Aggies To Face Washington In NCAA Tournament As 8 Seed

LOGAN, Utah – There’s no doubt about it now, the Utah State Aggies are headed to the NCAA Tournament.

By winning the Mountain West Conference tournament with a 64-57 victory over San Diego State on Saturday, the Aggies clinched an automatic bid to the Big Dance.

Now they know where they’re headed and who they’ll be playing.

The eighth-seeded Aggies are going to play Washington in the Midwest Region.

The game will tip off at 4:50 p.m. Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

Utah State is an 8 seed in the Midwest Region. They will face Washington in Columbus, OH on Friday. #AggiesAllTheWay #MarchMadness

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) March 17, 2019

Should the Aggies win their first round game, they’ll draw the winner of North Carolina vs. Iona for the right to go to the Sweet 16.

The bid to the NCAA Tournament is the latest accomplishment in a list of great feats for Utah State in the 2018-19 season.

It will be the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2011 and the 21^st appearance all-time. The 8 seed in this year’s tournament is also the highest seed that the Aggies have ever received.

Utah State was picked to finish ninth in the Mountain West Conference prior to the season, but led by first head coach Craig Smith, the Aggies have been the toast of the year with a shockingly impressive season.

LET'S DO THIS THING!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/ZO0hiRpvuv

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 17, 2019

Smith has been honored as conference coach of the year while junior forward Sam Merrill was named Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference. Freshman center Neemias Queta also received honors as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

The Aggies will go into the Big Dance with a 28-6 record, including a 15-3 mark in conference play.

The NCAA Tournament game against Washington will tip off Friday at 4:50 p.m. on TNT.