Seattle U at Utah State

By Gary Hill

Seattle U (2-6) at Utah State (4-5, 0-0 WAC)

Dee Glen Spectrum (Logan, UT)

Saturday December 17, 2011 7:05 pm

RADIO: 710 ESPN Seattle

Series- Utah State 14-13

Last Meeting- 1/31/1976- SU 79-73

Scouting Utah State:

The numbers are staggering- 12 straight postseason appearances, 12 straight 23-plus win seasons, 4 straight WAC championships and 3 NCAA appearances in a row. Utah State has appeared in The Tournament 20 times including in 2000, 01, 03, 05, 06, 09, 10 and 11. They feature the 4th best winning percentage in the nation in the 2000’s behind 1-Duke, 2-Kansas and 3- Gonzaga. Since 2006, Utah State boasts a 75-21 (.781) record in the WAC. They are 221-15 at home in the last 15 years including a perfect 17-0 mark last season. To say that Head Coach Stew Morrill has had success at Utah State in his 13 years would be an understatement. Morrill has a 324-103 record in Logan including an impressive 30-4 mark last season. Needless to say it is shocking to see that the Aggies have already racked up 4 losses with the possibility of entering league play with a sub-.500 record. It has been an unsteady start for Utah State as they attempt to recover from the massive losses after the 30 win season a year ago. The Aggies return only 1 starter and 4 letterman from last year. They have used 7 different lineups already and have been hit with a couple of injuries as well. Their starting lineup includes two sophomores and a freshman. Despite the struggles to start the year they are still nearly impossible to knock off at home. The Dee Glen spectrum is one of the toughest places to play in college basketball and they are still 3-1 at home this year. They often sell-out their 10,000 seat arena and the crowd has a widespread reputation for being very vocal. The students are out for break so we shall see what the crowd looks like tonight. The WAC championship has gone through Logan for the past 4 seasons so this will be a challenge for the WAC bound Redhawks tonight.

The Ones to Watch:

Pane Brockeith- 6’1 195 SR G- 13 ppg 2.5 rbds 3 assts

The lone returning starter for Utah State. The transfer from Houston was 1st Team WAC last year averaging 12 points 3 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. He has played huge minutes this season as the Aggies have relied heavily on the veteran. He is in the top-10 in several different offensive categories in the WAC. He can score and pass. Seattle U has done a great job on lead scoring guards this year and he will pose a big challenge.

Preston Medlin- 6’4 175 SO G- 13 ppg 4 rbds 3 assts

Medlin is an expert at stroking the three. He is hitting 44% from downtown including an 8-11 game from downtown against Idaho State earlier this year. He was only 1-6 his last time out against Wichita State. He is averaging 16.4 points per game in his last 5. He spent last-year redshirting. Offense is his strength, defense is not.

Keys to the Game:
1- Make the Gimmies- SU has done a good job of getting good looks close in, but now they have to turn those into points.
2- Slow down Pane and Medlin- Utah State can be beat if those two can be held down on offense.
3- Get to the Free-Throw Line- Opponents are dominating Seattle U in free-throw attempts. It provides too big a point gap for Seattle U to overcome.

Numbers to Know:
– 25.8- The number of wins Utah State has AVERAGED the last 12 years.
– 27- The total number of games SU will play this year- to put it into perspective.
– 06-07- The last season that a team other than Utah State won the WAC outright- Nevada.
-29- The shooting percentage for Seattle U from downtown.

Seattle U looks for the upset today- tune in at 7:00 on 710 ESPN Seattle.