Utah State Basketball

Utah State big man Neemias Queta announced he will return to school instead of entering the 2020 NBA draft. 

"My dream has always been to play in the NBA, but now is not the right time to declare for the Draft," he wrote. "We have continued to build a great program here at Utah State and it is one that I am very proud of representing." 

pic.twitter.com/69dTyH4VMV

— Quetão🔥 (@nemi1599) April 27, 2020

Jeff Goodman of Stadium noted Sunday was the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft.

This is welcome news for Utah State considering Sam Merrill, who led the team in scoring last season, graduated and Abel Porter, who was second on the team in assists per game last season, transferred to Ohio State.

Queta has been a consistent force for the Aggies in each of his two collegiate seasons.

In 2018-19, he averaged 11.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game and then followed with 13.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this past season along with 62.4 percent shooting from the field.

He is an eraser at the back end of the defense who helps make up for the mistakes of perimeter players and also controls the glass for extended stretches.

Utah State made the NCAA tournament in Queta's first season and was poised to do so again in 2019-20 before it was canceled because of the coronavirus. The Aggies were 26-8 this past season, finishing just outside the AP Top 25 in the final rankings, and won the Mountain West tournament championship over San Diego State.

Queta finished that game with 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Wednesday night's college basketball game between Brigham Young and Utah State appears to be cancelled after Aggies guard Danny Berger collapsed at Tuesday's practice.

UPDATE: Saturday, December 8 at 5:03 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to KSL Radio personality Greg Wrubell:

USU: hoopster Danny Berger released from the hospital, expected to attend Aggies' home game tonight.

— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) December 8, 2012

That's great news for all parties involved. Berger's situation was scary, and it's wonderful to see him making this kind of progress.

---End of Update---

The Salt Lake Tribune reporter Jay Drew had the report:

As of 9:30 p.m., nothing official had been issued by either school, but multiple sources have said that Wednesday's scheduled Utah State at BYU men's basketball game has been postponed.

The report also mentions that:

USU asked BYU to postpone the game because Aggies junior guard Danny Berger collapsed during practice Tuesday afternoon and stopped breathing.

Berger, from Medford, Ore., was airlifted from Logan to the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, Tuesday night.

Drew also supplies a quote from USU's news release:

Berger was tended to on the court by the USU Athletic Training staff; CPR was performed, and the AED was used on him until ambulance personnel arrived. Berger is currently in stable but critical condition. Tests and evaluations are ongoing, and further information will be released when available.

Once you take all of that in, you realize that postponing the game seems like the right thing to do. Drew's report mentions that no one has an idea as to when the game would be, but that doesn't matter in situations like this.

Scary incidents like this snap everyone back to reality. Berger came to practice that day expecting to run some drills, but he instead found himself in a very serious situation and in the hospital. Because it sounds so unexpected, there's nothing more tragic or scarier than that.

Crazed college basketball fans will always push for a game, but things like this make everyone realize that basketball really is just a game. It's a harsh reality-check.

Hopefully, Berger makes a full recovery. Seeing the word "stable" in USU's release is a great sign, but it doesn't make it any less frightening.

Berger is averaging 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season. He's not a great outside shooter, instead relying on his 6'6'' frame to slice his way into the paint.

He hasn't been the 4-1 Aggies' leading scorer, but he's a vital role player. Even so, his on-court skills pale when you consider the situation he's currently in.

Rather than thinking about Wednesday night's basketball game, keep Berger, his family and his teammates in your thoughts.

Stay tuned for updates.

There are reports coming from Logan, Utah that talks are occurring between the MWC and Utah State about a possible inclusion into the conference.  As of today, there is no word that Utah State has had an offer presented to them, but it's safe to say that once an offer is presented, they will more than likely accept.  The talks are supposed to wrap up today. 

Could the MWC expand to an 11-team conference come 2012?  How does this affect the MWC?  What will happen to the WAC with four of its most popular teams jumping ship?

I think without a doubt that if an offer is given to Utah State, they will accept.  It makes sense.  You have a conference that is runner-up in popularity to the Pac-12 out here in the western half of the United States.  A conference that has shown resilience, even after losing powerhouses like TCU, Utah and BYU.  Not only will it give Utah State better recognition, but they'll face better competition and have more national exposure due to the MWC's contract with their own TV network. 

This could also potentially increase their opportunity to land better recruits.  I'm sure they'll also want to jump a sinking ship in the WAC.  There is no way of knowing what will happen to that conference, so there has to be an urgency in any WAC team to leave.

Now this move won't make the MWC any better in terms of competition, but it does bring the MWC closer to having the 12 teams it desires.  It also helps the MWC retain some of the Utah TV market that it lost with Utah and BYU leaving the conference.  The more money the MWC can obtain, the better. 

But what would happen to the WAC if this offer is extended to Utah State?  Will the WAC dilute the FBS by bringing up FCS schools to fill these voids?  Or will the MWC absorb the rest of the WAC to make the country's first super conference?  There's a lot of speculation and questions that need to be answered and many of them might be answered by the end of the day.  Any way you want to look at it, the MWC is getting stronger and there is optimism once again for the conference.

The Utah State Aggies have been one of the NCAA's most consistent teams over the last decade, winning at least 23 games each season and making the NCAA or NIT Tournament every post season. 

With all these regular season accolades, one thing has been missing: Success in the post season.

In 2001 the Aggies pulled the always popular 12-5 upset over Ohio State 77-68, but since then its been a series of close calls against great teams.

It started with a three point loss in the first round to eventual runner-up Kansas in 2003.

Then they fell apart late to Arizona in 2005; hung close with Brandon Roy's Washington team in 2006; most recently, a one point heart breaker to Marquette in last years tournament.

So what can Utah State do to become the next Butler or the next Gonzaga?

The answer is simple: Win in the postseason.

Texas A&M is a fantastic Big 12 team and will be a mighty test for Utah State, but if they are to pull the upset here are the keys to the game:

#1 Shoot the 3-ball well

Utah State finished third in the nation in 3-point % at 41.9%. In the WAC championship game against New Mexico State; however, USU only shot 25% (4-16). 

If Utah State only shoots 25% from deep against Texas A&M it will be an uphill battle.

Texas A&M was a little better than average at defending the 3 during the season (33% against ranked 115th nationally) so this could be an area to exploit for USU.

#2 Bench production

Last year in the NCAA tournament the Aggies were admittedly a little shocked by the bright lights of the big dance and came out scared.

As a result only six players scored, and three of those players only made one basket.  The Aggies can't expect to be on the positive side of things if only three players contribute again this year.

Brian Green and Brady Jardine must be big off the bench, and role players like Pooh Williams and Tyler Newbold need to hit their open jumpers.

#3 Defend Donald Sloan

Texas A&M is a very balanced team, so taking away one player isn't going to take the Texas Aggies out of their game, but it will sure help. 

Pooh Williams is Utah State's best defender, and would have been voted the WAC's best defender if the award existed.  He shut down scorers like Armon Johnson, Jahmar Young, Adrian Oliver, Jimmer Fredette, and Kyle Gibson.

Adding Donald Sloan's scalp to the list could mean Utah State would survive to see Sunday.

On Saturday morning in Reno at the WAC tournament, it was a done deal.  Utah State was a "lock," they were going dancing no matter what the outcome of the championship game that night.  A few hours later it was the other Aggies in the conference going dancing, the ones from New Mexico State, and suddenly it wasn't such a sure thing.

Fast forward to Sunday, with most of the Utah State faithful still on the road somewhere between Reno and Logan, when the brackets started being announced.

New Mexico State a No. 12 seed?  That's a good sign for Utah State, but hope quickly started getting bleak with every coming bubble team.

Florida.  They were a bubble team and now they are getting a No. 10 seed?

Minnesota.  They just got waxed on national television and are an No. 11?

California.  A No. 9 seed?  They didn't even have a top 50 win!

Hope was somewhere between slim and none.  It was all over but wondering if the NIT game would be at home or away.

Then came the Spokane pod in the South.  Greg Gumble starts with "The Aggies..." and hearts start to flutter; could it happen?  "...Of Texas A&M."  Well of course they were not going to be a No. 5 seed, but that did not stop the hope.

Then vindication.  Texas A&M will face Utah State on Friday in Spokane.  It will be Aggies versus Aggies.  Again.  This time it will be in the big dance.

Getting an at-large bid in a small conference is like getting a stay of execution.  You never expect it, but you never stop hoping for it to happen.

Now Utah State has a chance to do what it could not on Saturday—beat a fellow Aggie team and make a big splash on the national scene.

Despite winning their last 12 games, Utah State is likely to stay unranked when the top 25 polls come out.

Even with an RPI currently sitting at 33, the Aggies aren't mentioned in any of the national media's bubble talk. Stew Morrill's club is leading the nations 10th rated conference and is an afterthought for the regular college hoops fan. 

The Aggies don't care that nobody cares and that's exactly why they make the perfect choice for an early Cinderella candidate.

Coming into the season Utah State was trying to replace a conference Player of the Year for the second straight season. Additionally, with defensive specialist, Pooh Williams, out with a broken foot to start the season, the Aggies dropped games they should not have, at Utah and at Northeastern.  Their bubble had already burst and it wasn't even December yet.

Conference season didn't start any better for USU, losing a close one at New Mexico State and getting blown out at Louisiana Tech. It was at this point that the Aggies looked done and it looked as if they would finish under 23 wins for the first time in over a decade. 

Then a funny thing happened: the Aggies figured out how to play team ball and haven't dropped a game since.

The Aggies don't have a star like they had in years past like Gary Wilkinson and Jaycee Carroll.  In fact, they probably wont even have anyone make first team All-WAC and it's debatable if anyone even scratches the second team. It is this kind of perfect storm as to why this team will be dangerous in March in my opinion.

A quick look at the statistics and you'll come across unimpressed. Nobody averages more than 13 points per game and they play at a pace that will put the average fan to sleep (62 possessions a game, 326th slowest in the nation). 

When you dig a little deeper, you can see why they will be a force to be reckoned with. They are 13th in the nation in FG% (48.5), first in the nation in 3pt percentage (42.3), fourth in the nation points per possession (1.142) and seventh in the nation in fewest turnovers (10.3 per game).

Critics will say they haven't played anyone (a pretty average strength of schedule of 97) or that they can't win away from the incredible home court advantage of the Dee Glenn Smith Spectrum. The Aggies best road wins are at RPI No. 70 Weber State and No. 77 Nevada.

Utah State doesn't care that you are not paying attention to them... which is exactly why you should look out for them if they make the NCAA tournament.

No. 11 Utah State Aggies (30-4, 14-2 WAC) vs. No. 6 Marquette Golden Eagles (24-9, 12-6 Big East)

NCAA Tournament First Round—West Region

Friday, March 20—12:30 PM EST on CBS

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Preview

After winning 30 games this season, the Aggies are headed back to the Big Dance for the first time since the 2006 tournament after winning both the WAC regular season and tournament titles. They defeated second seed Nevada by 10 in the finals to secure their automatic bid.

Marquette had a slightly different path to the NCAA Tournament this season—after starting out 20-2, the Golden Eagles stumbled a little bit and have since gone 5-7.

This can be attributed to a couple of things—first, their incredibly tough schedule down the stretch (they faced all three Big East No. 1 seeds in a row, in addition to two three seeds—UConn, at Louisville, at Pitt, Syracuse, vs. Villanova). Then during their first game of that stretch, they lost their senior guard Dominic James, who was averaging 11.4 PPG and 5.1 APG.

In their most recent game, the Golden Eagles faced Villanova in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. After being down by 16 at the half (and 17 at one point), it looked like they were going to be able to pull off the biggest comeback of the tournament (and why not? A bunch of other records were about to be broken as well).

They led by one with 10 seconds left in the game. But the Wildcats pulled a last-second backdoor cut to move into the semifinals and avoid being on the wrong side of a record.

Despite their shortcomings down the stretch, the Golden Eagles are still in the Top 25. They are currently ranked 23rd in the AP Poll and 24th in the Coaches. Marquette hasn't fared the best against the Top 25 this season—they are 5-7—although something can be said for having only two non-Top 25 losses (Dayton and South Florida).

The Aggies, on the other hand, are yet to face a team in the Top 25, although they are 1-2 against RPI Top 50 teams and 4-3 against the RPI Top 100. Their biggest game came in their annual competition against Utah, where they won 66-64 and extended the home team win streak to seven years in that rivalry.

Despite this and their 11th seed, the Golden Eagles should not take the Aggies lightly. Senior forward Gary Wilkinson led Utah State in points and rebounds, which was enough to secure him the WAC Player of the Year award and honors to the All-WAC First Team. Junior Jared Quayle landed on the All-WAC Second Team, and Stew Morrill grabbed the WAC Coach of the Year Award.

Marquette grabbed some of their own awards in the Big East as well—senior guards Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews were named to the All-Big East First and Second Teams, respectively.

This should be a great game between two quality programs. Both teams have the ability to go deep into the tournament, so it's a shame that one of them has to get knocked out in the first round.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
Utah State	30-4	14-2	14-12-1	23	135	72.9	62.1
Marquette	24-9	12-6	14-13-1	35	47	78.8	69.5

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG	BPG
Utah State	49.8	42.0	39.8	36.7	73.9	37.1	4.9	16.3	11.3	2.5
Marquette	45.6	44.9	34.9	35.0	72.0	37.9	8.1	15.5	11.7	3.0

Stats Leaders

	Utah State	Marquette
PPG	G. Wilkinson - 17.1	J. McNeal - 19.7
	J. Quayle - 12.9	W. Matthews - 18.4
	T. Wesley - 11.9	L. Hayward - 16.1
RPG	G. Wilkinson - 6.9	L. Hayward - 8.6
APG	J. Quayle - 3.7	J. McNeal - 4.0
SPG	J. Quayle - 1.4	J. McNeal - 2.1
BPG	T. Wesley - 0.8	J. McNeal - 0.6

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Prediction

To see Ryan's FREE Pick Against the Spread, please head over to The Sports Chat Place!

Utah State went undefeated at home again this year, yet it's hard to believe they have their first 30-win season. Their best performance this year was by far the WAC Championship game, and it will take that kind of focus and defensive effort to stay in the game with Marquette.

Most of Utah State's first five wins were while Jaxon Myaer and Deremy Geiger were platooning at the point guard position. Next for the Aggies was the rivalry game with BYU. Utah State's frontcourt bigs turned the ball over when the Cougars threw double teams at the Aggies. Additionally, freshman point guard Myaer turned the ball over five times in only 25 minutes of crucial play.

Since then, Utah State coach Stew Morrill has started 6'1" JC transfer Jared Quayle. His presence on the floor has inspired cool, calm, and tough play. Not a whole lot will rattle this team. The main players logging the crunch time minutes are 20-26 years old.

Utah State cannot turn the ball over if they expect to win Friday in Boise. Right now they average 11 turnovers a game.

Marquette knows that they will have to use their athleticism and possibly press the Aggies to win. If Utah State can keep it a half-court game and execute their offense, the Aggies should keep the Golden Eagles from having a big game. Look for a game in the 60s for Utah State to be successful.

Player Analysis

PG Jared Quayle

Probably the best unknown player in the tournament. With Gary Wilkinson the WAC player of the year, he draws a lot of attention. This leaves Quayle unblocked off the boards. He can get a double-double without getting 10 assists. He could easily cause the most problems for the Golden Eagles. If he scores early and often, his confidence will increase, and so will the rest of the team’s confidence.

F Gary Wilkinson

He is the team MVP. He has the size, moves, and senior maturity needed to make a run this year in the tournament. He can hit the open three if they don't guard him, and if the officials let them play physical, Marquette's big men could finish the game on the bench. If he starts shooting soft fadeaway shots, this could lead to a long day and many fast break points for the Golden Eagles.

F Tai Wesley

If Marquette really wants to press Utah State the whole game and force turnovers, they better have someone who is big enough to guard Wesley the full length of the court. He is the team’s best post player, passer, and big that can break the press. Very few players have a higher basketball IQ. When he is on his game, he will draw a crowd and create open shots for his teammates.

He has a temper at times, and if a call doesn't go his way, he could get two to three quick personal fouls and spend the rest of the half or game on the bench. Wesley needs to stay out of foul trouble, stay in the game, and help Utah State get a win.

G Pooh Williams

A pleasant surprise the last few games of the year. Pooh will be the defensive stopper; he'll give space for someone to shoot and won't let penetration happen. Morrill uses Pooh on the other team's best scorer/ball handler, i.e. with Nevada he was the stopper on Armon Johnson.

Obviously Marquette's guards are much better than WAC guards; Williams' defense will be the key to success Friday. If Marquette doesn't pay attention, he can go off for 10-15 quick points.

This year his offence has been inconsistent. He needs to make the other teams pay for neglecting him.

G Tyler Newbold

He is the glue to this team keeping their heads in the game. He isn't too quick, but he plays every aspect of the game solid with low turnovers and solid man/zone defense. If you leave him open for three or he finds a solid screen, he is a 60 percent three-point shooter. He may even block a couple of jump shots or stop a tip-in.

Newbold was in a rut the end of February and appears to be back to normal again. He is by far the hardest worker on the floor.

He won't beat anyone off the dribble, but if his man doesn't stay on him and doubles Wilkinson, he'll knock down the open shot.  

Bench support

G Stavon Williams

The most streaky and dangerous scorer off the bench. If Quayle and Wesley start getting deflections and steals, look for Stavon to start a 10-15 point run that could keep them in the game.

If he’s not on, he is just on the floor chewing up minutes, giving rest to Newbold and Pooh Williams.

F Matt Formisano

An inconsistent sleeper, he is needed when Wesley and Wilkinson need rest. He plays solid post defense and rebounds well—the mark of every Stew Morrill team and big man.

PG Jaxon Myaer

A redshirt freshman who needs many more minutes of playing time to ever be effective in the tournament. He’ll probably play five to 10 minutes and can hit a deep three or two while he is in the game. If they press him, expect to see a turnover every other possession while he is out there. His size is his weakness at 5'10".

If he can give Quayle 10 minutes of rest in the tournament without turning the ball over, his minutes will be huge for the Aggies.

F Brady Jardine

Don't look for him too log many minutes unless the size advantage Utah State has started to pay off. He may play more minutes if Wesley or Wilkinson gets in foul trouble or if Marquette starts penetrating and scoring. Jardine has been brought in and at times blocked three or four shots in five minutes of play. He can be an offensive liability.  

Matchup vs. Marquette

After reviewing Marquette’s roster and reviewing the last 10 games, it’s very apparent they are really a three seed. Expect them to penetrate on Utah State to score quickly and often. Then Stew Morrill will mix up the defense with a zone and three-quarters court press to slow Marquette down.

This is when we will see the matchups everyone is looking for and whether Utah State can even get into their offense and start to dominate in the paint.

Don’t expect to see Wilkinson and Wesley to dominate one on one. Usually they get their looks off post entry passes getting to the open spot and shooting uncontested lay-ups. Their off ball screens will drive Buzz Williams crazy.

Stay tuned for a second round matchup should No. 11 Utah State make it past No. 6 Marquette.