USU basketball: Aggies take streak to Louisiana Tech

Utah State is riding an eight-game winning streak and has emerged — as expected — as one of the teams to beat in the Western Athletic Conference with a 13-1 record.

And while the Aggies have looked impressive in building that record, they've done it without having to venture more than a couple of hours away from home, except for one quick trip to UC Santa Barbara.

This weekend, USU will get its first true road test of the season when the Aggies visit Louisiana Tech tonight and New Mexico State on Saturday.

"We've got a tough road trip ahead of us," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said after Monday's WAC-opening win over Idaho. "It's never easy going out for the first time. Hopefully we've got the guys ready."

Tonight's game tips off at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN Regional and Altitude 2 (Dish Ch. 449, DirecTV Ch. 682).

The Bulldogs have been playing well, beating San Jose State on the Spartans' home court last week and dropping a narrow 65-64 decision at Hawaii on Monday night.

But as well as LaTech has been playing, they will also be a little road weary. After flying back to the Bayou State on Tuesday, the Bulldogs will have only a day or two to prepare for the Aggies. USU, on the other hand, will have more prep time for the game.

That may come in handy against the athletic team coached by former East High and University of Utah coach Kerry Rupp.

LTU is led by talented big men Kenneth Cooper (6-foot-10) and Magnum Rolle (6-11). The transfers from Oklahoma State and Louisiana State, respectively, average 12.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 11.2 points, 7.0 rebounds per game.

Kyle Gibson, a 6-5 junior guard, is the leading scorer at 15.2 points.

The Bulldogs, despite their size, are not a particularly strong shooting team. Averaging just 42.6 percent shooting, LaTech struggled in the early portion of the season and lost three games in Alaska to Seattle, Western Carolina and Alaska-Anchorage before rebounding with four wins in December.

The Aggies will try to counter LTU with Gary Wilkinson, Tai Wesley and Jared Quayle. The trio is averaging 41.9 points and 20.2 rebounds per game.<

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Aggies on the air

Utah State (13-1, 1-0 WAC) at Louisiana Tech (7-8, 1-1)

Tonight, 6 p.m.

Thomas Assembly Center,

Ruston, La.

TV: ESPN Regional/Altitude

Radio: 1230 AM, 610 AM, 95.9 FM

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com