisco City College. If he would have had a similar fourth year of production at the division-I level, he could have ended his career atop this list with a healthy buffer between him and 2nd place.Still attached to the game Bryant currently enjoys a career on the sidelines still, as an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz.

T-10. Andy Birley, Colorado State 2000-2003 

3-Point Field Goals: 235

Career Stats: 8.6 PPG 1.8 RPG 2.7 APG & 42.3 FG3%

Best Shooting Season: 2002-2003, Made 90 of his 213 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 42% from deep that year.

Birley and his teammates back in 2003 were apart of a Cinderella-like run that led the Rams to an NCAA tournament berth and still holds the record for lowest Mountain West tournament seed to ever win the tournament to this day.

Shaun Green, Utah 2006-2009 

3-Point Field Goals: 235

Career Stats: 8.9 PPG 5.0 RPG 2.2 APG & 41.2 FG3%

Best Shooting Season: 2006-2007, Made 64 of his 125 three-point field goal attempts, good enough for 51% from deep that year.

Green is the second player mentioned on the list standing above 6-7, and was a hometown kid from near by Olympus High School. Big men with a touch from beyond the arc are always in demand, and his shooting ability took Green to Europe and Latin America to enjoy a nice professional career after his time in the Mountain West.

This list has some fan favorites and some of the best shooters in the Mountain West’s relatively short existence. It’s hard to tell when someone else will climb these ranks in the near future, with some names on the list whose eligibility ran out years ago and a few down the list with the chance to make a climb in seasons to come. Record-setting is always exciting and we should all tune in to the game in Laramie tonight to see it happen.

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Twelve

Who is in the running for Player of the Year? Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Twelve Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The streak continues and Flynn garners first place for the second straight week. The …

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Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Twelve

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The streak continues and Flynn garners first place for the second straight week. 

The staff at the Mountain West Wire wanted to do something a little different this year. We are going to keep track of the top performers from teams around the Mountain West throughout the year and vote on who had the best performances that week. 

How it works description now at the bottom of the article

The order for the twelfth week is as follows:

1. Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (5 Points)

18 Points, 5 Assists, 5 Rebounds and 4 Steals against Wyoming

21 Points, 3 Rebounds and 2 Steals against UNLV

The streak is now at twenty-one, and Malachi Flynn and the San Diego State Aztecs have their eyes set on a conference championship and NCAA tournament berth. It was a tough week for this San Diego State program as the now No. 4 ranked Aztec’s were faced with one of their toughest opponents in conference play, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.

UNLV went into Sunday’s match up as one of the hotter teams in college basketball, winning seven of their last ten and looking to redeem themselves after a painful loss to instate rivals Nevada on the road. The grandeur of this meeting of old Mountain West Conference power houses was eclipsed by the world’s loss of an icon. And players on both sides of the court a long with everyone in the arena was in a state of dismay.

But the players continued on as best they could, and the Runnin’ Rebels proved to be the challenge we thought they’d be for the Aztecs. Trailing by only six points at the break and outscoring San Diego State 39-37 in the second half, ultimately coming up short those four points at the end of regulation. Flynn and his team stayed poised through it all, though struggling to contain a red hot Bryce Hamilton the combined effort of Flynn, Schakel and Pulliam lifted the team past UNLV and in the continued hunt for their ultimate goal.

2. Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (4 Points):

26 Points, 7 Rebounds and 1 Assists against Nevada

29 Points, 10 Rebounds and 3 Steals against San Diego State

3. Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (3 Points):

28 Points, 6 Rebounds, 6 Assists and 3 Steals against UNLV

19 Points, 7 Assists and 4 Rebounds against New Mexico

4.  Sam Merrill, senior guard Utah State (2 Points):

15 Points, 5 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Air Force

28 Points, 5 Assists and 1 Rebound against Colorado State

5. Zane Martin, junior guard UNM (1 Point):

20 Points, 4 Assists and 2 steals against San Jose State

23 Points, 4 Assists and 3 Rebounds against Nevada

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3| Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9| Week 10|Week 11

Current Overall Point Totals:

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (27 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (15 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (15 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (14 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (14 Points)

Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (9 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (7 Points)

Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming (7 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (5 Points)

Carlton Bragg Jr., senior forward New Mexico (5 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (5 Points)

Seneca Knight, sophomore guard San Jose State (5 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Marvin Coleman, sophomore guard UNLV (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (4 Points)

David Roddy, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Roderick “RJ” Williams, senior forward Boise State (3 Points)

Corey Manigault, senior forward New Mexico (2 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Abu Kigab, junior forward Boise State (1 Point)

Zane Martin, junior guard UNM (1 Point)

Ryan Swan, senior center Air Force (1 Point)

Yanni Wetzell, senior forward San Diego State (1 Point)

How It Works: 

Each person will award 15 points in total to five players and should award it as so:

1st place (Player of the week): 5 pts

2nd place: 4 pts

3rd place: 3 pts

4th place: 2 pts

5th place: 1 pt

The player with the most points total will be our player of the week and we will keep track of the point totals every week so that the player who has the most at the end of the year will receive the Mountain West Wire Player of the Year award. Just copy the players below and type your names above it like we do for the pick them docs we get and award your points. 

Now some guys made the list and others didn’t. A big thing to think about was consistency throughout the week. Something that hurt some guys was having a decent game one day and a bad one the other day. Guys who made the list had a great game one day and a good one on other days, or good games both days.

This column will come out on Sunday nights or Monday mornings depending on how late some games finish on Sundays. 

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