There is only one nation with the abbreviation of USA. There is also only one University west of the Mississippi River with this same abbreviation (sorry University of Southern Alabama).
The Utah State Aggies have thrived for decades in mid-major basketball conferences such as the Big West, WAC and Mountain West. They have won a total of eight conference championships and 15 regular season conference championships. They also have had a plethora of postseason experience as they have appeared in 20 NCAA tournaments. Their most recent notable tournament win was an upset over 5th seed Ohio State in an overtime thriller.
The student section named the HURD has been a big part of one of the best home court advantages in the nation. With chants such as “I Believe that we will win!” and “Winning team, losing team” the Aggies once had the second longest active home win streak behind the perennial powerhouse Kansas Jayhawks. Super fans like Wild Bill and Aggie Pope have also done their part to excite the crowd and distract free throw shooters.
The Aggies have struggled the last few years while getting used to a new conference and new coach but that doesn’t mean they’re content with defeat. Tim Duryea is looking to follow in the footsteps of former head coach Stew Morrill as he is recruiting better players and leading the Aggies to a 2-0 start so far.
Jalen Moore is still the leading scorer of the team but it is clear that the future rests in true freshman Koby McEwen. He was the 2nd best ranked player in the state of Utah in his graduating class. He’s a McDonald’s All-American nominee who played for Wasatch Academy. He has been the second leading scorer on the team in his first two starts.
Other highly touted high school recruits and junior college transfers are thriving in the Aggie system as always, but they will need to continue to do so long after their trip to Mexico for the Cancún Challenge. The Aggies may not get to the Big Dance in their first year with so many new faces, but look for them to at least make a run at the NIT and compete for many years to come. Just like so many USA citizens, the Utah State Aggies believe that they will win.