Utah State Basketball Named Team Of The Week By Andy Katz
Dec 30, 2024, 5:05 PM
28 December 2024: San Diego State men’s basketball hosts Utah State Saturday afternoon at Viejas Arena. (Credit: Derrick Tuskan/San Diego State)
(Credit: Derrick Tuskan/San Diego State)
SALT LAKE CITY- With back-to-back road wins against Saint Mary’s and San Diego State, Utah State Basketball has put the nation on notice. The Aggies boast a 12-1 record with their only loss coming at home to UC San Diego who are sitting atop the Big West and only have two losses on the year.
Following the loss to the Tritons, Utah State began their most grueling road trip of the season with three consecutive games in tough environments against Quadrant 1 opponents.
Utah State is already two-thirds of the way through their early season gauntlet and they have impressed with their wins over the Gaels and Aztecs, and now only the Nevada Wolf Pack remain before the Aggies head home.
Andy Katz, NCAA Analyst, liked what he saw out of Jerrod Calhoun’s squad so much that he named the Utah State Aggies his Team of the Week.
🏆 Weekly Awards from @TheAndyKatz 🏆
Team of the Week: Utah State
Player of the Week: Brice Williams pic.twitter.com/zmcWIJjPW1— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 30, 2024
Despite finding themselves down by a large margin in the first half, the Aggies chipped their way back into the contest throughout the second, in part thanks to a 10-3 run to close out the first twenty minutes, making the deficit only 11 at halftime.
The Aggies and Aztecs are used to high-pressure battles, and once Utah State pulled even with around six minutes remaining, this one was no different. The last few minutes were hectic and full of momentum swings with five lead changes during crunch time.
The game ultimately came down to a Tucker Anderson three-pointer with seven seconds left that put Utah State on top for the last time.
TUCKER ANDERSON WINS IT FOR UTAH STATE 😱
(via @CBBonFOX)
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 29, 2024
Not only did their gutsy win at Viejas Arena earn them Team of the Week, the Aggies also re-entered Andy Katz’s Power 37 rankings, popping in at the No. 25 spot, sandwiched between St. John’s and Gonzaga.
In his breakdown of the Power 37 rankings, Katz was not only impressed with Utah State’s record and resume to begin the 2024-2025 campaign but also with their ability to win year after year even with new coaching staffs and rosters.
“There is clearly something going on in Logan, regardless of who the coach is at the current time,” Katz noted, “Larry Eustachy, Stew Morrill, Craig Smith, Ryan Odom, Danny Sprinkle and now Jerrod Calhoun have all won at Utah State.”
He also emphasized that the Aggies’ early season success combined with strong play in the Mountain West would result in another NCAA Tournament berth, saying, “The Aggies have a real shot at going to the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons with three different head coaches.”
NEW #Power37 from @TheAndyKatz 🚨
1. Auburn
2. Tennessee
3. Iowa State
4. Duke
5. Florida
6. Alabama
7. Oklahoma
8. UConn
9. Marquette
10. Kansas📰: https://t.co/pTdCySAUyb pic.twitter.com/0kjjgaaFxQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 30, 2024
Why Aren’t We Seeing Utah State In The AP Top 25?
Despite their record, resume, and recent road success, the Utah State Aggies were once again left outside of the AP Top 25, which was released on the morning of Monday, December 30.
Not only were they not included, but Utah State isn’t even particularly close. Baylor, the team ranked in the 25th and final spot, received 139 votes from AP Pollers, giving us this week’s minimum amount of votes needed to be ranked; Utah State only received 59 votes. To add insult to injury, Maryland, Drake, St. John’s, Dayton, and Michigan are all receiving more votes to be ranked than the Aggies.
For more context, Utah State ranks ten spots higher than Baylor (8-3) in strength of record with two more Quadrant 1 wins, one more Quadrant 2 win, and two fewer losses.
This decision left not only Utah State fans asking questions but also college basketball experts.
“Where is Utah State? I ask and I’m not getting any answers,” Andy Katz said in his reaction to the new AP Top 25 rankings for Bleacher Report and March Madness.
Where is @USUBasketball in the @AP_Top25 poll? My reaction for @BleacherReport and @MarchMadnessMBB: pic.twitter.com/dCjTETGy4b
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) December 30, 2024
It might not seem crazy to say that the Aggies should already be ranked or that a win on the road over Nevada would put them in the Top 25, but with the way the AP Pollers are voting at the moment, it might take even more from Utah State to convince them that they deserve a spot.
Up Next For The Utah State Aggies
The Aggies will play the third and final leg of their early road test on New Year’s Eve. Utah State will head west to Reno to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack, who despite a rocky 8-5 start, have posted impressive wins over high-major opponents like Washington and Oklahoma State, and are still 64th in the NCAA Net Rankings, meaning a Utah State victory would earn them another Quadrant 1 win.
The Aggies and Wolf Pack will tip off at 8:00 p.m. MT from Lawlor Events Center on Tuesday, December 31. You can tune in on the Mountain West Network.
