LOGAN, Utah, March 16, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah State‘s surprising Mountain West Conference championship season will continue at the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies (27-6 overall, 14-4 Mountain West) received a No. 8 seed on Selection Sunday and will face ninth-seeded TCU (21-12, 9-9 Big 12) in the first round of the Midwest Region at 7:55 p.m. Friday in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will be televised on TBS.
It will be the 24th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history for Utah State, including its 12th in the past 25 years. The No. 8 seed is tied with the 2018-19 Aggies for the best in school history, and it’s just the second time USU has been a single-digit seed.
It’s also the second consecutive year the Aggies have received an at-large bid to the Big Dance. After winning the Mountain West regular-season title, Utah State lost 86-70 to San Diego State in the semifinals of the conference tournament in Las Vegas.
“There’s always a chip on our shoulder,” USU coach Danny Sprinkle told CBS Sports. “I still bring up we were picked ninth in the Mountain West [in the preseason]. That’s something our group hasn’t forgotten. But now it’s a new season and you’ve got to go prove it. … We’ll practice like we’re an 8-seed.”
Utah State is 2-0 all-time against TCU, though the previous matchups came in the 1982-83 and 1960-61 seasons.
The Aggies are ranked No. 18 in the latest Associated Press poll and had four players earn Mountain West honors this season.
Junior wing Great Osobor won the Mountain West Player and Newcomer of the Year awards, while graduate guard Darius Brown II was named to the all-conference first and defensive teams, and senior guard Ian Martinez earned an All-Mountain West honorable mention.
Osobor averages 18 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in 33.8 minutes per game, while shooting 58.3% from the floor. Martinez adds 13.1 points on 47.3% shooting — including 37.8% 3-point range — and 86% from the fee throw line, while Brown chips in with 12.4 points, 6.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Sprinkle was named 2023-24 Mountain West Coach of the Year in his first year at Utah State. He previously led Montana State to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023.
The Horned Frogs lost 60-45 to No. 1-ranked Houston in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament and have dropped four of their past six games heading into the NCAA Tournament.
TCU is led by senior forward Emanuel Miller, who averages 15.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
