Deseret News | Reader comments: Utah State basketball: Aggies falter when it matters most

Reader comments
Utah State basketball: Aggies falter when it matters most

MLR | 8:05 a.m. March 15, 2008

This is a perfect example of what a travesty these conference tournaments are. To beat a team twice during the regular season rhen get beat out of the NCAA tourney in a cheap tournament is ridiculous. It' like I have posted before about this very issue, both college and the NBA, it's all about GREED, the almighty buck. We didn't use to any of this horsecrap ever. Emphasis was put on a teams long, drawn out season, and their record for placing in the big dance. But not anymore we have a bunch of GREEDY money thirsty executives wanting everything from the fans but their blood(and maybe that too). Stop it now and I mean NOW, or fans just quit buying season tickets. The regular seasons mean very little anymore, other than revenue for the greedy. Normal fans can't even afford or get the time to attend these year end fiascos.

Robbed!! | 8:34 a.m. March 15, 2008

We got ROBBED at the free throw line! I can't believe how many more free throws the refs gave bsu! They handed them the game!!! BSU must have paid the refs.

Oooo... | 8:44 a.m. March 15, 2008

too bad, so sad. Does somebody need a hug?

Comments continue below

Utah State Fan (Original) | 10:09 a.m. March 15, 2008

Even with the loss to a Boise State teams that will go nowhere in the NCAA tournament if they advance still has the Aggies with a laudable season. This just shows the inequities of the conferences that have tournaments after the conference season. It is a crock that the teams that win the conference title (share it) do not advance to the tournament. That is just wrong. Whoever wins the conference tournaments should be on the bubble just as much as the conference regular season winners, should they fail to win the tournament, and get the automatic bid. This is just wrong. You are telling me that if the NMSU wins the tournament that they go to the NCAA and Boise and Utah State are both possibly out. That is a joke. Utah State and Boise State should go, and if Boise State in this case, since Utah State is out of the conference tournament, is also eliminated by NMSU.....you know what I mean....this is just totally convoluted. In my book, since Boise State beat BYU, it gives creditability to them to be in the NCAA field, and since Utah State defeated BSU twice, they should go as well.

Fan | 10:51 a.m. March 15, 2008

USU could have gone dancing this year if they would have won the games they should have against Cal Poly, Irvine, Weber, San Jose State, Hawaii, and this game against Boise State. They would have had 28 or 29 wins, maybe even 30. But they didn't. Well, there's always next year.

Utah State Fan (Original) | 10:47 a.m. March 15, 2008

Memo to Aggie fans: The NCAA tournament starts when the season begins. The first thing to understand is that just as in football, the major players in this game of bowls, and tournaments are the big conferences; i.e. Big East, ACC, SEC, PAC-10, Big 10, Big-12; you cannot fight city hall, folks. Since Utah State cannot get into any of these conferences, you have to understand who is running this enterprise and live with it. Utah State cannot recruit the bigtime players to be able to run with the big dogs; so get used to it. I'm on the side of the smaller dogs; but we cannot win this battle; LIVE WITH IT!!! Just enjoy the entertainment and don't whine....that just wears us all out; not viable solution is forthcoming.

Thank you Stew Morrill for the great job you and your players have done this season. You all did well, and we enjoyed your efforts, and results. You are probably deserving of a berth in the NCAA. Keep up the good work.

Joe Moe | 11:27 a.m. March 15, 2008

As a long-time Aggie fan, I'm a bit put off by the sour grapes I'm seeing here by so many. It's a very disappointing loss, but only so many teams go the Dance. If they let the Aggies in, there's a team somewhere else (and almost surely a better one) that has to stay home. And, lest we forget....repeat after me.....it's just a game. No use bursting your blood vessels over it. The only truly unfair thing about the WAC tourney is that's at NMSU year after year; but, since we didn't even make it far enough to play them, it's a moot point to us now.

Congrats to JC, Stew, Clark, Tai, Wilkinson, and the rest for an outstanding season! And let's not drop the ball at the NIT like we usually do! There are games left to win!

Re: Joe Moe | 1:17 p.m. March 15, 2008

I agree with you. It's just a game, and as much as I would have liked the Aggies to win another tournament, they probably would have gotten a bad seed by the selection committee. Now they have an extra day to prepare for the NIT, maybe even a little chip on their shoulder. I know JC still wants to put on his jersey a couple more times.
People will call the NIT the loser tournament, but guess what, it is post season and in my opinion, it would look better for the Ags to go far in the NIT than lose in the first round of the NCAA.
Lets look at this a little more positive, the Ags still had another 23 win season.

Bleak Future | 2:29 p.m. March 15, 2008

Vintage Aggies.

We all knew the melt down was inevitable. As much as we want to "pump" our program up, we just got ousted by a very average BSU team.

And even worse, JC might be the best that has ever played at USU - and we still can't win!

With JC gone next year, future looks pretty bleak.

Jeff | 3:10 p.m. March 15, 2008

bleak future,

You should really know what you are talking about BEFORE you post! Yes Jaycee is one of the best Aggies ever, but the future looks bright with Wesley, Newbold and Williams having 3 years left and Jardine coming home from his mission plus with Wilkinson, Geiger, Webster and Myaer. The future will be very good for the Aggies. Good luck in the NIT!

Vegas Aggie | 7:59 p.m. March 15, 2008

A bleak future?! What a pessimist. This team's future is bright. When the season started, Jaycee was the only player I'd heard of and yet this young team came through with 23 wins and a conference co-championship. Much better than I expected. Nice job Stew, and the entire team. Now, I'd like to see us do something in the NIT.

True | 9:56 a.m. March 16, 2008

I appreciate the down-to-earth comments. The BSU loss is tough to swallow, but USU had a pretty good season anyway. I agree that if USU had won many of the games they were expected to in the preseason and finished with 28 or 29 total wins instead of 24, they should get an automatic bid. However, they didn't and thus their RPI leads me to believe that they deserve the NIT instead. I also believe the Aggies will be back in the running for tops in the WAC next year. They have a couple of big shoes to fill, but players will step up. I enjoyed following the Aggies this year. They have a great coach and a great thing going in Logan. Keep it up!!!! Good luck in the NIT and hopefully next year we'll get there.

Ags | 3:03 a.m. March 17, 2008

Stew and the Aggies deserve a lot of credit for the progress made this year. As long as Stew coaches at USU, the Aggies will ALWAYS put a quality product out on the floor. They will compete for the conference championship year-in and year-out. They will make it to post-season almost every year, and some years they will make it to the NCAA tourney. Occasionally, they may even win a game in the NCAA tourney. However, I don't see them progressing beyond that point in the near future. In order to get to the next level, we would have to steal some outstanding recruits away from the PAC-10, the BIG-10, the SEC, etc. Maybe it's not too realistic to expect that those calibre of athletes are going to end up in Logan, Utah! (or anywhere else in Utah) Stew does a great job with what he has, and I think we need to enjoy and appreciate that fact. Great season Stew! Good luck in the NIT. The future does NOT look bleak!

mcmanus | 1:55 p.m. March 17, 2008

At least we have a great football spring practice to look forward too.

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Matt York, Associated Press

Boise State forward Reggie Larry strips the ball away from Utah State guard Jaycee Carroll during the second half of the Western Athletic Conference semifinal Friday. The Broncos won 88-78.

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Utah State basketball: Aggies falter when it matters most

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Reader comments Utah State basketball: Aggies falter when it matters most

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Utah State basketball: Aggies falter when it matters most