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Logan • Stew Morrill can't help but think about what might have been the turning points in Utah State's season.
The Aggies had Idaho beaten last month in Moscow, only to see the Vandals erase a sizable second-half deficit and steal one at the end.
Along with two close losses at Nevada, those three games have stuck with Morrill. And heading into Friday night's matchup with Idaho at the Spectrum, senior night, Utah State will be looking for anything resembling momentum for the last week of the regular season.
"We're trying to have a winning season," Morrill said. "That's what we're looking at, and I hope our guys see it this way as well. We have to come out and battle, we have to take on the mentality of never giving up."
USU is almost locked into the fifth spot for the WAC Tournament. But a few wins beginning with Friday night would go a way toward helping the Aggies' confidence.
On senior night, Utah State will honor Brady Jardine, a forward who suffered a career-ending injury against Southern Utah earlier in the season. The Aggies have struggled to rebound without him, which could come into play Friday as Idaho big man Kyle Barone is one of the best in the conference.
"It's an area of the game that we have to get better at," sophomore forward Danny Berger said. "We know that and we work on it every day in practice. If we can get better at that we will improve as a team."
The Aggies haven't played well of late. They were handily beaten by UC Santa Barbara last weekend. They struggled with Montana Tech, and they were beaten at home by New Mexico State. That makes Friday important, since USU wants to be playing well going into the final week.
tjones@sltrib.comTwitter: @tonyaggieville Idaho at Utah State
At the Spectrum, Logan
Tipoff: 7 p.m., MST
TV: KMYU
Radio: 97.5 FM
Records: Utah State 14-14, 5-6, Idaho 16-11, 7-4
Series Record: Utah State leads 33-14
Last Meeting: Idaho 57, Utah State 54 (Jan. 21)
About the Idaho Vandals: Deremy Geiger is a former Utah State player. … The Vandals are currently third in the WAC standings. … Don Verlin is a former USU assistant
About the Utah State Aggies: Brady Jardine is expected to be honored for senior night. … The Aggies have lost two of their last three games. … USU is currently fifth in the WAC standings. … The Aggies are 15-1 against Idaho all-time at the Spectrum. … USU needs three more wins to avoid a non-winning season