The 8-seed Utah State Aggies and 9-seed Washington Huskies will face in the opening round of the Midwest Regional Friday. Who will win in a battle of West Coasters?
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Brock Miller #22, Sam Merrill #5 and Ben Fakira #21 of the Utah State Aggies celebrate after the team’s victory over the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament.
There’s a handful of teams out of the West Coast that frequently make noise in the college basketball world. There’s obviously the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who hold dominion over the WCC and is only two years removed from the national championship game. There’s Nevada, who stormed back from a 22-point deficit over Cincinnati last year to punch a ticket to the Sweet 16.
Two others that will introduce themselves to the country this week for the first time in quite a few seasons. No. 8 seed Utah State (28-6) will face No. 9 seed Washington (26-8) in the Midwest Regional Friday (9:50 p.m. EST, TNT) in Columbus (Ohio).
The Aggies won 3 games in 3 days in the Mountain West Tournament to clinch an automatic bid, while the Huskies won the Pac-12 regular-season title. Both last reached March Madness in 2011.
Let’s take a look at both teams’ resumes before taking a stab at a prediction.
The Aggies took some time to hit their stride this season, starting just 11-5. A 5-point loss to 11-seed Arizona State and a 60-50 defeat to 3-seed Houston were close efforts versus quality teams. They did take down WCC Tournament champion Saint Mary’s and Big West champion UC Irvine both by double-digits.
