Aggies Face Cal State Fullerton in Opening Round of Big West Tournament

Game Details

#3 Utah State (21-8, 12-6) takes on #6 Cal State Fullerton (10-18, 8-10) in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena on Mar. 13 at 9:30 p.m. (MST). The game will be broadcast on the Aggie Radio Network.

Game Day Headlines

* Utah State will be looking for its fifth Big West Tournament Championship in this, its 25th appearance. USU has won two of the last three and three of the last five tournament championships. USU's tournament championship teams were in 1988, 1998, 2000 and 2001.

* Utah State is 21-20 (.512) all-time in the Big West Conference Tournament, and 10-14 (.417) all-time in the first round. However, over the last seven years USU is 6-1 in the first round of the tournament.

* Over the last three years, Utah State is 8-1 in the Big West Tournament with two championships and 11-2 over the last five years with three championships.

* Utah State has defeated three teams this year that won their conference's regular season championship. USU defeated Utah (Mountain West Conference Co-Champions), Weber State (Big Sky Champions) and UC Santa Barbara (Big West Champions) this season.

* Utah State is 13-12 (.520) versus current members of the Big West Conference in tournament play.

* Among active members of the Big West Conference, Utah State has won the most tournament championships with four. Long Beach State has notched three tournament championships, while Pacific has two, and Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara have each won one tournament championship.

* Stew Morrill is 8-2 (.800) in the Big West Conference Tournament as Utah State's head coach with two tournament championships in four appearances. Overall, Morrill is 15-13 (.536) in conference tournaments.

About Cal State Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton is 10-18 on the season and the number six seed in the Big West Conference Tournament with an 8-10 league record following a 60-63 home loss to UC Santa Barbara and an 88-85 overtime home win over Cal Poly last weekend. The Titans are just 4-12 away from home this season, which includes an 0-2 record on neutral courts. Cal State Fullerton is averaging 62.2 points per game, which is last in the league, and allowing 65.9, which is fifth in the league. The Titans are shooting 43.9 percent from the field, which is fifth in the conference, while its opponents are shooting 46.9 percent, which is eighth in the league. Sophomore guard Ralphy Holmes leads the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game, which ranks second in the league, while senior forward Pape Sow is second on the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 9.2 boards per game. Holmes also ranks fifth in the league in rebounding with 6.2 boards per contest. Cal State Fullerton returns four starters and five lettermen from last year's team that went 5-22 on the season and finished in last-place in the Big West Conference with a 2-16 league record. Donny Daniels is 20-63 in three seasons as a collegiate head coach at Fullerton.

Utah State-Cal State Fullerton Series

Utah State and Cal State Fullerton will be meeting for the 51st time in school history, with the Aggies owning a 34-16 all-time advantage. The last time the two teams met was on Feb. 20, 2003 in Fullerton, Calif., with the Aggies recording a 62-41 win. Utah State holds a 2-1 all-time advantage over Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament and the last time the two teams met in tournament play was on Mar. 8, 2001, with the Aggies recording a 74-43 win. Utah State has won three straight games over the Titans and 17 of the last 19 in the series. In the first-round of the BWC Tournament, USU is 1-1 against the Titans.

• USU leads 34-16 In Logan
• USU leads 22-2 In Fullerton
• USU trails 10-13 In Big West Tournament
• First Meeting Dec. 23, 1972 (USU, 115-60)
• Biggest Utah State Win 115-60 (12/23/72)
• Biggest CS Fullerton Win 94-71 (2/19/87)
• USU Under Coach Morrill 7-2

Utah State-CS Fullerton: The Last Meeting

Desmond Penigar scored a team-high 14 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Spencer Nelson added 12 points and seven boards to lead Utah State to a convincing 62-41 win at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20. Utah State jumped out to an early 9-0 lead and was up 22-7 in the first 12 minutes as the Titans missed their first eight shots. USU extended to a 33-16 half-time lead as Fullerton shot just 26.1 percent in the first half, while USU shot 56.0 percent. The Aggies kept the pressure on the Titans in the second half and built a 28-point advantage at 57-29 with 8:00 minutes remaining. Ralphy Holmes carried the Titans with a game-high 24 points. Utah State shot 51.1 percent from the field in the game, including 43.8 percent from three-point range, while Cal State Fullerton shot just 33.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range. USU also dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Titans 37-22.

Aggies In The Anaheim Convention Center

Utah State has had decent success in the Anaheim Convention Center over the years as the Aggies have posted an overall record of 10-5, which includes a 8-5 mark in the conference tournament. The Big West held the conference tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena from 1977-82, and USU posted a 3-4 record in the tournament during that time. Since the tournament was moved back to Anaheim in 2001, USU is 5-1 in the tournament and has advanced to the championship game both years.

Among the Best In The Country

Utah State basketball has been among the best in the country since the 1999-2000 season as USU has posted an amazing 100-28 (.781) record. That 78.1 winning percentage ranks as the ninth-best in the country over the past four years, while the 100 wins are also the ninth-most. The following is a look at the top-10 teams in the country based on winning percentage as of Mar. 10, 2003.