|
 | ||
 |
 null 
|
Utah State
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
Utah State put plenty of pressure on its opponents all season. The Aggies were feeling plenty of heat, too. But they defended their Big West Conference tournament title with a 50-38 victory over Pacific on Saturday night and earned a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies became the first team to repeat as conference champions since UNLV won three straight from 1989-91. Utah State didn't win the regular season title, that went to UC Irvine. But after a couple stumbles on the road in the finals weeks of the regular season, the Aggies didn't have to worry about beating the Anteaters (who lost to Pacific in the semifinals). USU pulled off a big upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, knocking off a strong Ohio State squad . Player to Watch If a name ever fit a player, Bernard Rock is that player. The 5-10 senior guard is built like a truck and isn't afraid to take the ball down the lane against bigger players. Knock him down and he'll get right up and shoot FTs at 80 percent. He averaged 10.4 points a game and 4.2 assists. With the Ball The Aggies will take what is available, but look to get the best shot possible. The Big West title game was a capsule of the season. Utah State methodically pulled away for a 50-38 win. The Aggies must play as a unit (four seniors start) to be successful. Defense sets up the offense, which goes through forward Shawn Daniels (11.9 ppg; 6.8 rpg).Defending the Ball This is where the Aggies get the job done, holding teams to 56.8 points a game and just 38-percent shooting. Utah State held each of its three Big West tourney foes to under 50 points in winning the automatic bid. Don't expect the same in the first round, but the recipe for an upset is the Aggies keeping the game close with a slow tempo. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed None. Playing to Expectations Falling Short None. BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.000 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000: Utah State has not won an NCAA tournament game since 1970 and is just 5-15 all-time in the tourney. The Aggies' best-ever performance was a spot in the 1970 West Region final, where they fell to a UCLA team that never lost. Overall, the Big West has been quite successful (37-40) in NCAA play. Much of that success, of course, is attributed to the outstanding UNLV teams of Jerry Tarkanian.Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coach Stew Morrill finds it tough to win when you miss 22 shots in a row (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
