Utah State basketball: Defeat will hurt once-shining Ags

MORAGA, Calif. — As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Saint Mary's Saturday afternoon, Utah State knew the implications of the 75-64 loss.

The Aggies, now owners of a more-than-respectable 25-3 record, were hurting.

"It stings," USU senior center Gary Wilkinson said. "You're on a national stage and you want to show them what Utah State basketball is all about."

Instead of making a big national splash with the cameras focused on them, the Ags played a cautious and tentative game and probably got themselves scratched off plenty of top 25 ballots across the nation. And, quite possibly, popped their bubble when it comes to consideration for an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament.

"We'll try to win the WAC," USU coach Stew Morrill said. "Say what you will about this game, but we're going to have to worry about our league."

The Aggies have already locked up at least a share of the WAC regular season title. One more win — they host Hawaii on Thursday — gives them the top seed in the conference tournament.

That may be a very good thing because Utah State may need to win the conference tournament in Reno to punch any dance tickets.

Conversely, USU's opponent on Saturday might have helped itself as much as any team in the ESPN BracketBuster pairings.

The Gaels, playing without superstar guard Patty Mills, had fallen off the charts in many NCAA tournament projections. But they improved to 22-5 and will become the mid-major flavor of the month.

SHOOTING WOES: Utah State has prided itself on an efficient offense with high-percentage shots, low turnovers and precision.

Lately, however, the Aggies have been anything but precise. On Saturday, USU shot just 46.2 percent after shooting 36 and 40 percent in its two most recent WAC games.

USU's shooting percentage has dropped to 49.7 percent for the season. While that would be fine for most programs, at Utah State it is a trend the Aggies would like to reverse in a hurry.

"We not playing to win," USU center Gary Wilkinson said. "We're playing not to lose. We've got to change that."

HAWAII ON TAP: The Aggies welcome Hawaii to the Smith Spectrum on Thursday, and a win would wrap up Utah's State's first outright Western Athletic Conference championship.

With three games left on the schedule, Utah State needs only one win — or a loss by Nevada, which happens to be Saturday's opponent — to finish off what will be a remarkable season. The Aggies were picked to finish second in the conference in preseason polls, and without All-American guard Jaycee Carroll on the team, few expected USU to roll through the conference.

Next season will probably be another strong one for Utah State. Wilkinson is the only senior on the roster and, with four starters back, the Aggies will be in good shape heading into the offseason.

E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com