This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Contracts have not been officially signed yet, but it appears the BYU basketball team will open its 2011-2012 season in Logan against Utah State. Utah State coach Stew Morrill made the announcement at the end of his weekly news conference on Tuesday, saying that the game will be played in early November at the Spectrum. Utah State will play at BYU the following year, probably in a season-opener as well. "It is not finalized, but it appears that we will open with BYU next year in Logan and play at [the Marriott Center] on opening day the following year," Morrill told reporters, including Shawn Harrison of The Herald Journal. "That's the only time they could fit it into their schedule. That's what we are doing." The Cougars defeated the Aggies 78-72 in Provo on Nov. 17, one of four teams currently in the top 25 that BYU has defeated this season. Arizona, St. Mary's and San Diego State are the others. BYU leads the series with USU, 136-91. BYU has not acknowledged that the series is close to being finalized; Athletic director Tom Holmoe has said that school policy is to not announce future games until contracts have been signed. "We definitely wanted to continue the series [with BYU] on a home-and-home basis," Morrill said. "... We are glad that we have a home-and-home with them coming up ... I appreciate BYU sticking with it and playing this game."