BOISE — Stew Morrill remembers Colorado State. He still loves Colorado State, in fact. But he also remembers that day 11 years ago when he left Colorado State for Utah State.

"There were a lot of people going, 'What is he doing?' " Morrill said Thursday with a laugh.

Morrill laughs a lot these days. He's laughed a lot the past 11 years. He has quietly built Utah State into one of the most successful programs in the country. The 30-4, 11th-seeded team he takes into Friday's game against sixth-seeded Marquette (24-9) is his 10th consecutive with at least 23 wins. He is heading into the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time.

His 252-77 record his last 10 years is the fourth best in the nation. He left Colorado State after the last two 20-win seasons the school has had. However, his measly postseason resume at Colorado State consisted of only two first-round NIT losses.

"I'd been at CSU for seven years and it was getting pretty difficult," Morrill said. "They weren't sure I could coach, and there were a lot of things like that that I've long since gotten over."

But, as former Colorado State football coach Sonny Lubick told him as he left, "You're leaving on your own conditions."

Since then, Tim Miles is Colorado States' third coach and the Rams have played one NCAA Tournament game.

"I'm able to look back and say, you know, we were 65-61 in conference," Morrill said. "At Colorado State, as has been shown, that isn't bad."

Still, he left a 20-win Colorado State team in a good conference for Logan and a bad Big West Conference. If you think that's a move up, then your view is crooked. Then again, it was a move up for Morrill.

Raised in Provo, his family was in Utah, and Utah State's tradition had more appeal for him than Colorado State. This is Utah State's 18th tournament trip.

Morrill knows why. Four starters are Utah kids.

Three Utah schools made the NCAA Tournament. When Morrill went to Provo High in the early '70s, Brigham Young, Utah and Utah State were all in the Top 25.

"Because there is a gym in every church, basketball is huge in the state of Utah," Morrill said. "And I knew that going in. My son, who coaches at Fort Collins (Colo.) High, he's an assistant coach and high school counselor. He came to our team camp a few years ago. He said, 'Dad, this is good basketball.' "

So is what they're playing at Utah State. Morrill employs a disciplined offense that's shooting at a 50-percent clip and scoring 72.9 points a game. Morrill has taken a 6-foot-9 former high school dropout named Gary Wilkinson and turned him into the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.