Battle of the Aggies: March Madness Style

For the third time in the last five games and the fourth time this season the Utah State Aggies will take on another Aggie team. Here are some facts and figures breaking down tomorrows matchup.

#12 Utah State (27-7) vs. #5 Texas A&M (23-9)
Friday, Mar. 19, 2010 • 2:45 p.m. (MT) • Spokane, Wash.
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (12,210) • Aggie Radio Network • CBS

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M is 23-9 on the season and finished in a tie for second-place in the Big 12 Conference with a 11-5 league mark. The Aggies, who are 5-5 on the road and 8-8 away from home, defeated Nebraska (70-64) and lost to No. 1 Kansas (79-66) in the Big 12 Tournament and are currently ranked 23rd in the nation. TAMU is led by senior guard Donald Sloan who is averaging 18.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while senior forward Bryan Davis is averaging 9.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. As a team, Texas A&M averages 71.8 points and is shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range and 66.1 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, the Aggies allow 64.9 points and its opponents are shooting 41.1 percent from the field, 33.6 percent from three-point range and 70.6 percent at the free throw line. Texas A&M returns two starters and 13 letterwinners from last year's team that went 24-10 on the season and finished tied for fourth-place in the Big 12 Conference with a 9-7 record. The Aggies defeated Brigham Young, 79-66, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Connecticut, 92-66, in the second round. Mark Turgeon is 72-30 in his third year at Texas A&M and 225-149 in 12 years as a collegiate head coach.

UTAH STATE VERSUS TEXAS A&M SERIES HISTORY
Utah State is 1-1 all-time against Texas A&M as it defeated the Aggies at home, 94-71, on Dec. 10, 1963 and lost to TAMU, 78-73, on Dec. 14, 1983 at the Indiana Classic in Indianapolis, Ind.

OTHER GAMES AGAINST TEXAS A&M THIS YEAR
Utah State Football played against the Aggies of Texas A&M in College Station, Tex. on Sept. 19, 2009. Utah State lost 30-38 in the first meeting between the schools football programs.

VERSUS THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD
Utah State is 2-3 versus teams in the 2010 NCAA Tournament as it defeated Brigham Young (71-61) and New Mexico State (81-63), and lost to Saint Mary's (68-63) and New Mexico State twice (55-52, 69-63).

THE WAC IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Western Athletic Conference has had a team advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament 10 times in the last 13 years. The WAC has also had at least two teams participate in the NCAA Tournament 20 times in the last 24 years. Overall, WAC teams are a combined 35-68 (.340) in the NCAA Tournament. The last time the WAC had two teams in the NCAA Tournament was in 2008 with Nevada and New Mexico State.

12TH SEEDS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Since the NCAA Tournament went to a 64-team format in 1985, 12th seeds in the tournament have an overall record of 52-100 (.342), which includes a 34-66 (.340) record in the first round. Since 1985, at least one 12th-seed has defeated a fifth-seed in the NCAA Tournament every year except 1988, 2000 and 2007. Last season, the No. 12 seed went 3-1 vs. the No. 5 seed, finishing 4-4 overall in the tournament, the second year in a row that the 12th-seed had a 4-4 record.

UTAH STATE AS A 12TH SEED IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Utah State is a 12th-seed in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time since seedings began in 1980 and is 1-4 all-time as the 12th-seed. In fact, the last time USU won a game in the NCAA Tournament was in 2001 when it was a 12th-seed and defeated fifth-seeded Ohio State, 77-68, in overtime in the East Region in Greensboro, N.C.

UTAH STATE IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
Although Utah State travels in and out of Spokane every year to play the University of Idaho, Utah State hasn't played a game in the state of Washington since Nov. 28, 1986 when it won at Washington, 81-72.

UTAH STATE IN MARCH
Utah State is 41-20 (.672) in the month of March under Morrill, which includes a 23-8 (.742) record on neutral courts. Utah State is also 0-1 in known games played on Mar. 19 and 77-15 (.837) in games played on Friday under Morrill.

UTAH STATE ON NEUTRAL COURTS
Utah State is 2-1 this year and 34-17 (.667) on neutral courts under Morrill. During the last three years, Utah State is 19-8 (.704) on the road and 23-11 (.676) away from home.

AGGIES AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Utah State is making its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, its seventh in the last 11 years under head coach Stew Morrill and the school's eighth in its last 13 years. USU has gone to the NCAA Tournament (1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010) or the NIT (2002, 2004,2007, 2008) 12 times in the last 13 years. Overall, it is USU's 19 NCAA Tournament appearance in school history (1939, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010). Utah State has played in the NCAA Tournament 10 previous times since seedings started in 1980 and the Aggies were listed as the 11th seed in the West in 1980, 10th in the Midwest in 1983, 10th in the Midwest in 1988, 12th in the West in 1998, 12th in the South in 2000, 12th in the East in 2002, 15th in the West in 2003, 14th in the Chicago region in 2005, 12th in the Washington, D.C. region in 2006, 11th in the West in 2009, and 12th in the South in 2010.

Comments

  1. Marcus - a few items of business:

    First. You should be a radio sports broadcaster, or a sports television broadcaster because you're nuts. This is something my dad would love to read and I can only follow about 10% of it.

    Second. BYU will always dominate USU. Always.

    Third. Spring Break...Well, you win.

    Fourth. Well, we basically went two years without seeing each other, but that better change now that Wes is coming home in like 2 months.

    Lastly...

    Rise and Shout the Cougars are out!! Haha just kidding.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice work Marucs, you probably spent a lot of time digging all of these facts. (Or stole them from someone else, either way I'm impressed). This list would be enough to keep the commentators busy all game.

    ReplyDelete
  3. yea stole most of them, made some up haha you know how it goes

    ReplyDelete

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