Utah State men’s basketball will play Villanova in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 20, in San Diego, according to a March 15 announcement. The Aggies are making their 26th appearance in the tournament and have been seeded ninth in the West Region.
This matchup is significant as Utah State has qualified for seven of the past eight NCAA Tournaments and is participating for the fourth consecutive year, marking a program first. The team secured its spot by winning the Mountain West Conference tournament with a victory over San Diego State.
The Aggies finished their season with a 28-7 overall record and were named outright champions of the Mountain West Conference. They have an NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Ranking of 26 and have demonstrated strong performance away from home, including a perfect record on neutral courts. Utah State also holds notable records against Quad 1 through Quad 4 opponents.
Villanova enters the game with a 24-8 record and finished third in the Big East Conference. The Wildcats are led by junior guard Tyler Perkins and senior forward Duke Brennan. Utah State earned several individual conference awards this season: Mason Falslev was named player of the year, Karson Templin received sixth man of the year honors, and head coach Jerrod Calhoun was recognized as coach of the year.
Calhoun is coaching his second season at Utah State with an overall record of 54-14 at the school. He has previous postseason experience at both Division I and Division II levels. The winner between Utah State and Villanova will advance to play either Arizona or Long Island on Sunday, March 22.
Fans can find ticket information, official merchandise, and details about supporting Utah State men’s basketball through various initiatives on www.UtahStateAggies.com.
