LOGAN – For the first time since Craig Smith arrived in Logan, the state of Utah did not experience the excitement of an automatic bid for March Madness, but rather sweated through Selection Sunday and wondered if they would get their name through the 68-team brace see pull. .
To the final group of the first quadrant.
The 11th seeded Aggies will open the tournament Friday against the sixth seeded Texas Tech at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana (11:45 MDT TNT). From the ballroom of a hotel in Las Vegas a few hours before his team flew to Indianapolis, Justin Bean even admits that tears were shed. media.
“I did shed a few tears,” Bean said. “Coach knows how to give a good speech, and he got some of us.”
Smith likes to talk about how he does not ‘bubble watch’ or pay attention to media projections about the tournament; he reads his first tweet today from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
But Bean does. He cannot get enough ‘bubble content’ and ‘bracketology’. And the former walk-on admits he was worried – based on everything he read.
“When I saw Wichita State sneak in, I got a little worried,” Bean said. “But we know it was out of our hands, and fortunately the committee saw that we were a tournament team. We deserve to be there, and we know we have the tools to make a comeback.”
bui ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/dRhPOIyiE4
– Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) 14 March 2021
Regardless of whether he looked at the bubble, Smith did not sleep much this week as he prepared for rugby games in the Mountain West tournament. He admits he slept better on Saturday night than the whole week. A night owl according to tradition, Smith fell asleep shortly after 20:30 PT and woke up with a completely calm feeling.
Others doubted. He had a feeling they would enter. When the third-year Aggie coach, who recently signed an extension until 2026, sat down in front of reporters, most of whom covered his team all year, he clearly said: “It’s so good to see you, because Utah State just set aside a Zoom call as the Aggies made it to the NCAA Tournament.
But Smith never doubted, he insists.
“We finished second in the regular season, reached the championship game, and I knew our stats were really good,” Smith said. “I knew we were playing a good program for non-conferences, and I knew we had to overcome a lot.
“We want to play, and that’s our motto all year. Then it’s clear that when it’s on the screen and you see Wichita State as an 11’s. But I thought it’s us as an 11’s. “helped and UC Santa Barbara as a 12; it showed that it not only appreciates the BCS schools. It was appreciated when we saw our 11.”
Utah State (20-8) jumped from a 1-3 start to the season to finish No. 2 in the Mountain West Conference with a 15-4 league record – the second best after San Diego State No. 19.
The Aggies secured some victories over the Aztecs through a two-game home series on January 14-16, but losses to Colorado State, UNLV and Boise State prevented them from clinching the regular season title. The state of San Diego (23-4) will start Friday as a number 6 series against Syracuse (16-9) in the Midwest region.
After a resounding victory over the Rebels and Rams in Las Vegas, Utah State’s onslaught on the Mountain West Tournament came to an end in the 68-57 defeat on Saturday against San Diego. The Aggies were pushed to the edge of the bubble, and with the theft of wins by Oregon States in the Pac-12 tournament, Georgetown in the Big East, Georgia Tech in the ACC.
The best way to fight the Sunday Scaries‼ ️
🕺🕺🕺#AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/U4CDsScPP1
– USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) 14 March 2021
But when Cincinnati could not beat another ticket for the American through a Houston route, the state of Utah barely survived the bubble to hit its ticket to madness for the third consecutive season.
The bubble opened just wide enough to let in the Mountain West’s number 2 seed – and the Aggies hope to take advantage of it.
“We’re just all fulfilled,” Utah star Neemias Queta said before leaving a Zoom call to finish. “That’s all we’ve been working on all year. When I saw our name, I felt a sense of joy and achievement. At the same time, I want to make sure we go in and do what we want to do.
“We want to go in there to win, not just be there. We are happy, but not satisfied.”