Utah State University Moves Into Basketball Poll For First Time In 33 Years

Utah State University Moves Into Associated Press Basketball Poll For First Time In 33 Years

(From Utah State University Athletic Media Relations
Feb. 2, 2004)

Utah State University's 17-1 men's basketball team moved into the Associated Press top 25 for the first time in 33 years as the Aggies are listed 24th in the country according to the national writers in Monday's poll (Feb. 2).

The last time Utah State was listed in an AP poll was March 9, 1971, when the Aggies were 16th. Utah State was not ranked in the final poll that season. Utah State's last national ranking by a major poll was 17th by the United Press International in 1978.

"It has been a while and I think that anytime you are in a mid-major situation, it becomes very difficult to get this kind of recognition and it makes it maybe more special," said Utah State head coach Stew Morrill. "I certainly want our guys to feel good about it, but not lose our edge. We have been winning a lot of close games. We are not a dominate basketball team by any means, but we have found a way to win 17 games and we are excited about that.

"Any recognition of this sort for any mid-major is extremely positive," he added. "When you consider the length of time that it has been for our university, that adds even more luster into the recognition."

The Aggies have become the first Big West Conference team to be included in the national rankings since New Mexico State was listed 22nd by the Associated Press and 19th by the coaches in December of 1994.

"Wow, that's nice," said Utah State forward Spencer Nelson about the national ranking. "I think it is good for the program, the university and the team to get some national attention and it means we're heading in the right direction.

"I always thought I would have a great opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament when I decided to go to Utah State, but I never even thought about being ranked in the top 25," Nelson said. "Being ranked has never been a big focus of mine, but it is something to enjoy."

Utah State is on a current 14-game winning streak since suffering its only loss of the season at Utah 56-45 back on Dec. 3. Last Saturday, the Aggies had an overflow crowd of 10,381 to watch Utah State's 84-46 win against Long Beach State. That crowd, 111 more than capacity, was the largest at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum since 1983.

A trio of players are averaging double-figure point totals for the team, including Cardell Butler (13.4), Nate Harris (12.5) and Nelson (11.1). Three other players are scoring at least 6.7 points per game.

Utah State is shooting 50.9 percent from the field, while holding its opponents to just 41.6 percent. The Aggies are out-scoring the opposition by 13.3 points and out-rebounding the foes by 7.9 per game.

The 1971 Aggies were coached by Ladell Andersen and went 20-7 and reached the NCAA Tournament as an independent. Utah State lost its first round game 91-82 to Brigham Young in Andersen's final game as coach. The Aggies were led that year by Marvin Roberts, who averaged 20.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

The 1978 Aggie team was 21-7 under Dutch Belnap and reached the National Invitational Tournament, where Utah State dropped a 67-66 decision to Nebraska in the first round. Mike Santos led the team in scoring at 18.3 points and rebounding at 8.8 rebounds.

Utah State returns to the court on Thursday (Feb. 6) hosting Cal Poly at 7:05 p.m. The Aggies will then host UC Santa Barbara on Saturday (Feb. 7) at 4:05 p.m. in a game televised by Fox Network.

"Once in a while when things are going well, you need to give them (players) a pat on the back for what they have accomplished and where they are sitting, even though you as a coach know how quickly the worm can turn, it doesn't hurt to once in a while say 'you know what guys, you are doing a nice job'," Morrill said.

"It (the ranking) is something we want to feel good about, but it is not something that we want to dwell on," Morrill said.

Contact: Mike Strauss, Athletic Media Relations Director, (435) 797-1361,mike.strauss@usu.edu
http://www.UtahStateAggies.com