Men's Basketball 3/18/2024 11:25:00 AM
LOGAN, Utah –Utah State men's basketball will enter the NCAA Tournament nationally ranked as it is No. 20 in this week's Associated Press Poll and No. 19 in this week's Coaches Poll that was released on Monday. Utah State is one of two nationally ranked Mountain West teams along with San Diego State, who is at No. 24.
Utah State will be playing in the NCAA Tournament as a nationally ranked team for the fifth time in school history. During the 1970 NCAA Tournament, USU was ranked 18th in the nation when it posted a 91-81 win against UTEP and was ranked 16th when it defeated Santa Clara (69-68) and lost to UCLA (101-79) in the Elite Eight. In the 1971 NCAA Tournament, USU was ranked 16th nationally when it lost to BYU (91-82) in the first round. In the 2011 NCAA Tournament, USU was ranked 19th in the nation when it lost to Kansas State (73-68) in the first round. And in 2019, USU was ranked 25th in the nation when it lost to Washington (78-61) in the first round.
This is the ninth week the Aggies have been ranked in both polls. USU was previously ranked No. 18 (March 11), No. 22 (March 4), No. 22 (Feb. 26), No. 22 (Feb. 5) No. 17 (Jan. 29), No. 18 (Jan. 22), No. 16 (Jan. 15), and No. 20 (Jan. 8) in the AP Poll, while it was No. 18 (March 11), No. 22 (March 4), No. 23 (Feb. 26), No. 21 (Feb. 5), No. 17 (Jan. 29), No. 20 (Jan. 22), No. 17 (Jan. 15) and No. 23 (Jan. 8) in the Coaches Poll.
It is just the second time in program history that Utah State has been nationally ranked for at least nine weeks during the season. The 1959-60 team holds the school record as it was ranked for 11 weeks.
Overall, it is the 10th time in school history that Utah State has been nationally ranked. USU's highest-ever ranking was in 1960 when it was No. 7 in the nation.
The Aggies are 76-24 (.760) all-time as an AP ranked team, including a 12-3 (.800) record this year.
Utah State (27-6, 14-4 MW) will be making its 24th NCAA Tournament appearance all-time, including its 12th in the last 25 years, when the eighth-seeded Aggies face ninth-seeded TCU in the first round of the Midwest Region on Friday, March 22, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:55 p.m. (MT) and will be broadcast live on TBS.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
