Utah St

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the WAC?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:24:04 -0500

WAC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:22:02 -0500

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Conference Rank: 14th

All-WAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Armon Johnson	Nevada	So
G	Kyle Gibson	La Tech	Jr
G	Jonathan Gibson	New Mexico St	Jr
F	Luke Babbitt	Nevada	Fr
F	Gary Wilkinson	Utah State	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
High-Major All-Americans Gary Wilkinson All-Freshman Luke Babbitt		Points: Kyle Gibson 16.5 Rebounds: Chris Oakes 7.2 Assists: Anthony Thomas 4.2 Team Points: Boise State 81.4

WAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

59	Nevada	WAC	1	NCAA
77	New Mexico St	WAC	2	NIT
124	Utah State	WAC	3
163	San Jose State	WAC	4
217	Fresno State	WAC	5
225	Louisiana Tech	WAC	6
246	Boise State	WAC	7
266	Hawaii	WAC	8
306	Idaho	WAC	9

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the WAC?

Other WAC Content

Head Coach Interviews

Greg Graham: Boise State

Conference Media Poll

WAC Poll & All-Conference Team

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Rise & Fall: The WAC

State of '08: Utah

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:52:39 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

UTAH

BYU - The 2000's have been kind to BYU with 8 postseason trips, including 5 NCAA Tournaments. Last year, the Cougars finished in the RPI Top 25 for the second straight season, but the program hasn't won an NCAA game since 1993. BYU has tied or finished ahead of Utah in 5 of 6 seasons.

UTAH STATE - Under Stew Morrill, the Aggies have been perennial postseason participants. In fact, Utah State has made the last 9 postseasons, including 5 NCAA Tournaments. Those 9 teams all won at least 20 games, finished over .500 in conference play (Big West and now the WAC), and topped 80th in the RPI.

UTAH - Under Rick Majerus, this was one of the country's premier programs, making 10 of 11 NCAA Tournaments and reaching National Title game in 1998. But the last three teams have merely been pedestrian (finishing under .500 in the MWC), and the next step is simply returning to the NIT. Utah has lost to Utah State in 5 of the last 8 meetings.

WEBER STATE - The Wildcats have long been one of the best programs in the Big Sky conference, with 17 league titles. In the last decade, Weber has finished .500 or better 9 times in Big Sky play. The team most recently reached the Big Dance in 2007.

UTAH VALLEY STATE - As far as independents go, the Wolverines have been as good as it gets. In 2007, they went 20-7 against D1 teams and finished 130th in the RPI. Last year, Utah Valley tied for the independent lead with 13 (D1) wins. They've also beaten SUU in 2 of 3 tries.

6. SOUTHERN UTAH - Since making the NCAA Tournament in 2001, there's been little to get excited about in Cedar City. 2002 was the last time the team finished above .500 in the Summit (Mid-con), and they haven't topped 200 in the RPI in that period as well.

Last: Texas - Next: Virginia

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

WAC Preseason Poll & All-Conference Team

Press Release — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:20:36 -0400

WAC MEDIA POLL

DENVER – The 2008-09 Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball media poll has tabbed Nevada as this year’s favorite. Utah State senior forward Gary Wilkinson has been named the preseason Player of the Year. Nevada freshman Luke Babbitt was tabbed this year’s preseason Newcomer of the Year.

Nevada received 255 points and 20 first-place votes. Utah State was picked second with 220 points and four first place votes. New Mexico State garnered 201 points and two first place votes for third place followed by Louisiana Tech with 149 points. Boise State was fifth with three first place votes and 142 points followed by San Jose State with a first place vote and 132 points. Fresno State was seventh with 114 points, followed by Hawai‘i (103) and Idaho (34).

Wilkinson averaged 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game last season, helping Utah State to a share of the conference regular season crown last year.

Babbitt, a 2008 graduate of Galena High School in Reno, became the third player in Nevada prep history to be named a McDonald’s All-American.

The All-WAC team included Wilkinson, New Mexico State junior guard Jonathan Gibson, Louisiana Tech junior guard Kyle Gibson, Nevada sophomore forward Armon Johnson, and San Jose State junior center C.J. Webster.

The following is the complete 2008-09 WAC men’s basketball media poll with first-place votes in parentheses (points awarded on a 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis):

Rank Team Points

1. Nevada (20) 255

2. Utah State (4) 220

3. New Mexico State (2) 201

4. Louisiana Tech 149

5. Boise State (3) 142

6. San Jose State (1) 132

7. Fresno State 114

8. Hawai‘i 103

9. Idaho 34

Preseason All-WAC Team

Jonathan Gibson, Jr., G, New Mexico State

Kyle Gibson, Jr., G, Louisiana Tech

Armon Johnson, So., F, Nevada

C.J. Webster, Jr., C, San Jose State

Gary Wilkinson, Sr., F, Utah State

Preseason Player of the Year: Gary Wilkinson, Sr., F, Utah State

Newcomer of the Year: Luke Babbitt, Fr., F, Nevada

WAC COACHES POLL

The Western Athletic Conference announced its men’s basketball preseason poll and all-WAC teams, as voted on by the nine head coaches in the league. Nevada was selected to win the WAC, while Nevada sophomore Armon Johnson was tabbed the league’s preseason Player of the Year.

Nevada, the 2007-08 WAC regular season co-champion, received seven first place votes and 63 points. Utah State captured second place with 57 points, receiving two first-place votes. New Mexico State took third place with 48 points. With 43 points, San Jose State was voted fourth. Boise State (30) and Louisiana Tech (29) followed closely behind in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Hawai‘i (25) and Fresno State (20) finished seventh and eighth, respectively, while Idaho (9) was ranked ninth.

The coaches also voted on preseason first and second all-WAC teams. Nevada sophomore forward Armon Johnson, the 2007-08 WAC Freshman of the Year, leads the list of first-teamers. San Jose State junior center C.J. Webster and Utah State senior forward Gary Wilkinson, 2007-08 all-Newcomer team honorees, also earned spots on the preseason first team. New Mexico State guard Jonathan Gibson and Louisiana Tech guard Kyle Gibson round out the first team.

Second-team selections include Luke Babbitt (Nevada), Brandon Fields (Nevada), Anthony Thomas (Boise State), Tai Wesley (Utah State) and Jahmar Young (New Mexico State)

Nevada shared the 2007-08 regular season title with Boise State, Utah State, and New Mexico State. The team advanced to the first-ever College Basketball Invitational Tournament last season.

2008-09 Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Rank Teams (1st Place Votes) Points

1. Nevada (7) 63

2. Utah State (2) 57

3. New Mexico State 48

4. San Jose State 43

5. Boise State 30

6. Louisiana Tech 29

7. Hawai‘i 25

. 8. Fresno State 20

9. Idaho 9

Preseason All-WAC Teams

First Team Second Team

Jonathan Gibson, Jr., G, New Mexico St. Luke Babbitt, Fr., F, Nevada

Kyle Gibson, Jr., G, Louisiana Tech Brandon Fields, Jr., G, Nevada

Armon Johnson, So., F, Nevada Anthony Thomas, Jr., F, Boise State

C.J. Webster, Jr., C, San Jose State Tai Wesley, So., F, Utah State

Gary Wilkinson, Sr., F, Utah State Jahmar Young, So., G, New Mexico St.

Player of the Year: Armon Johnson, Nevada

College Football: #8 BYU @ Utah State Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:07:48 -0400

#15 Utah was able to escape by the slimmest of margins, with a Louie Sakoda field goal as time expired giving the Utes a 31-28 win over Oregon State and the Mountain West a 6-1 record against the Pac-10 this year. But while Utah was lucky to escape with a win, #10 USF wasn't so lucky with LeSean McCoy leading Pittsburgh to the 26-21 win. McCoy ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns, and contrary to my prediction Pitt's Bill Stull was the best quarterback on the field.

Now 2-0 in Big East play, the Panthers look to be worthy of the conference title talk that surrounded the program back in August. And in the third game of the evening, Memphis won at UAB 33-30 thanks to a Vinny Zaccario field goal with two seconds remaining. The Tigers, who are now winners of the "Battle for the Bones", are now back at .500 on the season and have their first conference win of 2008. Here are the previews for tomorrow's action, headlined by Cincinnati visiting a dangerous Marshall team without their top two quarterbacks.

#8 BYU (4-0) @ Utah State (1-3), 8PM EST on KJZZ or BYU-TV

Although the Aggies looked pretty good in their blowout home win over Idaho heading into their bye week, I can't fool anyone into thinking they've got a shot in this one. Utah walked into Logan sluggish at the start back on September 13th...and all the Utes did was win 58-10. Look for QB Max Hall to put up some solid numbers in a Cougar win.

Cincinnati (3-1) @ Marshall (3-2), 8 PM EST on ESPN2

The Bearcats didn't look too good in beating Akron on the road last weekend, and now they visit a Thundering Herd team that gave Wisconsin all they wanted for about a half in their trip to Madison last month. Yes, Mark Snyder's team ended up getting handled in the second stanza, but that was in a hostile environment against a top-level team in good health. Cincinnati, on the other hand, is down to either Chazz Anderson or Zach Collaros under center after losing both Dustin Grutza and Tony Pike to injury.

But whoever gets the call from head coach Brian Kelly will have a capable group of wide receivers, most notably Mardy Gilyard, Dominick Goodman and Marcus Barnett. And they've got an excellent pair of corners in Mike Mickens and DeAngelo Smith, who will have their hands full with one Darius Passmore.

Marshall enters the game on a two-game win streak that has them perched atop the C-USA East Division standings at 2-0. Passmore is a handful for opponents, and he was named Conference USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Southern Miss last weekend. But keep an eye on RB Darius Marshall, who ranks fourth in Conference USA in rushing.

While Cincinnati overall may have more talent it's going to be tough for either redshirt freshman quarterback to get the job done on the road, especially against a team that looks to be hitting its stride. Marshall pulls the upset.

Jaycee Carroll Signs With Italian Team

Press Release — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:07:30 -0400

LOGAN, Utah - Former Utah State All-American Jaycee Carroll has signed a one-year contract to play professional basketball in Italy for Siviglia Wear Teramo. He will report to the team August 25 for a physical.

Carroll did have offers from both Toronto and Phoenix of the NBA to participate in their fall camps, but neither offer came with any guarantees.

Carroll, who graduated from Utah State this past spring with a bachelor's degree in Spanish, was a two-time Associated Press honorable mention All-American and the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2008 as he averaged 22.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Carroll finished his senior season leading the nation in three-point shooting at 49.8 percent, was second in the nation in free throw shooting at 91.9 percent and 13th in scoring. He also ranked 10th in the WAC in field goal percentage at 52.6 percent.

For his career, Carroll ranks fourth all-time in NCAA history in three-point shooting at 46.5 percent, is 12th in three-pointers made with 369, and 52nd in scoring with 2,522 points. He also holds 10 school records at Utah State, including being USU's all-time leading scorer.

2008-09 Utah State Preview: #124

Joel Welser — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:42:22 -0400

Utah State Aggies

Overall Rank: #124

Conference Rank: #3 WAC

2007-08: 24-11, 12-4, 1^st

2007-08 postseason: NIT

If there is one thing to be certain of in the Western Athletic Conference, it is to never count out Utah State. However, if there is a year to think that their nine year post season streak will come to end, this would be it. Three starters return, but the point guard and shooting guard spots have absolutely no game experience with the Aggies.

Who’s Out:

Jaycee Carroll and Kris Clark were the heart and soul of Utah State over the last two years. Carroll, who averaged 22.4 points per game and shot nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc, has taken his game to the NBA. Not only was Carroll one of the best shooters in the nation, he also helped out on the glass and played solid defense. The man who set up Carroll was Clark. The point guard would not score too often, but he dished out 6.4 assists per game during his senior campaign. Part-time starters Stephen DuCharme and DeUndrae Spraggins have also run out of eligibility and Desmond Stephens saw some quality minutes off the bench.

Who’s In:

All of the newcomers will be given the opportunity to start or see significant minutes. Deremy Geiger, Skyler Halford, Jaxon Myaer and Jared Quayle will battle it out for minutes running the point. With a year on the bench redshirting, Myaer has the most experience in the system. He is a good shooter, but it remains to be seen if he can develop into a consistent floor leader. If Coach Stew Morrill wants a little more experience and a little more scoring out of his point guard, Quayle will be the answer. The junior college transfer averaged 24.4 points per game last year at Western Wyoming Community College and has the ability to put up big numbers in a hurry wherever he plays. His two years of collegiate experience are a big plus for a backcourt that has no experience. Geiger can score as well, but whoever proves they can handle the ball will get the most minutes. Richard Sirju and Stavon Williams, both junior college transfers, will see time at the shooting guard position. They both can score in a variety of ways, but this team needs a shooter and Williams has been a little more consistent from the floor during his junior college career. Brady Jardine will add some depth to the forward spots. The 6-7 Twin Falls, Idaho native has plenty of perimeter skills, but his size also allows him to mix it up in the post.

Who to Watch:

While the backcourt settles on its rotation, the frontcourt will carry USU. Gary Wilkinson averaged 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest during his first year with the Aggies. His senior season should be even better. The 6-9 forward is a good shooter from nearly anywhere on the floor, but his ability to score in the post will create space for the newcomers to hit the outside shot. Tai Wesley will be by his side again and will score plenty in the paint himself. Matt Formisano and Modou Niang give the team some experienced depth in the frontcourt.

Final Projection:

When Tyler Newbold shot the ball, it usually went in. The 6-4 wing started 25 games last year at small forward, but he rarely got his offense in the game. But he did hit 51.5 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. If he can keep that up and take a few more attempts, the outside shooting numbers will be fine despite the absence of Carroll. He will need some help from the newcomers and sophomore Pooh Williams on the wings, but Newbold should be able to keep this team among one of the better shooting teams in the conference.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Jared Quayle, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Stavon Williams, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Tyler Newbold, Sophomore, Forward, 5.4 points per game

Tai Wesley, Sophomore, Forward, 9.9 points per game

Gary Wilkinson, Senior, Forward, 13.3 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Jaycee Carroll Joins Nets Summer League Team

Press Release — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:02:35 -0400

LOGAN, Utah -- Former Utah State All-American Jaycee Carroll has agreed to be a member of the New Jersey Nets Summer League roster and will pla in eight games during a three-week period in July.

Carroll is one of 16 players listed on the Nets' Summer League roster, which includes 10 rookies, three players with one year of NBA experienc and three players with two years of NBA experience.

New Jersey will begin its eight-game slate at the Orlando Pro Summer League from July 7-11 and play against Chicago, Indiana, Miami, Orland and Seattle. Fans can watch each game in Orlando live on njnets.com and orlandomagic.com.

2008 NIT Capsule: Utah State

Joel Welser — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:53:15 -0400

Utah State Aggies

Western Athletic Conference (24-10, 12-4)

Big Wins: 12/29 Oral Roberts (76-55), 2/2 Nevada (77-63), 2/22 UC Santa Barbara (72-59)

Bad Losses: 11/15 at Cal Poly (69-83), 2/16 at Hawaii (66-71), 2/18 at San Jose State (67-70)

Coach: Stew Morrill

Probable Starters:

Kris Clark, Senior, Guard, 5.6 ppg, 6.4 apg

Jaycee Carroll, Senior, Guard, 22.6 ppg, 2.1 apg, 6.0 rpg

Tyler Newbold, Freshman, Guard, 5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Tai Wesley, Freshman, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Gary Wilkinson, Junior, Forward, 13.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Desmond Stephens, Junior, Guard, 2.6 ppg, 1.7 apg

DeUndrae Spraggins, Junior, Guard, 2.7 ppg, 1.1 apg

Pooh Williams, Freshman, Guard, 2.2 ppg, 1.0 apg

Stephen DuCharme, Senior, Forward, 9.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Utah State is a great shooting team from everywhere on the floor and nobody epitomizes the solid shooting more than leading scorer Jaycee Carroll. The 6-2 senior shoots 53.3 percent from the floor, 50.7 percent from behind the arc and 92.3 percent from the charity stripe. Carroll, who also grabs 6.0 rebounds per game, is a dynamic scorer and has reached double digits in every game this season. He is capable of busting out a huge game on any given day and a 30 point effort is not out of the ordinary.

The offensive presence of forwards Gary Wilkinson, Tai Wesley and Stephen DuCharme has opened up some space for Carroll. Wilkinson adjusted quickly after spending some time at Salt Lake Community College. The 6-9 forward works hard and his toughness will earn him plenty of buckets and rebounds. Wesley, at 6-6, is not a post scorer, but he has some of the same toughness that ignites Wilkinson and is a quality player on the offensive end.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The Aggies have a lot of offensive weapons, but they could use one more. Carroll makes the second most three-pointers in the Western Athletic Conference, but the team ranks near the bottom in total attempts. Which means if somebody is taking a shot, it is Carroll. That is all well and good since he makes most of them, but it makes it much easier on the opposing defense. There are options like Tyler Newbold, DeUndrae Spraggins, Desmond Stephens and Pooh Williams, but they are mostly inexperienced and ineffective as scoring threats.

Who To Watch:

Kris Clark will not be that scorer either, but his shooting has gotten better during his senior season. The 6-2 point guard does a wonderful job taking care of the ball and finding his teammates and Clark averages 6.4 assists per game and just 2.7 turnovers. Most of the team could stand to avoid a turnover or two, but nobody can complain about Clark’s assist-to-turnover ratio. Clark could be more aggressive getting to the basket, but he is certainly a pass first point guard who simply sets up his teammates.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 74.2 (76^th in nation, 4^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 67.8 (146, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 51.6 (1, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.6 (165, 3)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.8 (241, 5)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 40.2 (10, 1)

Free-Throw Percentage: 79.1 (1, 1)

Rebound Margin: 4.0 (50, 3)

Assists Per Game: 18.0 (8, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (141, 4)

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WAC Player of the Week

Press Release — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 04:51:57 -0500

DENVER – Utah State forward Stephen DuCharme has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for November 19-25. This is the first career WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior.

DuCharme, a senior from Andover, Kan. (Hutchinson CC), helped Utah State record a 2-1 record last week and finish in third-place at the 2007 South Padre Island Invitational with wins against Austin Peay (71-68) and Iowa (75-62) and a loss to Vanderbilt (77-56). DuCharme began the week by scoring 10 points and adding four rebounds against Austin Peay. He then scored 20 points to go along with six rebounds against Vanderbilt, followed by 20 points and three rebounds against Iowa. During the two-day tournament in South Padre Island, Texas, he was named to the all-tournament team, averaging 20.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 64.3 percent from the field (18-for-28). Overall, DuCharme averaged 16.7 points and 4.3 rebounds during the week, while shooting 64.7 percent from the field (22-for-34), 50.0 percent from three-point range (1-for-2) and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (5-for-6).

The other nominations were senior forward Tyler Tiedeman, Boise State; senior forward Hector Hernandez, Fresno State; sophomore guard Kyle Gibson, Louisiana Tech and sophomore guard Jonathon Gibson, New Mexico State.