Utah State receives seed, first-round matchup in NCAA Tournament

LOGAN, Utah — Following an impressive regular season and conference tournament run, the Utah State men’s basketball program received its seeding in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The Aggies are locked in the No. 9 seed and will play the Villanova Wildcats in the first round.

RELATED: How to watch Utah State’s 2026 NCAA Tournament opener vs. Villanova

𝓛𝓮𝓽’𝓼 𝓖𝓸 𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓲𝓷!

🆚 Villanova
➡️ No. 9 Seed
➡️ Friday, March 20#ShowMe x #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/ZibJszm6J2

— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 15, 2026

Villanova finished their season with a 24-8 record, losing to the Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

USU is the No. 9 seed in the West Region. The winner of the Utah State/Villanova game will advance to see the winner of No. 1 Arizona and No. 16 Long Island.

The first-round matchup will take place at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California, on Friday, March 20.

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

Utah State Records Yet Another Successful Season Prior To Mountain West Departure

The 2025–26 Utah State Aggies are on the verge of adding another defining chapter to one of the nation’s most consistently successful programs.

USU has already secured 28 wins and captured the regular-season and postseason Mountain West title sweep in just the second year of the Jerrod Calhoun era.

RELATED: Is Utah State destined for its best NCAA Tournament seed ever?

𝓗𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓸𝓾𝓿𝓻𝓮 pic.twitter.com/pMVYH59yD7

— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 15, 2026

After solidifying themselves as a tournament-bound team, Calhoun knows they are playing for seeding in Las Vegas.

Calhoun emphasized the urgency and opportunity ahead following a season-ending win over New Mexico

“We won the Mountain West outright. We got 25 wins, our metrics are great,” Calhoun said. “If you want to make a deep NCAA Tournament run, the hotter you get right now, right? We need some momentum.”

That momentum could be the difference between simply earning a bid and securing Utah State’s best seed in more than four decades.

Follow Utah State basketball with KSL Sports

The 2026 NCAA Tournament Selection Show is on Sunday, March 15, at 4 p.m. MT.

Find Utah State’s entire 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule here.

Listen to USU basketball games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie great Spencer Nelson on the call.

Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics here.

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.

Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.

Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio and video and stay updated on all your favorite teams.