Tag: Sam Merrill

Head Of The Mountain West Class: Ranking The Best Players Through January

Who are the best Mountain West players by class?

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Head of the Class: 2nd Edition 

Mountain West Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and  Seniors

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Mountain West conference’s best players according to class. 

With the month of February on the horizon and a month even non-college basketball fans around the country know just beyond it. It’s time to take a look at the conference’s top players and their individual performances so far while spotlighting them based on class.

The conference as a whole is in different shape than it was last year, with seven teams enjoying records above .500 and of course San Diego State sitting at atop the conference with a No. 4 ranking nationally and an undefeated season to boot.

Players up and down the stat sheet contribute to that success but some you might never notice or hear about because maybe they aren’t in the starting lineup or they don’t lead the team in scoring but are just as crucial to that team’s success just the same. While these rankings are meant to showcase just that it will remind you of some names you know and maybe some you didn’t.

Letting you see which guys are soon to be in your team’s past (i.e.) seniors or juniors and those who will play a key role in their futures.

If you haven’t checked out our first edition of these rankings released at the onset of December after a strong showing from Mountain West team’s in the month of November you can do so here. Things have changed a bit since then and the second edition of Head of the class reflects that.

To Start us off,

The Freshmen

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

San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn is shooting up our player of the year watch list.

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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 Eleven

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The list sees a pair of newcomers as UNLV sophomore duo make a splash along with San Diego State big man.

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 eleventh week is as follows:

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

22 Points, 5 Rebounds and 2 Assists against Fresno State

14 Points, 7 Assists and 5 Rebounds against Nevada

Flynn is separating himself from the pack in late January, with a now 7 point lead over second place JaQuan Lyle who is in a bit of a situation at a struggling New Mexico. A lot of people knew Flynn was going to be a difference maker for the Aztecs, but even I can say I didn’t expect a top-5 ranking, undefeated record through nineteen games and a chance at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament this year.

His role as a leader on this team has made everyone better around him, seeing the emergence of guys like Yanni Wetzell and Matt Mitchell on the court with Flynn at the helm has been key to the Aztecs undefeated run. Even when things aren’t going exactly right he makes the best of his playing time. Though he struggled from the field a bit on Saturday, shooting about 30% on the night. He made sure his presence was felt, distributing the ball well among the Aztecs on his way to 7 assists and a win against a Wolf Pack team who made things interesting most of the way.

The Player of the Year race is his to win or lose at this point as Flynn has the Aztecs on a level most other Mountain West teams cannot get to at this point in the season. The Aztecs just need to make sure if they do suffer a loss in conference play it is from the right team. A bad loss can only hurt their chance at a No. 1 seed and San Jose State is looking for another upset to add to their win column, and the Spartans almost made that happen in Viejas Arena earlier this season. We can only watch and wait as the month of January is almost over and March is on the Horizon.

2. Marvin Coleman, sophomore guard UNLV (4 Points):

17 Points, 8 Assists and 4 Rebounds against San Jose State

11 Points, 12 Rebounds, 11 Assists and 6 Steals against New Mexico

3. Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (3 Points):

16 Points, 3 Assists and 2 Steals against San Jose State

35 Points, 3 Rebounds and 1 Assist against New Mexico

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

12 Points, 8 Rebounds and 8 Assists against Nevada

30 Points, 3 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Boise State

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

17 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists against Fresno State

17 Points, 16 Rebounds and 2 Blocks against Nevada

Past Weeks:

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

Current Overall Point Totals:

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (22 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (15 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (14 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (13 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (11 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)

Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (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)

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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Miraculous comeback by Boise State sinks Aggies’ at-large hopes

RayJ Dennis scored all of his career-high 19 points in the final 3:23 of regulation as Boise State fought back from a late 19-point deficit.

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Game Recap: Boise St. 88, Utah St. 83 (OT)

Broncos erase 19-point deficit in stunning fashion

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

High drama in Boise means high stress for Utah State

It seemed for all the world that Utah State was moving past its early struggles in the Mountain West, leading comfortably in Boise with just a few minutes to play.

But a late Boise State surge propelled the Broncos to one of the most unlikely wins of the season in college basketball, the home team escaping with an 88-83 overtime win in ExtraMile Arena.

Freshman guard RayJ Dennis led the comeback charge for Boise State, scoring all of his career-high 19 points in the final three-plus minutes of regulation. Dennis shot 5-for-5, including four three-pointers. He was also a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw stripe.

It was one of the most electrifying individual performances of the season—not just in the MW, but in the nation—and it came from one of the most unassuming players on the court.

This win wasn’t just unlikely—it was all but impossible.

According to Ken Pomeroy, the win probability for Utah State (14-6, 3-4 MW) peaked at 98.8% after Justin Bean’s free throws put them up 18 points with 4:10 remaining. The Broncos’ 0.2% shot at victory was about as slim as it gets.

But on some nights, college basketball simply refuses to be penned in by such limits.

Utah State’s collapse spoiled a season-high scoring night from its star player, Sam Merrill, who finished with 30 points on the night. Bean had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Neemias Queta added 12 points before fouling out, but those performances weren’t enough to stave off the Broncos’ late push.

The gut-wrenching loss may be the final straw that breaks the back—and heart—of the Aggies.

With just over six minutes to play in regulation, Queta hit two free throws to give the Aggies a 62-43 lead over Boise State, matching the Aggies’ largest lead of the game at 19 points. Over the next two minutes, the Broncos only managed to chisel one point off of that deficit, with Utah State leading 66-48 with four minutes to play.

Then it happened.

RJ Williams drew a foul on Queta, the fifth of the game for the Portuguese sophomore. Over its next few possessions, Utah State alternated between missed shots and turnovers, resulting in a 14-0 run for Boise State that cut the Aggie lead to four points with one minute remaining.

After two Abel Porter free throws with eight seconds to play, Utah State held a 75-70 lead and looked like they would be able to survive Boise State’s big haymaker.

But Dennis came down and capped off his out-of-the-blue explosion, nailing a three-pointer with four seconds remaining.

Boise State’s comeback hinged on forcing one last turnover.

Justinian Jessup didn’t disappoint.

The senior sharpshooter was able to intercept Diogo Brito’s inbounds pass, and he quickly layed the the ball in with 1.3 seconds on the clock, tying the game at 75.

The two teams would take that scoreline with them into overtime. With the wind fully at their backs, Boise State drew first blood in the extra period—and never gave the lead back.

Jessup and Williams both finished in double figures for the Broncos, with Derrick Alston also chipping in 19 to tie Dennis for the team-high in scoring.

The win moves Boise State (12-6, 4-4 MW) to .500 in league play—something Utah State can no longer claim. The Broncos have had issues with depth at times this year, but the big plays out of RayJ Dennis and Max Rice down the stretch is a sign of growth for Leon Rice’s bench.

It’s a step in the right direction for a Broncos team coming off two straight losses to San Diego State and Air Force. Consistency hasn’t been this team’s strong suit this season, but any indications of progress are encouraging. If nothing else, it seems unlikely that Boise State will repeat its dismal showing in the Mountain West after last season’s mess.

For the Aggies, the loss not only hands them a losing record in conference play—it might have completely dashed any remaining hopes that Utah State had to get an at-large bid in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Craig Smith’s team came into the season with massive expectations, but the Aggies have fallen well short of them. Utah State was pegged to win the league going away, with San Diego State a distant second in the league. Questions lingered about how the team would fare with Queta on the mend from a summer knee injury, but a 7-0 start to the season for the Aggies quelled those fears.

But since Thanksgiving, that narrative has been completely flipped on its head, with Utah State going just 7-6 in games since their holiday trip to Montego Bay for the Jamaica Classic. And things are getting worse in 2020, with the Aggies having won just one game in five tries so far in the new year. Those games include losses to Air Force and UNLV.

Even on the road, those were games the Aggies were supposed to win.

At this point, preseason projections have to be thrown out. Though it’s not entirely clear what is wrong with the Aggies, they are nowhere near where the prognosticators—myself included—thought they would be.

The Aztecs, meanwhile, are still standing as the last undefeated team in the nation.

Utah State does hold wins over LSU and Florida, but those victories won’t be enough to buoy the Aggies’ chances at getting an at-large bid. At this point, they may need to run the table the rest of the way to have a shot at one. Failing that, Utah State’s only way forward will likely be through the Mountain West Tournament.

They will have plenty of competition there, though, with San Diego State having already all but locked up their ticket to the Big Dance. No other team in the league can make such a claim, so the stakes will be enormous at the Thomas & Mack Center in March.

Let’s hope that all of those games can be exciting as this one was.

UP NEXT

Boise State: The Broncos will have something of a light week compared to their recent forays against SDSU, Air Force, and Utah State. On Saturday, Boise State hosts Fresno State (6-12, 2-5 MW), who has struggled to the tune of a 2-5 start in league play. The Bulldogs have weapons, though. Leon Rice would do well to remind his team not to rest on their laurels, especially with no midweek game to keep them sharp.

Utah State: The Aggies will look to right the ship at home against Air Force (9-10, 3-4 MW). Remember: this team beat the Aggies by 19 points just two weeks ago. The Falcons’ offense has been impressive behind the play of Ryan Swan and Lavelle Scottie, but Dave Pilipovich has yet to field a consistent winner on the year. Utah State will also host San Jose State (6-13, 2-5 MW) next Saturday.

It’s not a stretch to say that these are must-win games for Utah State if they are to have any hope at getting into the NCAA Tournament through the front door.

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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Utah State snaps losing streak at home against Nevada

Game Recap: Nevada Wolf Pack at Utah State Aggies The Aggies come up big at home against the Wolf Pack Contact/Follow @MWCwire Queta and the Aggies snap 3 game losing streak. Craig Smith, the players, and the fans are breathing a sigh of relief …

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Game Recap: Nevada Wolf Pack at Utah State Aggies 

The Aggies come up big at home against the Wolf Pack

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Queta and the Aggies snap 3 game losing streak. 

Craig Smith, the players, and the fans are breathing a sigh of relief after Utah State snapped a three game losing streak beating Nevada 80-70. The Wolf Pack never led throughout the entire contest as the Aggies took an early 3-0 lead and never looked back.

The Aggies led 32-23 at half time and quickly pushed the lead up to double digits for the remainder of the game.

Neemias Queta had his best game of the season finishing with 19 points and 7 rebounds.  Queta has played sparingly this season due to injury.  The Aggies ran two set plays over and over resulting in bucket after bucket for Queta.  Nevada didn’t make the needed adjustments in order to shut him down and Utah State took advantage.

Sporting a nice black eye, Sam Merrill finished the game with 12 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds.  Merrill has struggled from the field over the past 4 games but the 87% free throw shooter always seems to find a way to score.  Brock Miller, Abel Porter, and Diogo Brito all scored in double digits for the Aggies.

Jalen Harris led the Wolf Pack with 31 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.  The junior guard is leading the Wolf Pack in scoring this season.  Harris hit 5 threes and made 8-9 free throws.  This was Harris’ 8th game this season scoring 20 or more points and his 2nd game with 30 or more. Jazz Johnson, the other high scorer for the Wolf Pack, finished the game with 18 points.  Johnson struggled for most of the game before exploding during the last few minutes of the game.

Up Next:

The Aggies travel to Boise next Saturday to take on Boise State.

The Wolf Pack returns to Reno for a matchup against Wyoming on Tuesday night.

Sideline Notes:

No fire extinguisher cabinets were harmed before, during, or after the game.

Utah State snapped the worst losing streak in the Craig Smith era.

Nevada now sports a 2 game losing streak for only the 2nd time this season.

Nevada falls to 3-2 in conference while Utah State levels out at 3-3.

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Utah State Gets Neemias Queta Back And An Overtime Win Against Fresno State: 77-70

Game Recap: No. 25 Utah State 77, Fresno State 70 The Aggies get star big man back in a close home win against the Bulldogs. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Merrill and company hold on in overtime for 77-70 win in conference play. The Aggies …

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Game Recap: No. 25 Utah State 77, Fresno State 70

The Aggies get star big man back in a close home win against the Bulldogs. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Merrill and company hold on in overtime for 77-70 win in conference play.

The Aggies are 2-0 in conference play after a 12 point win in San Jose on Wednesday night and a 7 point win in overtime Saturday at home. The Aggies struggled to gain a solid lead most of the game and a 61-58 lead with less than eighteen seconds left to go wasn’t enough to solidify a win in regulation.

The surprise of the night was the return of star sophomore center Neemias Queta who logged just 11 minutes in his first game of the season back from a knee injury suffered in the offseason playing for the Portuguese national team. Queta ended the night with six points, 1 rebound and 1 block but failed to make a field goal in what looked like a rust shedding outing for him. The Aggies haven’t missed a beat without him and have received production from a number of players in his absence.

But after coming off of a win Wednesday night the Aggies were taken to overtime by a Bulldog team who weren’t going to go down easily. The game looked to be a low scoring affair in the last minutes of the second half but a big time three rattled home for senior guard New Williams with less than a second to go. That sent the game into overtime and Craig Smith’s team was more composed and outscoring Fresno State 16-9 during that time. Composure and a late three pointer by a wide open Abel Porter in the corner sealed the deal for the Aggies.

The Bulldogs were looking to break a three game losing streak and also garner their first win in conference play. But while they came up short it wasn’t for a lack of scoring on seniors New Williams and Nate Grimes part who combined for 48 of their teams 70 points. Though they didn’t receive much help down the stretch and failed to contain Sam Merrill who ended the night with 24 Points and his ability to get his teammates involved robbed the Bulldogs of an upset in Logan.

Up Next:

Fresno State:

The Bulldogs take on the California Golden Bears on Wednesday the 11th in Berkley and look to gain some momentum and a win heading into the middle of December. Freshman Jarred Hyder needs to step up and his supporting cast needs another performance like Saturday’s if they want to head home to the Central Valley with a win.

Utah State:

The Aggies take some time off with almost a full week until they take on in-state rival Brigham Young at home on Saturday the 14th. The Cougars have star forward Yoeli Childs back and he is averaging 21.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG through his first two games. The Dee Glen Spectrum should be filled for this one.

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Head Of The Class: Ranking The Best Players Through The First Month Of Games By Year

Head of the Class: 1st Edition Mountain West Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Mountain West conferences best players according to class. The month of November is behind us and the Mountain West …

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Head of the Class: 1st Edition 

Mountain West Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Mountain West conferences best players according to class. 

The month of November is behind us and the Mountain West has looked good out of the gate. Utah State is still ranked in the top twenty after their first loss to Jordan Ford and Saint Mary’s and San Diego State is on the cusp of a top-25 ranking after receiving votes in both polls this week.

The conference as a whole is different this year and teams have lost players due transfer, graduation and professional options. They have also brought players in during that time as well. Regardless of whether players are new to the conference or not much of the success teams are having can be attributed to the individual performances of certain players thus far.

We have started our new column the Mountain West Wire’s Player of the Year Watch list, which is meant to highlight five players a week based on their performances and one in particular is awarded out player of the week. This has been a fun article to put together but the conference as a whole has had talented players emerge and they have had great performances all month long. The point of this article will be to update our readers on some players and performances that may have been missed.

First Off,

The Freshmen

5. Zane Meeks, Nevada

Season Stats: 4.6 PPG 3.8 RPG 0.4 APG (8 GMS)

Best Performance: 11 Points, 4 Rebounds on 5-8 made FGs against Valparaiso 11/24

Nevada has struggled a bit on the way to that 5-3 record they have currently with losses to USC, Davidson and Utah. The core of Nevada’s team is made up of transfers and Lindsey Drew but Meeks who committed to at the time newly dubbed head coach Steve Alford last spring has made an impact on a very shallow Wolf Pack frontcourt while showing potential.

4. David Roddy, Colorado State

Season Stats: 8.9 PPG 4.6 RPG 1.0 APG

Best Performance: 14 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Blocks and 1 Steal against Arkansas St. 11/20

Roddy is a 6-5 250 GUARD who can shoot the ball from deep. Roddy chose basketball over football before committing to CSU last year and has made an impact as a true freshman on a 6-3 Rams squad. The future is bright with Roddy and Stevens in Fort Collins, don’t worry Nico Carvacho the Rams are in good hands.

3. Orlando Robinson, Fresno State

Season Stats: 10.5 PPG 6.3 RPG 0.7 SPG (6 GMS)

Best Performance: 16 Points, 7 Rebounds, 2 Assists and 2 Steals against Cal-St. San Bernadino 11/17

Robinson had high major offers back in high school and has shown why while being impactful on a Fresno State team that is loaded with bigs. He and Nate Grimes need to figure something else out though if they want to live up to preseason expectations.

2. Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State

Season Stats: 12.3 PPG 3.4 RPG 3.6 APG (9 GMS)

Best Performance: 21 Points, 5 Rebounds and 5 Assists against Loyola Marymount 11/16

Colorado State is 6-3 so far and a combination of youth and senior leaders is a big reason why. Stevens has had some great performances so far and looks like a solid leader on the team as just a freshman.

1. Jarred Hyder, Fresno State

Season Stats: 15.6 PPG 3.8 RPG 2.4 APG (5 GMS)

Best Performance: 26 Points, 3 Assists and 2 Steals against Winthrop 11/10

Hyder has been a bright spot for Bulldog fans who were looking for a bit more from their veteran guards. He is leading the team in scoring and is a big reason Fresno State has two wins so far this season.

UP NEXT: SOPHOMORES

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

Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Four Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Four. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Who is in the running for Player of the Year? The staff at the Mountain …

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

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

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

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: 

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. 

The order for the Fourth week is as follows:

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

11 Points, 3 Assists and 2 Steals against Tennessee State

21 Points, 3 Assists and 2 Steals against Creighton

28 Points, 4 Assists and 3 Steals against Iowa

Malachi Flynn helped put the San Diego State on the national radar after key performances during a successful Turkey Week for the Aztecs. Brian Dutcher’s team received votes in both the AP (89) and Coaches (19) top-25 polls this past week after wins against Tennessee State, Creighton and Iowa to become the 2019 Continental Tire Las Vegas International Champions while Flynn earned tournament MVP honors.

This Aztec team is on the rise and Flynn has been a key part of the success that Brian Dutcher’s squad is having in his third year in charge of the Aztecs.

2. Justin Bean, sophomore forward Utah State (4 Points):

24 Points, 9 Rebounds and 2 Steals against Saint Mary’s

3. Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (3 Points):

25 Points, 5 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Bowling Green

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

23 Points, 6 Rebounds and 2 Steals against Saint Mary’s

5. Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (1 Point):

20 Points, 6 Rebounds, 7 Assists and 2 Steals against Bowling Green

Current Overall Point Totals:

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (8 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (6 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (6 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (6 Point)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

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

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (4 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (3 Point)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 

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Utah State at St. Mary’s odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s Utah State Aggies at St. Mary’s Gaels sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Utah State Aggies (7-0) head to Moraga, Calif. to tangle with the St. Mary’s Gaels (5-1) at McKeon Pavilion at 11:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Utah State-St. Mary’s odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Utah State at St. Mary’s: Three things you need to know

1. Utah State G Sam Merrill has been filling up the stat sheet this season, racking up 16.6 points per game while shooting a robust 51.1% from behind the 3-point line this season.

2. St. Mary’s has posted a 172-22 record at McKeon Pavilion across the past 11 seasons, but they already have a loss there this season. The Gaels fell to unranked Winthrop by a 61-59 count back on Nov. 11 as 19.5-point favorites.

3. These teams met on a neutral-site court on Nov. 19, 2018, and it was Utah State embarrassing St. Mary’s by an 80-63 score. Merrill posted 23 points with eight assists and four rebounds.

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Utah State at St. Mary’s: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:55 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Utah State 73, St. Mary’s 68

Moneyline (ML)

UTAH STATE (+145) is a strong value on the road against unranked St. Mary’s (-176). The Aggies are off to a 7-0 start, while the Gaels had a near-miss at Wisconsin and the Winthrop setback. They’re a good team, but USU is just playing better.

Against the Spread (ATS)

UTAH STATE (+3.5, -110) won against LSU and North Texas to win a tournament in the Bahamas, and it’s a respectable 4-2 against the spread across the past six games. The LSU win was by two points, while the Aggies’ other six games have all been decided by eight or more points.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 134.5 (-115) is the way to go in this solid matchup. While SMC plays a deliberate style, Utah State will be off and running. I expect both teams to be at or around 70 points, with the total going Over in the final couple of minutes with frequent fouls and free throws helping the total inch over.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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

Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Three Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Three. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Who is in the running for Player of the Year? The staff at the …

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

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

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

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: 

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. 

The order for the third week is as follows:

1. Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (5 Points)

13 Points, 9 rebounds and 4 Assists against Davidson

22 Points, 7 Assists and 6 Rebounds against Fordham

25 Points, 6 Rebounds and 5 Assists against Valparaiso

Harris was an instrumental piece this past week for the Wolf Pack, as he helped Nevada bounce back from a loss at Davidson on Tuesday to go on a two game win streak at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Setting the Wolf Pack up for a game in the finals against Bowling Green on Monday night while averaging 20.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 5.3 APG.

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

21 Points, 3 Rebounds and 3 Assists against UTSA

24 Points, 4 Rebounds and 8 Assists against LSU

5 Points, 5 Rebounds and 3 Assists against North Texas

3. JaQuan Lyle, senior guard New Mexico (3 Points):

19 Points, 9 Rebounds and 1 Block against UTEP

24 Points, 2 Assists and 3 Steals against NMSU

4. Alphonso Anderson, junior guard Utah State (2 Points):

7 Points, 11 Rebounds and 2 Assists against UTSA

24 Points and 6 Rebounds against LSU

19 Points, 5 Rebounds and 2 Steals against North Texas

5. Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (1 Point):

25 Points, 2 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Abilene Christian

18 Points, 3 Assists and 3 Rebounds against Texas State

13 Points, 3 Rebounds and 4 Assists against SMU

Current Overall Point Totals:

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (8 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (4 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (4 Point)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (3 Point)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (3 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

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Utah State vs LSU: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Odds & More

Utah State vs LSU: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Odds & More Aggies face first test of the season in Jamaica Contact/Follow @MWCwire Utah State looking to remain undefeated. Who: Utah State University Aggies vs LSU Tigers When: Friday, …

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Utah State vs LSU: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Odds & More

Aggies face first test of the season in Jamaica 

Contact/Follow  @MWCwire

Utah State looking to remain undefeated.

Who: Utah State University Aggies vs LSU Tigers

When: Friday, 11/22/2019 at 5:00 PM MST

Where: Montego Bay Convention Centre: Montego Bay, Jamaica

TV: CBSSN

Streaming: FuboTV – Get a seven-day free trial.

Radio: 1280 the Zone

Odds: USU -1.5

Utah State is making their maiden voyage away from the familiarity of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.  The Aggies are five games into their season and Craig Smith’s squad has yet to play an away game.

The game will feature a pair of conference leading teams.  Louisiana State University, leading the SEC, and Utah State University, leading the MWC.  Each team made the trek all the way to Jamaica and will face off in the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic.  Jamaica is no Logan, but I guess it’s a close second…   LSU, who was ranked in the top 25 earlier this season, will look to reclaim a spot among the best teams in the nation.  Meanwhile, Utah State looks to stay unbeaten and hopefully climb into the top ten.

LSU’s only loss this season was a two-point mishap against VCU.  They are a very talented and athletic squad.  Senior guard Skylar Mays leads the Tigers in scoring with 17 points a game.  Coincidentally his highest scoring output this season (23) came is the loss against VCU.  Not only does Mays score the ball, but he also snags nearly 7 rebounds per game.  Another Tiger to watch for is sophomore forward Darius Days.  Days is averaging nearly 13 points and 8 rebounds a game.

The Aggies have scored over 80 points in each of their 5 games this season.  It will be interesting to see if the can continue their dominant offense against an opponent such as LSU.  Sam Merrill has been the leading scorer for Utah State this season averaging nearly 18 points a game.

Merrill will need his teammates to continue playing at a high level as well.  Utah State features 5 players averaging ten or more points. Merrill (18), Bean (13), Miller (13), Anderson (12), and Brito (11).  This well balanced attack will be needed in order to outlast LSU.

Utah State sophomore center Neemias Queta made the trip to Jamaica with the rest of the Aggie team.  No word has been given whether or not he will receive any playing time over the course of the tournament.  Big man, Kuba Karwowski, has been filling in for the injured Queta.  He has done a solid job thus far averaging 3 points, 5 rebound, and 2 blocks a game.  Queta’s return could spell trouble for the Tigers.  LSU doesn’t have any players over 6’9”.  If Queta returns the Aggies would have three 7 footers at their disposal.

Overall, be on the lookout for a high paced, high scoring game.  If USU can control the pace, tempo, and style of game they should be able to emerge victorious.

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