Utah State is already the best shooting team in the country.

Imagine how good the Aggies might be if they had Ahmet Gueye and Matt Lojeski.

Instead, Gueye and Lojeski will be with the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team today when it hosts Utah State at the Stan Sheriff Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

The Western Athletic Conference opener for both teams was moved from February to December to accommodate the ESPN Bracket Buster on Feb. 18.

The 'Bows won a close recruiting battle with Utah State for both Gueye and Lojeski.

"It might be a little strange, thinking that I could have been on that other bench," Lojeski said. "It was a real tough decision because they have a good program, too. I'm just glad it's working out for me here."

The Aggies lead NCAA Division I with a 54.8 field goal percentage.

As it turns out, Gueye and Lojeski have the best field goal percentages for Hawai'i. Gueye, a 6-foot-7 forward/center, leads the team at 70.5 percent; Lojeski, a 6-6 shooting guard, is second at 59 percent.

Before attending Hawai'i, Gueye played two seasons at Salt Lake Community College (Utah). He said he trained with some of the Utah State players during that time.

"I scrimmaged with those guys a lot, so I got to know some of them and play with them," Gueye said. "They are all good shooters, even the big guys."

Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace and Utah State head coach Stew Morrill are friends, so Wallace said there are no hard feelings about the recruiting results.

"It's all part of the job," Wallace said. "I think it shows that both programs are after the same type of players, and both (Gueye and Lojeski) are quality players."

The Aggies have their share of quality players. Utah State is 4-2, with both losses by one point on the road.

The Aggies are led by the outside-inside combination of Jaycee Carroll and Nate Harris.

Carroll, a 6-2 sophomore shooting guard, leads the team with 20.0 points per game. He is shooting 54.3 percent from the field, including 46.3 percent from 3-point range (19 of 41).

"I like to think we have good shooters, but our offense is designed to get guys shots they can make," Carroll said. "We never settle for a mediocre shot, only good shots."

Harris, a 6-7 senior forward, is averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and shooting 60 percent from the field.

"It's our philosophy to be unselfish," Harris said. "We're always trying to create a better shot for our teammates."

Wallace said Utah State's offense is similar to Hawai'i's.

"They do a lot of picks and screens," Wallace said. "So we'll have to be ready defensively."

The 'Bows won an NIT game at Utah State, 85-74, in the 2003-04 season. Harris, who was a starter for the Aggies in that game, said it is in the past.

"That was two (seasons) ago, you have to forget about it," Harris said. "We can't do anything about it, and we're both different teams now."

Hawai'i forward Julian Sensley was a starter in that game, and he is a concern for the Aggies. Morrill said 6-3 Durrall Peterson may have to defend the 6-9 Sensley.

"It starts with Sensley," Morrill said. "In my mind, he's a pro-type player who can make a lot of money after college. Our problem is we'll have a 6-3 guy guarding 6-9. Their size and strength is a concern."

NOTES

Hawai'i junior guard Bobby Nash returned to practice yesterday, but is still not expected to play tonight because of an injured right shoulder. Fellow junior guard "Little Matt" Gibson did not practice yesterday, and is also not expected to play tonight. He underwent minor surgery on Wednesday to remove a staph infection from his chest.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.