COLUMBUS, Ohio-Friday, Utah State men’s basketball (28-6 on the season) makes its 21st all-time NCAA Tournament appearance as the #8 seed in the Midwest region. The Aggies face #9 Washington of the Pac-12 Friday at 4:45 pm at the Nationwide Arena of Columbus, Ohio.
The Aggies broke an 8-year drought of making the NCAA Tournament, with their last appearance coming in 2011, a 73-68 loss to Kansas State at Tucson, Ariz.
Utah State’s last NCAA tournament win came in 2001 when they downed Ohio State 77-68. Incidentally, that year the Final Four was at Minneapolis as it is this year.
The #8 seed is also the Aggies’ highest seed in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
The Aggies currently score 79.2 points per game and surrender 66.8 points per contest.
Utah State junior guard Sam Merrill was named as the Mountain West Conference tournament’s Most Valuable Player after averaging 21.2 points, 4.2 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
On the season, Merrill averages 21.2 points per game and 4 rebounds per game. Freshman center, Portuguese national Neemias Queta (11.9 points, 8.9 rebounds per game) continues to excel as well for the Aggies.
The Huskies bring a 26-8 record into Friday’s game and score 69.8 points per game and surrender 64.4 points per contest.
Sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell (16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds per game), senior guard David Crisp (12.5 points per game) and senior forward Noah Dickerson (12.2 points, 7.4 rebounds per game) all lead the Huskies.
Washington also boasts the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in senior guard Matisse Thybulle. His 117 steals on the season are a conference record, breaking the previous mark set by former California guard Jason Kidd, who had 110 steals in the 1992-93 season for the Golden Bears.
The Aggies are meeting the Huskies in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time. In 2006, Washington downed Utah State 75-61 in the Washington D.C. region at San Diego.
