Utah State basketball: Aggies looking to pick up road victory in Bakersfield

LOGAN — The last time Utah State had a road trip, things didn't turn out so swell.

The Aggies lost to Utah and Northeastern in a span of three days and learned the road is never friendly.

They'll be reminded of that again tonight when USU faces a Cal State-Bakersfield team that has only one win this year, but plenty of respect from Stew Morrill.

"On the road is on the road," Morrill said, explaining that even when you play well or face what appears to be an outmatched opponent, it's hard to win. "We didn't play badly on the road, we just had some bad stretches."

And those stretches — extended scoreless streaks that saw leads turn to deficits in both losses earlier this season — have been deadly.

After a five-game homestand that saw USU go 4-1 (but see its 37-game home-court winning streak snapped in the process), the Aggies have gained a little confidence, learned how their new players fit into the rotation and, Morrill said, are more ready for a second road swing.

Also working in their favor this time: No school to worry about.

With fall semester finals behind them and the start of spring semester still a few weeks away, the Aggies have nothing but basketball to bother themselves with, and Morrill said this is as important a time on the schedule as there is.

"It's a great time to be a college basketball player," USU's veteran coach said. "All we need to think about is basketball and getting better. We need to get our basketball team better in the next month."

The Roadrunners, who have only a win over Utah Valley to their credit this season, have struggled. They are shooting just 34.9 percent from the field and just 28.3 percent from the 3-point line. Paced by senior forward Trent Blakley's 17 points and five rebounds per game, CSUB is scoring a little more than 63 points per game.

But while the Roadrunners have lost most of their games, they have had some tight contests on the road and Morrill expects them to be hungry.

"They are enough to scare you, I know that," Morrill said. "They are a team that has been in some close games and will be looking to win a close one."

Utah State, on the other hand, will try to adjust after a right-ankle injury to sharp-shooting guard Preston Medlin. The freshman landed on another player's foot last week and rolled the ankle badly.

"He's unlikely to play," Morrill said. "The old term 'doubtful' is the prognosis for the Bakersfield game. The good news is it's not broken."