Utah State basketball: Aggie win would improve reputation

LOGAN — By now, Utah State is used to playing in the NCAA Tournament. After all, the Aggies have been there seven times since Stew Morrill started coaching in Logan 12 years ago.

What the Aggies are not used to, however, is playing in the second round of the annual college basketball extravaganza.

And there's one overwhelming reason why.

"We always play really good teams," Morrill said. "It's not easy to advance when you play really good teams."

That's the simple version. The more nuanced version of why Utah State — and schools that similarly find themselves struggling to take the next step in national reputation — isn't an easy one to explain.

It's more of a chicken-and-egg dilemma.

"Everybody wants to be Gonzaga," SportsIllustrated.com college basketball writer Andy Glockner told the Deseret News. "But almost nobody gets there."

Gonzaga, a strong little program from a weak little conference, is the model virtually every "mid-major" program wants to emulate. The Bulldogs went from being a pretty good team with a quirky name to a nationally respected program in a matter of just a few seasons. The 'Zags, despite having a lackluster season by their recent standards, were never considered a bubble team this year and rarely are anymore.

Utah State, on the other hand, had to sweat it out on Selection Sunday despite having a similar record, an RPI markedly better than Gonzaga's as well as a stronger strength of schedule.

Why the difference? Back to that chicken-and-egg thing.

Higher seeding is sometimes the result of past tournament performance and reputation. Tournament performance and reputation, however, sometimes come as a result of better seeding.

"Major conference teams sometimes get the benefit of the doubt," Glockner said. "And teams like Gonzaga, because of their reputation, might get preferential treatment because (the committee) knows they go out and will play anybody. That's always been the knock on Utah State. That's the component that's most missing with Utah State and probably a big reason why they don't get a seed that they probably deserve."

Morrill, repeatedly, has said he is willing to play anyone in the country — he'd just like to have a return game as well.