LOGAN — The defending Western Athletic Conference champion Utah State University men's basketball team will hit the floor of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Friday night to tip off its season with an exhibition contest against Northwest Nazarene.

The Division II Crusaders might not present much of a challenge for the Aggies, who return four starters from a team that finished 30-5 a year ago and cruised to WAC regular-season and tournament titles. Utah State spent several weeks in the national Top 25 polls and, when the preseason polls were released Thursday, the Aggies received a handful of votes.

Led by senior point guard Jared Quayle and junior forward Tai Wesley, Utah State was picked by both the WAC coaches and the media covering the conference to repeat as league champions.

The Aggies, however, will be playing without junior swingman Pooh Williams, who is out for a few weeks following surgery to place a screw in his foot to deal with a "pre-stress fracture" of a bone. In his place, USU coach Stew Morrill said he is planning on playing a combination of Brian Green, Tyrone White and Preston Medlin.

Utah State will have one more exhibition game, next Saturday against Canada's Trinity Western, and then opens the regular season with three straight road games beginning at Weber State on Nov. 13.

Aggies on the air

Utah State vs. Northwest Nazarene

Tonight, 7 p.m.

Smith Spectrum

TV: none Radio: 610 AM, 1230 AM, 95.9 FM

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