Utah State guard Steven Ashworth celebrates after the Aggies defeated Boise State within the semifinals of the Mountain West Convention event at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Heart in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 11, 2023. The Aggies face Missouri in an NCAA Event first-round recreation on Thursday in Sacramento. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
UMBC gamers rejoice their 74-54 win over Virginia in a first-round recreation within the NCAA males’s school basketball event in Charlotte, N.C., on March 16, 2018. Present Utah State coach Ryan Odom was the coach of that UMBC crew that pulled off that historic upset. Chuck Burton, Related Press
Utah State Aggies ahead Dan Akin (30) celebrates after being fouled on a shot as Utah State and Boise State play within the Mountain West Convention Basketball Event at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Heart in Las Vegas on Friday, March 10, 2023. Akin was a member of the 2018 No. 16-seeded UMBC crew that upset No. 1 seed Virginia within the NCAA Event. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
As one of many extra articulate and educated school basketball gamers within the nation, Utah State’s Steven Ashworth is well-versed in Aggies basketball historical past, significantly relating to how this system has fared within the NCAA Event.
“We discuss so much on this program about how strain is a privilege, and taking part in within the event is strain basketball, and that's what you need to be doing in March is taking part in basketball the place it actually issues. We've that purpose to exit and get the primary win in a very long time.” — Utah State guard Steven Ashworth
It isn’t a reasonably image, says the purpose guard from Alpine’s Lone Peak Excessive who one way or the other escaped instate rival BYU’s grasp in Utah County and is now one of many high rivals within the Mountain West Convention.
“It has been a number of years since we now have had a win within the NCAA Event, so tremendous enthusiastic about our alternative and the expertise that we're going to go have come Thursday,” Ashworth stated.
By a “few years,” Ashworth means 22 years. Utah State’s final win within the Huge Dance got here in 2001, when the No. 12-seeded Aggies upset No. 5 seed Ohio State 77-68 in time beyond regulation. Fourth-seeded UCLA routed USU 75-50 two days later, the primary of 9 straight event losses for the Logan college.
Having acquired a tough-to-get (for a mid-major) at-large berth in March Insanity this 12 months, the Aggies (26-8) bought a No. 10 seed and can face No. 7 seed Missouri (24-9) on Thursday at 11:40 a.m. MST at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Heart within the South Area.
The sport can be televised on TNT. Though a decrease seed, USU was a 1.5-point favourite when the oddsmakers first weighed in Monday.
However the Aggies will strategy the sport with the similar underdog mentality that has carried all of them season after they had been picked to complete eighth within the Mountain West final fall, Ashworth stated.
“We discuss so much on this program about how strain is a privilege, and taking part in within the event is strain basketball, and that's what you need to be doing in March is taking part in basketball the place it actually issues,” he stated. “We've that purpose to exit and get the primary win in a very long time.”
The Aggies final performed within the event in 2021, dropping 65-53 to Texas Tech within the “bubble” in Indianapolis, when COVID-19 restrictions saved followers away. Ashworth and fellow guard Max Shulga are the one present Aggies who performed in that recreation, with Ashworth posting an help, three rebounds and no factors in 16 minutes.
Shulga bought in for lower than a minute.
“That have total ought to assist us Thursday,” Ashworth stated.
After Utah State fought previous Boise State 72-62 in a MW semifinal final Friday, a victory that in all probability pushed the Aggies out of a first-four recreation, Ashworth spoke passionately about what it'll imply to this system to interrupt its NCAA Event curse.
“When the followers help us, it simply provides that further aspect that we're in a position to play for one thing greater than ourselves,” he stated. “We discuss so much about ensuring that we go away the jersey in a greater place. And if you grow to be an Aggie, it's not nearly your self. It's about all of the folks that have come earlier than you, and all of the individuals which might be going to return after you, and the individuals which might be right here supporting us as nicely.”
At halftime of that recreation, when the Aggies had been trailing 36-28, Odom urged his gamers to “be us” and cease taking part in past their capabilities. Ashworth took that to coronary heart.
“That second half, we noticed Aggie basketball. We had been aggressive. We had been taking part in free, we had been going for it, we had no concern,” he stated. “We had been trusting one another once we wanted to. That's Aggie basketball to its core. An enormous phrase I take into consideration is belief. And that's what this crew has in each single man, one by means of 15.
“Once we can belief one another, that’s once we are taking part in our greatest.”
Utah State is not probably the most athletic crew within the tourney, however performs underrated protection and when its exterior taking pictures is clicking, it's powerful to beat. The Aggies are No. 5 within the nation in 3-point taking pictures share (39.3) and twenty first in made 3-pointers per recreation, 9.4.
“At Utah State, you're feeling like you might be taking part in for an even bigger function, and the fellows are locked in, and I believe you'll be able to see that on the defensive finish,” stated Ashworth, who has emerged as the center and soul of the crew and its emotional chief. “I take pleasure in ensuring that we get the gang concerned and allow them to know they're an enormous piece to what we try to perform and that we recognize them.”
In fact, there are some USU gamers and coaches who had been a part of one of the historic wins in event historical past — the College of Maryland-Baltimore County’s beautiful 74-54 upset of Virginia in 2018, the primary and solely time a No. 16 seed beat a No. 1 seed.
UMBC gamers rejoice their 74-54 win over Virginia in a first-round recreation within the NCAA males’s school basketball event in Charlotte, N.C., on March 16, 2018. Present Utah State coach Ryan Odom was the coach of that UMBC crew that pulled off that historic upset.
Chuck Burton, Related Press
USU coach Ryan Odom directed that “unbelievable” achievement as UMBC’s coach, and Aggie middle Dan Akin performed 22 minutes and scored two factors. USU assistants Nate Dixon and Bryce Crawford had been additionally on Odom’s workers at UMBC in 2018.
“For Dan (Akin), it goes method again to once we had been the 16 seed and he felt it,” Odom stated Sunday. “He knew what it was wish to be in it at a very excessive stage, and so to see him get the chance once more is de facto neat.”
Odom stated this USU crew has the identical perception in itself as that UMBC crew.
“This crew is assured like that crew, and that crew was very assured,” Odom stated. “They felt like they may play with anyone no matter what everyone stated. They didn’t actually go round listening to what others stated. They simply tried to do their greatest in each recreation.”
Missouri doesn’t have an important NCAA Event historical past, both. The Tigers’ document within the Huge Dance is 22-28. Nonetheless, their 1994 look was vacated by the NCAA so their official document is 19-27.
BYU, Utah State’s instate rival, has the infamous distinction of getting probably the most NCAA Event appearances, 30, with out reaching a Closing 4. Missouri and Xavier are up subsequent, with 29.
“They're a very stable crew. They clearly have some nice offensive gamers, and play within the SEC, a very high-caliber convention, so to have the ability to exit to Sacramento and compete in opposition to a crew like that's going to be numerous enjoyable,” stated Ashworth, a self-confessed basketball junkie who acknowledged watching Missouri defeat No. 17 Tennessee 79-71 within the SEC event Friday earlier than the Aggies knocked off Boise State later that night time.
Utah State Aggies ahead Dan Akin (30) celebrates after being fouled on a shot as Utah State and Boise State play within the Mountain West Convention Basketball Event at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Heart in Las Vegas on Friday, March 10, 2023. Akin was a member of the 2018 No. 16-seeded UMBC crew that upset No. 1 seed Virginia within the NCAA Event.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information