Utah State vs. Fresno State Preview & Score Prediction

Check out the Utah State vs. Fresno State game preview and score prediction

Utah State (8-7, 1-1) vs. Fresno State (11-4, 1-1) Game Preview

Game Info

Date: Wednesday, January 3rd
Tip-off: 7:00pm MT
Venue: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, Logan, UT
Radio: TBD
TV/stream: Mountain West Network

Projected Utah State Lineup

G Koby McEwen
G Sam Merrill
G Diogo Brito
F Dwayne Brown Jr.
F Quinn Taylor

Projected Fresno State Lineup

G Deshon Taylor
G Ray Bowles Jr.
G Jaron Hopkins
F Bryson Williams
F Sam Bittner

Why Utah State Will Win

The Aggies’ starting backcourt is slowly waking up. Sophomore guard Sam Merrill has been especially sharp over Utah State’s last two games, shooting 14-of-22 from the floor and 8-of-15 from beyond the arc. Merrill’s newfound ability to shoulder the offensive load has effectively freed up fellow sophomore Koby McEwen, who has rebounded from a rocky start to his season with 24- and 15-point games against San Jose and San Diego. The Bulldogs recently allowed Nevada’s Kendall Stephens to roast them from deep to the tune of five made 3-pointers and 19 total points, pointing a concerning light on Fresno’s perimeter defense. If Fresno doesn’t adapt in a hurry, both Merrill and McEwen could run wild Wednesday night.

Why Fresno State Will Win

It never hurts to have the conference’s top-scoring guard in your starting lineup. Junior Deshon Taylor’s 18.4 points per game ranks third overall in the Mountain West and appears to be a matchup-proof inevitability. Taylor has scored in double digits in 14 games this season, dropped 20+ points four times and has done it all while shooting a career-best 45 percent from the floor. Taylor and company won’t mind a half-full Spectrum crowd one bit, and against a turnover-prone Aggie squad that struggles to rebound, the Bulldogs will have plenty of extra possessions to show off their shooting prowess and snag an early-season road win.