Utah State takes down Villanova, to face Arizona on Sunday
Mar 20, 2026, 4:37 PM | Updated: 8:01 pm
SAN DIEGO, California – A magical season continues for the Utah State Aggies after putting the clamps on Villanova late to earn an 86-76 NCAA tournament victory.
No. 9 Utah State opened its fourth consecutive March Madness appearance against the eighth-seeded Wildcats on Friday, March 20.
RELATED: How to watch Utah State’s 2026 NCAA Tournament opener vs. Villanova
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USU (28-6) earned the regular season and postseason Mountain West titles in the program’s final season with the league. The Aggies jump to the new-look Pac-12 for the 2026-27 academic year.
Villanova (24-8) finished third in the Big East in the regular season. The Wildcats lost to Georgetown in the Big East quarterfinals before earning an at-large invite to the Big Dance.
The winner advances to face the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats on Sunday, March 22. Find the full 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket here.
RELATED STORIES
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State
First Round – 2026 NCAA Tournament
Location: San Diego, California
Arena: Viejas Arena
Tip-Off: 2:10 p.m. MT
TV: TNT
Radio: KSL Sports Zone
What channel is TNT on?
TNT is one of four networks that will televise the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
- DirecTV: 245
- Dish: 138
- Xfinity: 39 (in Salt Lake City)
Pregame
Obligatory broadcaster tweet, NCAA Tournament edition.
This never, ever gets old. pic.twitter.com/NHY91E652F
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) March 20, 2026
𝘓𝘌𝘛’𝘚 𝘋𝘈𝘕𝘊𝘌 💃
🏀: vs Villanova
📍: San Diego, California
🕑: 2:10 PM (MT)
📺: TNT#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/pm5bXR4XJo— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 20, 2026
Nearly time in San Diego, Utah State men’s basketball gets set to take on the Villanova Wildcats in the first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament at 2:10 p.m. MT.
Follow the action on @KSLSportsZone with @ScottyGZone @USUBasketball pic.twitter.com/L4X3zjwlTC
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
The Arizona Wildcats win the battle of best tea in America and advance to the @MarchMadnessMBB second round. #marchmadness@ArizonaMBB awaits the winner between @USUBasketball and @NovaMBB. #aggiesallthewaypic.twitter.com/ByU0WmAYcb
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
#AggiesAllTheWay are just minutes away from tip off against Villanova in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Full coverage on @KSL5TV at 6pm Live from San Diego.@KSLSports pic.twitter.com/Q0imlNslDS
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) March 20, 2026
Let’s do this. #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/dflHxcEPUa
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 20, 2026
First Half
Utah State’s half-court offense is humming as the Aggies assist on their first three baskets to lead early.
Mason Falslev has six quick points.
1H | 15:37@USUBasketball 8@NovaMBB 6
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Daddy Drake Allen soars to the 🪣 for a Utah State hammer dunk. Villanova has no answer for the Aggies’ half-court offense so far.
A trio of threes has kept the Wildcats close. @MarchMadnessMBB
1H | 12:14@USUBasketball 22@NovaMBB 13pic.twitter.com/n1KTjvYK4G
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
The Aggies got whatever they wanted offensively in the first eight minutes. USU picked up seven assists on its first eight field goals.
Villanova has made 4-of-10 from deep to keep Utah State in its @MarchMadnessMBB sites.
USU is shooting 57 percent and running its offense to perfection as the Wildcats scramble.
1H | 11:00@USUBasketball 22@NovaMBB 16pic.twitter.com/RbHynhr5AQ
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
3-point differential with 6:38 to go in the first half:
Utah State 1-5
Villanova 6-13Aggies still lead 31-27, but Nova is closing the gap.#AggiesAllTheWay @KSLSports
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) March 20, 2026
Villanova battles back to take a 33-31 lead thanks to a 9-0 Wildcat run. Utah State has been scoreless for nearly three minutes.pic.twitter.com/ZFM5vhIKLw
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Drake Allen➡️Adlan Elamin
It’s the freshman’s world, and we’re just living in it! 😎
1H | 3:13@USUBasketball 33@NovaMBB 36pic.twitter.com/YVhGgYRM3g
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
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Second Half
Villanova’s perimeter shooting is opening up some space down low as the Wildcats build a 48-38 lead over Utah State.
The Aggies need to find an answer, and fast, or this game could get out of control. #aggiesalltheway #marchmadness
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Villanova opened the second half on a 12-1 lead to open the largest lead of the game for either team.
MJ Collins Jr. and Mason Falslev spark a Utah State run that cuts Villanova’s lead to six.
The Aggies answered after a 12-1 Wildcats run put USU on its heels to open the second half. #aggiesalltheway #marchmadness
2H | 15:40@USUBasketball 47@NovaMBB 53
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Utah State explodes for a 16-6 #marchmadness run to even the score. MJ Collins Jr. has seven points in the half. #aggiesallthewaypic.twitter.com/7OgjNvsuib
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Utah State and Villanova are locked in a #marchmadness first-round classic in San Diego. #aggiesalltheway
2H | 11:44@USUBasketball 57@NovaMBB 58 pic.twitter.com/ZuVJpucjE9
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Falslev and Collins Jr. have combined for 19 second-half points as Utah State hangs close with Villanova in the @MarchMadnessMBB first round.
🔟combined turnovers in a well-played game.
2H | 8:24@USUBasketball 65@NovaMBB 65
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Three-point shooting is the difference as Villanova leads by 2️⃣ while making 14-of-29 shots from deep.
The Aggies are (-36) from the perimeter. #aggiesalltheway #marchmadness
2H | 3:54@USUBasketball 71@NovaMBB 73pic.twitter.com/RqKwfqspN0
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Villanova whistled for a five-second call as the Aggie defense steps up big in the final minutes. Utah State is playing its best basketball late. #aggiesalltheway
USU is 18-0 this season when scoring 80+ points.
2H | 2:27@USUBasketball 80@NovaMBB 73pic.twitter.com/hPbZESKXaH
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
Utah State puts the pedal down in the final three minutes to knock off ninth-seeded @NovaMBB 86-76.
The Aggies advance to face the Arizona Wildcats in the Round of 32 on Sunday. #Aggiesallthewaypic.twitter.com/H1J1rE3DtM
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
