March Maddening: Aggies lose to Wildcats 66-53 in first round of NCAA tournament at Boise
After upsetting the University of the Pacific and winning their fifth Big West Conference championship in seven years, the Aggies of Utah State earned an invitation to NCAA tournament – the Big Dance.
Following the win, head coach Stew Morrill said he wouldn’t speculate where or what team the Aggies would play.
“It would be great for our fans if we were seeded out West, somewhere our fans can get to,” was all the coach really cared to say.
As a coach at Montana, after his team had earned an NCAA bid, Morrill told reporters he didn’t care if his team played the Lakers; Morrill and company were promptly matched up against then-No. 1 UNLV.
“[A friend] called me up and said, ‘You wanted the Lakers, you got ’em,'” Morrill said.
This time around, Morrill and the Ags received a No. 14 seed in a game in Boise, Idaho – good for the fans.
But USU was matched up with a third-seeded Arizona team featuring Salim Stoudamire, arguably the best shooter in the nation.
After playing the Wildcats tough in the first half, the Aggies carried a 29-26 lead into the locker room, but things turned around after halftime.
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