LOGAN, Utah - It's strange to say, but this is the final WAC road trip that the Pioneers will make.
And it starts with a bang. Utah State is known to have one of the best home court advantages in college basketball, complete with a boisterous student section. If you want proof? The Aggies have won 95 of their last 104 games at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Denver, of course, beat the Aggies 67-54 last year, snapping USU's 33-game home winning streak. That means (at least) two things:
1. The Pioneers know they can win in this building.
2. Utah State and its fans want revenge.
Last year was a little strange. The student section was protestinguniversity actions following the previous game, so they stayed seated and silent for the first three minutes of the game. That may have benefitted the Pioneers, who jumped to an early lead and cruised the rest of the way.
The DU players had an easy enough trip into Logan yesterday. Like usual, the team practiced on campus before heading to the airport and flying out midafternoon.
After a good, relaxing dinner, the team returned to the hotel. Some of the players spent some time in the indoor pool and most of them watched at least a little college basketball on television.
Today, it's all about getting ready for Utah State.
About Utah State - Located in Logan about 90 minutes north of Salt Lake City, the Agricultural College of Utah was founded in 1888 and became Utah State University in 1957. The school has nearly 29,000, which includes regional campuses and distance learning.
As mentioned in last year's blog, National Football League Hall of FamerMerlin Olsen, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1962 but opted to play his entire 15-year career with the Rams, is probably the most notable alumni of Utah State. Olsen later went on to a successful acting career, which included a role on Little House on the Prairie.
Dick Motta, one of the winningest NBA coaches of all time, is an alum of Utah State, and so is former Bronco and 1986 AFC Defensive Player of the Year Rulon Jones.
Perhaps less know but certainly not less successful, USU alum Nolan Bushnell started Atari in 1972 and launched Pong. Four years later, he sold Atari and quickly founded a little restaurant chained called Chuck E. Cheese.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 18
Total Mileage by Air - 15,128
Total Mileage by Bus - 2,157
Total Number of Hotels - 15
Total Number of Different Airlines - 5 (Southwest, United, Frontier, Alaska, American)
Total Number of Different Airports - 11
Total Number of Airline Delays - 5
Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total Number of Bags Lost - 2
Total Number of Times the Fire Alarm Went Off on Thursday Afternoon for Testing - 17 (at least)
Total Number of Baskets of Rolls Brett Olson Delivered to His Own Table at Dinner Last Night - 2
Total Number of Bad Pick-and-Roll Jokes Mitch Hyder Made in the Process - 3
As always, please feel free to send any questions or comments tomichael.kennedy@du.edu.
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