Weber State coach Randy Rahe likens it to visiting the dentist.

No, playing Utah State in basketball isn't all that enjoyable. But it's an in-state game the Wildcats have to play and one that will make them better when it's over.

Weber State and Utah State open their 2009-10 season in a matchup of teams picked to win their respective conferences at the Dee Events Center tonight.

"You just know what you're going to get from Coach (Stew) Morrill's teams," Rahe said. "It never changes. They're just so well-coached. They'll execute their stuff as well as maybe any team we'll play all year long, and maybe as well as any team in the country."

Rahe obviously knows what the Aggies do well, having worked as an assistant under Morrill for 13 seasons at Utah State and Colorado State.

"You just know every time you line up against them you better bring it and you better be ready to go," Rahe said. "But it's also a very fun game for us. We look forward to the in-state games. They're great games for our kids, for our program and for our fans. We really embrace them."

Morrill doesn't like facing the Wildcats quite as much, not with Rahe coaching the team.

"It's such a tough game because it's hard to play a friend and it's harder to play family," Morrill said. "Whenever you play Randy Rahe and (Idaho coach) Don Verlin, it's family."

Coaching ties aside, tonight's game features two experienced teams that should put on an entertaining show. It's the first of two meetings between the two teams, as they'll rematch in Logan in Utah State's tournament on Dec. 23.

Utah State returns four of its top scorers from last season, including senior guard Jared Quayle, junior forward Tai Wesley and junior guard Tyler Newbold. Guard Pooh Williams is also back, but he will miss tonight's game as he continues to recover from a stress fracture in his foot. The Aggies will have to do some reshuffling without Williams, their best perimeter defender.

Utah State is an older team that will have the advantages in size and strength against Weber State.

"We're playing against an extremely experienced team, a bunch of men," Rahe said. "They've got some older kids that are men up there."

Weber State will probably look to speed up the tempo with Damian Lillard, the Big Sky's Freshman of the Year last season, back running the show. He's one of four returning starters, along with big man Steve Panos, guard Nick Hansen and forward Kyle Bullinger.

The Wildcats may not be able to physically match-up with the Aggies as they'd like, but they're at home and they can shoot. That makes them dangerous against Utah State, Morrill said.

"That is one thing he (Rahe) is sure they can do is shoot the ball," Morrill said. "You always feel like you have a better chance when you can shoot the ball. We're not what I'd say an overly quick team, and anytime you're going into another team's home court you're worried about them getting it going with the fast break."

Opening night

Utah State (0-0) at Weber State (0-0)

Tonight, 7:30 p.m.

TV: none

Radio: 1230 AM or 1430 AM

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com