USU draws UC, Santa Barbara for annual BracketBuster
The USU men’s basketball renews another rivalry during ESPNU’s BracketBuster weekend.
ESPNU announced, Tuesday, USU will be paired with and host former Big West Conference rival University of California, Santa Barbara on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. This is the seventh year the Aggies will participate in the event, and it will be the first time USU is in a non-televised game.
“It’s a renewal of an old rivalry that was a good rivalry,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said. “We have tons of respect for UC, Santa Barbara, and Bob Williams is a really good coach and a really good guy. We may not have got the featured televised game, but we got a really good opponent, and we have a ton of respect for them.”
The Aggies have been fairly successful in BracketBuster games, as they have achieved a 5-1 record — the only loss coming against Saint Mary’s in 2009.
The Gauchos (11-7, 6-2 Big West) are reigning Big West champions and currently hold second place in the Big West. The Gauchos, who fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Florida, are 4-4 on the road this year and return three starters and five seniors from last year’s team.
“I thought we got a tough draw. They probably think the same thing, because we are at home,” Morrill said. “That’s the nature of BracketBuster, you’re going to get a pretty good opponent.”
USU defeated UC, Santa Barbara 72-59 during an ESPNU BracketBuster game in 2008, and the Aggies own a 22-6 home record against the Gauchos. USU has also won the past six games against the Gauchos, and UC, Santa Barbara has not won a game in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum since 1999 (66-65, OT).
Utah State and UC, Santa Barbara will meet for the 63rd time with the Aggies owning a 39-23 all-time advantage, including a 22-6 record at home. The last time the two teams met was Nov. 17, 2008, in Santa Barbara with USU winning 61-59. The last time the two teams played in Logan was on Feb. 22, 2008, in an ESPNU BracketBuster game when the Aggies won 72-59.
Overall, Utah State has won six straight games in the series, including each of the last six at home, and the last time UCSB defeated USU was on Feb. 6, 2003, in Santa Barbara, 62-50. The last time the Gauchos won in Logan was on Jan. 16, 1999, 66-65, in overtime.
All eight Western Athletic Conference teams are involved in this year’s event, with Nevada and New Mexico State being the WAC schools to have a televised game.
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu