Aggies and Wildcats Meet in top 25 Matchup in NCAA Tournament Second Round
GAME 34
No. 12 Utah St. (30-3) vs. No. 5 Kansas St. (22-10)
Thursday, March 17, 2011 • 7:57 p.m. (MT) • Tucson, Ariz.
McKale Center (14,545) • Aggie Radio Network • TruTV
GAME DAY HEADLINES
- Utah State is in its 106th season of basketball this year and has an overall record of 1,458-1,005 (.592). USU hasn't had a losing season since 1993, a span of 17 years.
- Utah State is ranked in the top 25 (17th in coaches' poll and 19th in AP poll) for the ninth straight week, which is its longest streak since the 1970-71 team was ranked for 11 straight weeks.
- Utah State is making its 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history (1939, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011), which is the most by any member of the Western Athletic Conference, and ninth in the last 14 years. Under head coach Stew Morrill, USU is appearing in its eighth NCAA Tournament in the last 12 years, including its third straight. Those eight NCAA appearances by Morrill are the most by any coach in USU history and it is just the second time in school history that USU has played in three straight NCAA Tournaments (1962, 1963, 1964).
- Utah State is playing in its 12th straight postseason, which is a school record, and tied for the 12th longest active streak in the nation. During the last 12 years, USU has appeared in the NCAA Tournament eight times (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011) and the NIT four times (2002, 2004, 2007, 2008).
- Utah State is 6-21 (.222) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, which includes a 4-15 (.211) record in the first round. USU has lost six straight games in the NCAA Tournament and its last win was in the first round of the 2001 tournament when it defeated fifth-seeded Ohio State, 77-68, in overtime. In its last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010, USU lost to fifth-seeded Texas A&M, 69-53, in the first round.
- Utah State is making its 29th postseason appearance all-time, having qualified for the NCAA Tournament 20 times and the NIT on nine occasions. USU's overall postseason record is 8-30 (.211).
- Utah State's 30 wins are tied with Belmont, BYU and Duke for the second-most in the nation behind Kansas (32), Ohio State (32) and San Diego State (32). USU is also one of just four teams in the nation with three or fewer losses joining Kansas (32-2), Ohio State (32-2) and SDSU (32-2).
- Utah State's 30 wins are tied with the 2008-09 team for most in school history and its 30-3 record is the best-ever at USU.
- Utah State has won eight straight games heading into the NCAA Tournament and 25 of its last 26 games overall.
UP NEXT
Utah State (30-3, 15-1) is the No. 12 seed in the Southeast Region in Tucson, Ariz., and will play fifth-seeded Kansas State (22-10, 10-6) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament hursday, March 17, at approximately 7:57 p.m. (MT) at the McKale Center. The game will be televised nationally on TruTV (Comcast Ch. 44) with Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst), Dan Bonner (analyst) and Sam Ryan (reporter) calling the action. The game will also be aired live on KVNU 610 AM/95.9 FM in Cache Valley and 1320 AM along the Wasatch Front.
NCAA TOURNAMENT PRACTICE AND PRESS CONFERENCE TIMES ON WEDNESDAY
Utah State's press conference with student-athletes and head coach Stew Morrill at the NCAA Tournament in Tucson, Ariz., is Wednesday, March 16, from 6-6:40 p.m. (PT), and its practice is from 6:40-7:20 p.m. Kansas State's press conference is from 4:30-5:10 p.m., and its practice is 5:10-5:50 p.m.
UTAH STATE TRAVEL PLANS
Utah State will leave Logan Tuesday afternoon [March 15] and arrive at the Tucson International Airport via a charter at approximately 6 p.m. (PT). USU stay at the Radisson East (6555 East Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85710). USU Media Relations Director Doug Hoffman (Cell: 435.881.8011) and Associate Director Zach Fisher (Cell: 435.213.0318) will travel with the team.
UTAH STATE NATIONALLY RANKED FOR THIRD TIME IN LAST EIGHT YEARS
Utah State is ranked 17th in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll released Monday [March 14] and 19th in the latest Associated Press poll. USU was ranked 17th in last week's coaches' poll and 23rd in the AP poll. Utah State's No. 17 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll is the highest-ever ranking for Utah State in that poll which expanded from 20 to 25 teams prior to the 1990-91 season. USU was also ranked 17th in coaches' poll earlier this year and during the 2008-09 season. USU's No. 19 ranking in the AP poll is the highest since the 2003-04 season was also ranked No. 19. Overall, it is the second time in the last three years and the third time in the past eight seasons that Utah State has been ranked in both polls. The last time a Utah State team was ranked higher than 17th in any poll was at the end of the 1974-75 season when it was ranked 13th in the final United Press International Coaches' poll.
Read more about the men’s basketball team and its appearance at the NCAA Tournament in the full story at the Athletics website.
Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.
Utah State (30-3, 15-1) is the No. 12 seed in the Southeast Region in Tucson, Ariz., and plays fifth-seeded Kansas State (22-10, 10-6) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday, March 17, at approximately 7:57 p.m. (MT), McKale Center.
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