Hey wait a minute

When is a game you watched not the game you watched?

For us, that phenomenon took place last night.

For example:

*** We were seduced by Utah State's crisp passing and ultra-unselfish offensive play -- yet both squads totaled 14 assists at game's end.

*** Utah State came into the game shooting 51% on the season -- 47% in WAC play -- and appeared to be performing decently in that category but the Spartans held the Aggies to 37.9% shooting while going 47% on the evening themselves.

*** We would had offered a dinner at Flames (how that's for a commercial plug tie-in?) to anyone who could prove to us that Utah State didn't win the rebounding battle...and yet Utah State got out-rebounded 36-28 by SJSU.

Does USU sprinkle some sort of beguilement 'dust' into the atmosphere prior to games? Just what is the allure we fell for?

We truly didn't know what to expect Thursday night as the statistics, the season and conference records, the multiple glowing writeups indicated T-Rex, Logan-style, was heading to Walt McPherson Court.

And yet it was a game that could have been won.

But couldas, wouldas, shouldas never find their way into the official record book. Every play truly counts during a game but it was the short early second half stretch of Spartan offensive miscues, juxtaposed with Utah State -- Tyler Newbold in particular -- finding nothing but net on his jumpers, that proved to be the difference.

Now it's Fresno State Saturday evening.