LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's basketball will be making its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance all-time, including its 14th in the past 27 years, when the ninth-seeded Aggies face eighth-seeded Villanova in the first round of the West Region on Friday, March 20, in San Diego, California.
Game times and broadcast information for all NCAA Tournament games will be announced Sunday night.
Utah State (28-7 overall, 15-5 Mountain West) has qualified for seven of the past eight NCAA Tournaments, including its fourth in as many years, the first time the Aggies have ever gone in four-straight seasons. USU earned the Mountain West's automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Tournament before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Utah State, the Mountain West's outright champion this season, received the league's automatic bid after winning the conference tournament title yesterday with a 73-62 victory over San Diego State. This was the team's 11th conference tournament championship, and third in the Mountain West.
Last year, Utah State was a 10-seed in the tournament and fell in the opening round to 7-seed UCLA 72-47 in Lexington, Kentucky.
Utah State has played in the NCAA Tournament 18 times since seedings started in 1980. Overall, USU has been listed as an eighth seed twice (2019, 2024), a 10th seed four times (1983, 1988, 2023, 2025), an 11th seed three times (1980, 2009, 2021), a 12th seed six times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2011), a 14th seed once (2005) and a 15th seed once (2003).
Entering the NCAA Tournament, Utah State has an NCAA Men's Basketball NET Ranking of 26, an overall strength of schedule of 87, 13 wins away from home with a 7-5 road record and a 6-0 mark on neutral courts, and a
4-4 record against Quad 1 teams with neutral site wins versus VCU and San Diego State and wins at New Mexico and Boise State. USU also has a 9-1 record against Quad 2 opponents, a 9-1 record against Quad 3 opponents, and a 5-0 record against Quad 4 opponents.
Utah State and UCLA will be meeting for the second time in series history. The Aggies won the only contest between the sides, a 73-72 win in the first round of the 1960 NIT at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Villanova is 24-8 on the season and third in the Big East Conference after posting a 15-5 league mark. The Wildcats, who are 10-5 away from home this season, are 3-3 in their last six games heading into the NCAA Tournament and lost to Georgetown 78-64 in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Villanova is led by junior guard Tyler Perkins, who is averaging 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while senior forward Duke Brennan is averaging 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Utah State earned three of the six Mountain West individual awards this season with junior guard Mason Falslev being named the league's player of the year, junior forward Karson Templin earning sixth man of the year accolades and head coach Jerrod Calhoun being named the coach of the year. Additionally, Falslev earned all-league first team and all-defensive team recognition, while senior guard MJ Collins Jr. was named to the second team and graduate guard Drake Allen earned honorable mention.
Calhoun is 54-14 (.794) in his second season at Utah State and 296-157 (.653) in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Calhoun is coaching in the NCAA Division I Tournament for the second time. As the head coach at Fairmont State (2013-17), Calhoun coached in four NCAA Division II Tournaments including leading the Falcons to a national runner-up finish in 2017. Overall, Calhoun will be coaching in the postseason for the ninth time.
The winner of the Utah State-Villanova game will play the winner of No. 1 seed Arizona and No. 16 seed Long Island on Sunday, March 22, in San Diego.
NCAA Tickets
Ticket deposits are available here. A per-ticket deposit is required to submit your request. All tickets cost $165 each and will be in the Aggie fan sections. A request does not guarantee a ticket, if demand exceeds the available allotment, Big Blue Club priority points will determine ticket distribution. Fans who are not allocated tickets will receive an email and an immediate refund. Deposits must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 16. If the Aggies win in Round 1, the card on file will automatically be charged for Round 2 tickets at the same price.
Invest in Utah State Men's Basketball
Fans can activate a Big Blue Club membership for as little as $50. Current members may also increase their priority standing with an additional gift to the Big Blue Club by clicking here.
Match Madness
In alignment with Utah State Athletics recently launched "Show Me" initiative, this year's Match Madness is designed to further mobilize the Aggie community as we prepare for competition in the Pac-12 Conference. Thanks to the generosity of four loyal Aggie families, the simple act of giving can unlock up to $85,000 in matching gifts to help fuel our pursuit of championships. Learn more about Match Madness here, or make a gift today, here.
Official Postseason Merchandise
Now is your chance to get official Utah State men's basketball postseason apparel through BSN Sports, here. Don't miss out. Shop now and represent your Aggies in style.
Fans should stay tuned to www.UtahStateAggies.com as well as its social media platforms at @USUBasketball for complete NCAA Tournament information, including game time announcement.
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