Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
Utah State Aggies (14-3) vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (14-4)
The NCAA men’s basketball season continues Friday, January 13, with the Utah State Aggies taking on the Nevada Wolf Pack in the Mountain West Conference showdown at Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
The Aggies and Wolf Pack split their two-game set in 2021-22. Utah State trounced Nevada 78-49 as a 1-point road fave, while the Wolf Pack responded with an 85-72 victory, playing as 11-point road underdogs. The Aggies are slight 2-point road underdogs this time around, and the totals sit at 144.5 points.
The Utah State Aggies (14-3; 11-5 ATS; 3-1 conf.) are coming off Tuesday’s 83-63 thrashing of the Wyoming Cowboys. They bounced back from a heavy 82-59 defeat at the Boise State Broncos that snapped the Aggies’ three-game winning streak. Utah State dominated Wyoming from start to finish, making 50.8% of its field goals (8-for-18 from deep) while posting a terrific 21/8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Senior forward Taylor Funk dropped 22 points on the Cowboys, going 4-for-8 from downtown. He also had five rebounds, three assists, and a block. Senior F Daniel Akin posted a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double, while senior guard Sean Bairstow and junior guard Max Shulga accounted for 14 points apiece. Junior G Steven Ashworth, who leads Utah State with 15.6 points per game this season, had eight points, seven assists, and three steals.
?? Highlights from @USUBasketball's 83-63 win over Wyoming#AtThePEAK | #MWMBB | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/LRhmtQhROP
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) January 11, 2023
Utah State leans on 3-point shooting. The Aggies make 10.3 triples per game (7th in the nation) and lead the country in 3-point percentage (42.9%). They score 113.3 points per 100 possessions (19th) and allow 97.6 points in return (84th). The Aggies’ defense ranks 32nd in the country in 2-point percentage (44.4%) and 321st in 3-point percentage (36.3%). Utah State is No. 24 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 37 in the KenPom rankings.