Utah State (#11, West, Boise pod)
vs. Marquette (#6)
Fri. 3/20 @ 12:10 pm
Vegas Line: Utah St. +4.5
General Profile
Location: Logan, Utah
Conference: Western Athletic Conference, Tournament Champion
Coach: Stew Morrill
08-09 Record: 30-4, 14-2
Last 12 Games: 9-3
Best Win: vs. Utah, 66-64, 12/22
Worst Loss: @ St. Mary’s, 64-75, 02/21
Off. Efficiency Rating: 116.8, 13th
Def. Efficiency Rating: 101.3, 169th
Nuts ‘n Bolts
Star Player(s): Gary Wilkinson (17/7/4 assts); DeShawn Sims (16/7)
Unsung Hero: The freshmen corps of Laval Lucas-Perry, Zach Novak and Stu Perry
Potential NBA Draft Pick(s): None
Key Injuries: None
Depth: 23.9% (#313)
Achilles Heel: Turnovers, In two of their four losses this season they committed 17 or more turnovers. Holding onto the ball is the key to their efficiency
Will Make a Deep Run if…: They can get Cornell to upset Mizzou.
Will Make an Early Exit if…: Gary Wilkinson has an off night.
NCAA History
Last Year Invited: 2006, lost 1st round to 5th seed Washington 75-61
Streak: 1
Best NCAA Finish: 2001, 2nd round
Historical Performance vs. Seed (1985-present): +0.38 Ws per appearance
Other
Six Degrees to Detroit: None.
Distance to First Round Site: 291 miles to Boise.
School’s Claim to (Dis)Fame: Currently… mascot Big Blue accepting a $100 bribe from a Nevada fan to steal New Mexico State mascot Pistol Pete’s fake mustache.
School Wishes It Could Forget: The 2003 season when they finished 25-3, tied for the regular season title but did not get an at-large bid after losing in the semifinals of the Big West tournament.
Prediction: Utah State is a dangerous 11 seed playing close to home in a familiar arena and facing a team that has lost five of its last six since losing a key player to injury.
Major RTC stories: n/a
Preview written by… Sam Wasson, bleedCrimson.net