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Even with the news of sophomore forward David Collette's intention to transfer two days before the start of the regular season, the Aggies remain focused on their first opponent of the season, the Weber State Wildcats. Here is some info for tonight's game:
Utah State Aggies (0-0) at Weber State Wildcats (0-0)
TV: KJZZ (Local TV)
Venue, Tip-off time: Dee Events Center, 7:00 PM MT
This will be the 68th all time meeting between the Wildcats and Aggies. In those matchups, Utah State leads the all time series 41-26, but they do have a losing record when traveling to Ogden. Last season, the Aggies mounted a serious comeback after trailing by 19 at halftime last year. Hopefully the result will not be the same as last year, but it should be a good, close game.
The question remains: How will the Aggies fare without Collette? We won't know for a least a few games; by then we should have a good understanding. It seems the team still seems it can compete with any team, whether it be in the non-conference or conference portion of the schedule. And don't be fooled: Weber State is a good basketball team, and they have competed very well within the Big Sky Conference themselves.
One player that not only the Aggies but the Wildcats' future will have to keep an eye on is senior forward Joel Bolomboy. He had a career season last year, averaging a double-double per game (13 PPG, 10 RPG). Bolomboy was recently named to SB Nation's Honorable Mention list of Top 100 players in college basketball. WIth numbers like these and the skill level he has the potential to play at, he should be someone to keep an eye on.
For the Aggies, don't expect them to change up their gameplan even after the events of last week. The Aggies may have had an off shooting night against Monterey Bay, but don't expect them to shoot as bad as they did. This team knows how to shoot the three, so expect them to use that to their advantage.
Prediction: Even with the events of the last week, expect Utah State to come out and play aggressive. Weber State will keep this close, but USU will make a few plays down the stretch to pull away, giving coach Duryea his first regular season win as coach. Utah State 77, Weber State 70