Utah State basketball: Some experts have USU in the Sweet 16

SPOKANE, Wash. — Every year, the national experts fall in love with a 12 seed and pencil them in as a Cinderella team.

So how does Utah State, a 12 seed Friday afternoon against Texas A&M at Spokane's Veterans Memorial Arena, fare in all those national bracket predictions?

"The WAC champs aren't favored to win this game by Vegas, but they're actually three spots ahead of the Big 12's Aggies in the kenpom.com rankings," writes Luke Winn of SportsIllustrated.com. "As much as everyone's certain that UTEP will knock off Butler ... this is the most statistically close 5-12 game."

Using all sorts of complicated statistical models and Pythagorean formulas for offensive and defensive efficiency, Utah State rates No. 20 in the nation. Texas A&M is No. 23.

Ok, so the math geeks like Utah State.

What about the hunch guys?

President Barak Obama isn't feeling it for USU. On ESPN, he predicted Texas A&M to win and then go to the Sweet 16.

Dick Vitale shares that opinion in his bracket.

But Mr. Bracketology, Joe Lunardi, has another view.

"They're going to prove their worth," Lunardi said of the team he had firmly on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday. "They're going to upset Texas A&M in the first round, and they're going to take out Purdue in the second. Purdue has been weakened, and this Utah State team is really good.

"Utah State," he added, "you're in the Sweet 16."

Over on CBSSports.com, college basketball senior writer Gary Parrish sees USU as a first-round loser again, as does bracketologist Jerry Palm.

CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel, however, agrees with Lunardi and has the Aggies (the USU Aggies) losing to Duke in the Sweet 16.

In a computerized model of all picks submitted by readers, though, CBSSports.com has Texas A&M as the winner.

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis also likes Utah State in the Sweet 16, as does his coworker Stewart Mandel.

"Go with your gut. If you like Utah State to reach the Sweet 16, then go with it," Mandel wrote in his guide to predicting upsets. "The second you scratch it out — you're losing that game. Guaranteed."

FEELING SCARED: Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon has done a fair amount of scouting of Utah State and has already formed his opinion of the USU Aggies.