USU basketball: Front-court duo fuels Aggies' strong start

LOGAN — Call it the ultimate recipe for success on the basketball court.

Utah State has, perhaps, as good a front-court duo as they've had in ages — and that's saying something when the Aggies have had Spencer Nelson, Nate Harris and Desmond Pinegar in recent years — and is simply dominating the paint.

Tonight, the Aggies — led by center Gary Wilkinson and forward Tai Wesley — will try to extend their unbeaten season when they host winless UC Irvine. Tipoff is set for 7.

Wilkinson and Wesley are owning the post so far this season. The duo has Utah State off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2002 and has some eye-popping stats to help explain the team's hot start.

Combining for 31.8 points and 15.6 rebounds, Wilkinson and Wesley are as efficient as USU coach Stew Morrill could hope for. Wilkinson is the second-leading shooter in the country at 76.5 percent and Wesley is fourth at 74.1 percent. With those two feeding off each other and getting layup after layup, the Aggies are shooting 55.2 percent as a team and lead the NCAA in shooting percentage — up from last year's NCAA-leading percentage of 51.4 percent.

Wilkinson, after averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a pair of wins last week, was named the WAC's player of the week.

"When we can get the ball down low to those guys, we can be pretty good," Morrill said. "Those guys have great hands, and when they get going, it opens up everything else we try to do."

Throw in reserve post players Matt Formisano (69.2) and Modou Niang (62.5) and there's not a lot of dropoff when the starters take a breather on the sidelines.

Entering December, Utah State leads the WAC in field goal shooting, scoring margin (+22.2), 3-point shooting (46.8 percent), assists (17.75) and rebounding margin (+12.7) and has had only one game closer than 21 points. The Aggies have yet to allow an opponent to score more than 59 points.

Those numbers don't figure to change too much in the wrong direction tonight, either.

The Anteaters, a long-time USU foe from the Big West, limp into the Spectrum tonight following a 78-64 loss at Eastern Washington on Sunday night. UCI is hitting just 38.8 percent of its shots and is allowing opponents to score 83 points per game while shooting a USU-like 53.7 percent from the floor.

For Utah State, the game will also be one for revenge if they choose to look at it that way. UCI beat the Aggies in Irvine last season, 70-51, for USU's most-lopsided defeat of the season.

The game also serves as one final tune-up for the Aggies before they enter a four-game road swing beginning Saturday against BYU at EnergySolutions Arena.

Aggies on the air

Utah State (4-0) vs. UC Irvine (0-5)

Tonight, 7 p.m.

TV: none

Radio: 1230 AM, 610 AM

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com