USU may crack Top 25
On the heels of a 12-game winning streak and a 26-game winning streak against Big West Conference opponents, Utah State is possibly on the brink of being named among the best in the nation – and Aggie fans know it.
As Saturday’s game against the University of Idaho drew to a close, the crowd started chanting, “Top-25. Top-25.”
This week’s list of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll will be made public Sunday afternoon. Aggie sports enthusiasts are hoping to see Utah State named among the top 25 basketball programs in the nation. Last week, USU was tied with Fresno State for 26th place. Fresno State is currently No. 22 in the Associated Press Top-25. Should the Aggies be included in the coaches’ poll, it will be the first time in nearly 30 years that USU has been nationally ranked.
When asked if it would mean more to be named in the coaches’ poll than the AP Poll, USU head coach Stew Morrill said, “If the Three Stooges did a poll and put us in the top 25, we’d take it.”
Morrill also said the team is not too concerned with whether or not it is on the list, although he said he knows it would do a lot for the basketball program.
“That would be great [to be in the Top-25]. That would be very positive for the university,” Morrill said. “But we can’t control it and we’re not going to overly worry about it.”
Shawn Daniels shares his coach’s sentiments. He said making the list would be one more honor he feels the team deserves, but he is concentrating on upcoming conference games and claiming the BWC Title.
“If we don’t make [the poll], we can’t put our heads down. That won’t help us win the league,” he said.
Senior Bernard Rock said he didn’t know what to expect when he started playing for USU his junior year, but is proud of how much the team has accomplished.
“If we get [into the Top-25], we get there,” he said. “It would be good for our program to get national exposure.”