Utah State Basketball

I usually do not watch too much college basketball, but when it comes down to March, i watch it like a hawk. It is addicting.

From teams you never heard of in conference finals, to the Big East Tournament, to March Madness, the month of March is dedicated simply to basketball.

There are a few teams that could surprise you this year. No, I didn't say pick them. No, I didn't say they would win.

I said, "They can surprise you." So lets get started.

North Dakota State Bison (26-6)

The North Dakota State Bison are in their first year of eligibility in Division I basketball.

Truly making this story more compelling is the miracle shot they made to win the Summit Tournament. ND State is a high scoring team averaging just over 80 points a game.

They have won 18 of their last 19 games, and have a danger, lurking guard by the name of Ben Woodside, who may be one of the most under recognized talents in the NCAA today.

X Factors

They will be facing the third seeded Kansas in what is more of a home game for North Dakota State, then it is for Kansas as the game is being played four hours away in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

North Dakota State is a whopping 15-1 at home. North Dakota State was 0-3 in games against tournament teams.

All three of those games were road games. North Dakota State is money behind the arc, shooting 41 percent three-pointers. They are about shooting 70 percent at free throws though.

What they need to do to win

ND State has got to keep the game close. They have shown that they can shoot the game winning shot, and that is a big motivation for them.

If they can keep it close with Kansas, they could pull the upset. They have definitely got the three-point shooting to keep it close.

Mississippi State Bulldogs (23-12)

The Bulldogs enter the tournament on fire. Winning the SEC Tournament. But their season shows another story. They started red hot. Then hit a sour patch, finishing just above .500 in the SEC they had to win the SEC Tournament to make it into the Big Dance.

They did that by beating a now eighth seeded LSU and No. 9 Tennessee to win the SEC Tournament. This story may sound familiar. Georgia had to win the SEC Tournament to make it into the Big Dance last year.

X-Factors

The Bulldogs are a slightly above average scoring team. Their advantage is under the net. They average seven blocks a game.

Mississippi State has won six games in a row, four of them on the road.

What they need to do to win

Washington is a high percentage shooting team, with a low percentage three-point shooting team. They have one of the best rebounding teams in the nation though. The battle of this game will be won under the net.

If Mississippi State can win the game of rebounding, it should keep Mississippi State close in the game.

Utah State Aggies (30-4)

This team could surprise the nation not once, but maybe even twice.

Utah State will be playing as close as a home game as they could possibly get as the No. 11 seed Utah State Aggies face Marquette in the first round. They started the season 24-1 (wow) and their only loss was against BYU.

But Utah State just has a danger about them. This Aggies team went 19-0 at home this season. Their game against Marquette is being played just four hours away in Boise, Idaho.

How many Marquette fans do you think will make that game?

X-Factors

Utah State like mentioned will be playing a home game. They have a 40 percent three-point shooting team that once they are hot, they stay hot. If they start shooting the three early, its game over for Marquette.

They have a big game potential team. They beat Utah earlier in the season, and kept it close against BYU. Both eighth and ninth seeded, there is no reason they cannot play a game against Marquette and keep it close.

What they need to do to win

Marquette has the scoring edge, and the rebounding edge. Utah State needs high percentage shots. Utah State sinks 49 percent of their shots, and 74 percent of their free throws.

If the three-pointers start sinking, Marquette's tournament shot might be sinking with it. Also, Marquette will be playing without Dominic James, who is their main assist man who averages more than 10 a game.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (24-8)

This team is just screaming upset special. They have won 11 of their past 12 games. They have already beaten a No. 1 seeded team in Louisville in Louisville I might add.

I mean, didn't they do enough last year to gain recognition as a potential threat?

This is a team that went to the Sweet 16 last year. They eventually lost to the UCLA Bruins in the Elite Eight.

Western Kentucky is a dangerous team and could scream bad luck to one Illinois Illini team.

X-Factors

This is a middle of the road team by far. But no matter how bad it gets, they always seem to get the wins in the book. They have no quit in them. A.J. Slaughter is the leader of this team, and if he has a big game Western Kentucky's team shall follow.

What they need to do to win

Rebound, rebound, rebound.

They gotta snag every rebound possible. Illinois has got a BIG team. Every single rebound they take away just helps out a little bit more.

Western Kentucky averages more rebounds per game than Illinois, but Illinois is a rebounding threat with 6'9" Mike Davis, and 7'1" Mike Tisdale.

Marquette's free-fall to end the regular season is over, and the Golden Eagles are now feeling the repercussions as the NCAA Tournament selection committee seeded them sixth in the West region of the 2009 tournament.

In the first round they'll see a Utah State team that won 27 games in its regular season in the WAC, and wound up winning that conference's tournament to pull their record to 30-4.

At first glance, this looks like a tough matchup for the Eagles to deal with.  A team that wins 30 games has to be formidable, but after looking at the Aggies more closely, even the most pessimistic Marquette fans should feel comfortable about Marquette's advancement to the round of 32.

The only victory Utah State has that is of any importance is a home tilt against fellow tournament participant Utah on December 22.  Their losses aren't to particularly outstanding teams either, with the possible exception being at St. Mary's, a bubble team who didn't quite make the field of 65.

After this first-round game, Marquette will likely be playing teams seeded higher than themselves for the remainder of the tournament.  Missouri and Memphis are likely opponents in the round of 32 and Sweet Sixteen respectively, and many probably feel that a game against either of these opponents would certainly mean the demise of Marquette's postseason.

As the perpetual optimist, I'm going to disagree and argue for Marquette's advancement to the Elite Eight.

First of all, I've been skeptical of both Mizzou and Memphis since these two teams began showing up in the AP rankings in January and February.

Missouri has losses to Nebraska and Kansas State.  They lost to Illinois by 16 and Texas A&M by 10.  Don't get me wrong, I know Missouri has good wins (Cal, USC, Texas), but Marquette can beat them with the team they have right now.

The permanent knock on Memphis is Conference USA, and I have to bring it up as well. Houston, UAB, and Tulane simply aren't as good as Marquette or any team Memphis will have to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Secondly, Marquette is not as terrible as their recent record shows.  They held second half leads in each of their losses to Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Villanova.  They lost to the Wildcats at the buzzer, to the Orange in overtime, and only lost in Louisville by four.  

Further, in these losses, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews have not played up to their standards, and they don't even have to play up to their season averages for Marquette to be winning these games (see link at end of article, entry titled "It hasn't been this bad since...").

I firmly believe the six by their name in the brackets will lead to underestimation by opponents such as Missouri and Memphis, and the only thing this underestimation can lead to for the two Tiger teams is misery.  

Marquette also fits the profile for a couple Sports Guy team descriptors (The "nobody believes in us" factor, and the "Ewing Theory" with Dominic James out) that usually pan out well for the team being described.

That's the basis for my optimism at this juncture.  For more Marquette optimism, this Golden Eagles blog is teeming with it.

Yesterday, I reviewed the status of the races in 11 conferences, ranging from the America East to the MEAC. Today, I’ll take a look at the other half of the alphabet, starting in the Heartland.

Missouri Valley

Current Leader: Northern Iowa (12-3)

State of the Race: Far tighter than it was two weeks ago. The Panthers have dropped two of their last three.  The first of those losses was to the team who may very well pass them in the standings, Creighton (12-4). UNI and CU split their two meetings, with each winning on the other’s home floor. The Blue Jays have a slightly better profile than the Panthers, with wins over New Mexico and Dayton at the Qwest Center and a close loss to Nebraska in Lincoln. UNI’s best non-league win, meanwhile, is one against Auburn in suburban Chicago. Don’t discount Illinois State’s chances as the Redbirds are two games back now, and they close the regular season by hosting UNI and traveling to Omaha.

Conference Tournament: March 5-8 in St. Louis

My Pick: Creighton, as they’re the hottest team in the conference right now.

Northeast

Current Leader: Robert Morris (13-1)

State of the Race: Not close. The Colonials lead last season’s tournament champions, Mount St. Mary’s by three games in the loss column. RMU won in Emmitsburg by seven and the two meet in Moon Township to close the regular season on Feb. 28.  It’s possible that the Colonials may wrap up homecourt advantage for the conference tournament by then.  Not that it matters based on last year’s results.

Conference Tournament: Higher seeds host on March 5, 8, 11

My Pick: Robert Morris. They were expected to make it last year and failed. This year, they weren’t expected to be as good and have a great shot to make the tournament for the first time.

Ohio Valley

Current Leader: Morehead State (12-3)

State of the Race: Tight. The Eagles lead Tennessee-Martin by a half game and defending champion Austin Peay by two games. Morehead has a 3-0 record against their pursuers, with a meeting at Tennessee-Martin to close the regular season. The Governors and Skyhawks split their two meetings, with each winning on the road.

Conference Tournament: Higher seeds host on March 3; March 6-7 at Nashville

My Pick: Morehead State because of their dominance over the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the league.

Patriot League

Current Leader: American (9-1)

State of the Race: The Eagles only conference loss was to second-place Holy Cross in Worcester. The two meet again in Washington on Saturday afternoon. Homecourt advantage for the Patriot League tournament may be on the line. Navy sits at 6-4, but they beat Holy Cross in Annapolis and lost to American by 1 there. They travel to Worcester on Wednesday and Washington one week later.

Conference Tournament: Campus sites, March, 4, 8, and 13

My Pick: American, as they’ll secure top seed and homecourt. They’ll then repeat last year’s performance.

Southern

Current Leader: Davidson (15-1)

State of the Race: Not close. The Wildcats have a three-game lead on The Citadel in the South Division. North Division leader (and tournament host) Chattanooga is five games behind. It appears Stephen Curry’s ankle injury isn’t too terribly serious. If it was, it could have definitely changed this race. Davidson is probably in good shape for an at-large berth, but they really cannot afford to drop another game.

Conference Tournament: March 6-9 at Chattanooga

My Pick: Davidson I keep on pointing back to the 2005 experience, but this serves to remind the Wildcats how important the conference tournament is.

Southland

Current Leader: Sam Houston State (8-2)

State of the Race: Tight. The Bearkats currently share the West Division lead with 2007 champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls State lead the East Division and are a game behind the West leaders in the loss column for the overall conference lead. Sam Houston swept the season series with the Islanders, but they’ve lost to both East leaders. TAMU-CC won at Nicholls State and hosts Stephen F. Austin on February 28.

The Lumberjacks and Colonels split their season series, with each winning at home.

Conference Tournament: March 11-15 at Katy, Texas

My Pick: Sam Houston State

Southwestern Athletic

Current Leader: Alabama State

State of the Race: Predictably tight, as the Hornets lead Jackson State by a game in the loss column. Alabama State beat Jackson State at home to open the conference season, but the two meet again March 5 in Jackson. Alabama State is the only team in the conference with a winning record over Division I opposition. Keep in mind that this league is one of the most unpredictable around come tournament time.

Conference Tournament: March 11-14 at Birmingham

My Pick: Alabama A&M, just to stick with the theme of unpredictability.

Summit League

Current Leader: North Dakota State (13-2), in their first year of eligibility

State of the Race: Tightening, as perennial power Oral Roberts is now just a game behind the Bison in the loss column (11-3). Oakland is three games back in the loss column (9-5). NDSU’s two conference losses are to the Golden Grizzlies on the road and at home to Southern Utah. The Bison did beat Oakland in Fargo and ORU there as well.  North Dakota State travels to Tulsa to close out the regular season on Feb. 28.

Conference Tournament: March 7-10 at Sioux Falls, SD

My Pick: North Dakota State, as they have the best team and the advantage of having the conference tournament in their part of the country. Granted, it’s not quite the short distance Oral Roberts has had to travel over the past few seasons.

Sun Belt

Current Leader: Arkansas-Little Rock (12-2)

State of the Race: Uncomfortably tight, as the Trojans lead North Texas by 4 games in the West Division, but the East Division’s frontrunners, Troy and Western Kentucky, are only a game back in the loss column for the overall conference lead. Troy actually took a half-game lead in the East by beating the Hilltoppers by five on Saturday.

Both East co-leaders own wins over UALR, but the Trojans host WKU Thursday. They don’t face their namesakes again during the regular season. If the Hilltoppers had built on their win against Louisville back in November, they could’ve been a contender for an at-large bid. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t and they’ll have to win the auto bid to get in.

Conference Tournament: First round hosted by higher seeds, March 4; Remaining rounds, March 8-10 at Hot Springs, AR

My Pick: Western Kentucky. I would go with UALR here, since the tournament is technically at a neutral site this year, but given how Sun Belt teams typically do when playing conference tournament games close to home, I’ll go with the team that has the most potential and isn’t close to home.

Western Athletic

Current Leader: Utah State (12-1)

State of the Race: Even with the Aggies’ loss to Boise State on Saturday, the rest of the league has a long way to go to catch up. Nevada (8-4) and Boise State (7-4) are both three games behind. The question is, now that Utah State has lost a game, will they still get an at-large if they should stumble in the conference tournament?

Conference Tournament: March 10-14 at Reno

My Pick: Utah State. I don’t think the Aggies are going to risk sweating on Selection Sunday.

West Coast

Current Leader: Gonzaga (10-0)

State of the Race: Not close. The Bulldogs lead Portland (7-3) by three games and St. Mary’s (7-4) by three-and-a-half games. They’ve swept the season series with both teams. Gonzaga should end up with an at-large bid should they stumble at the conference tournament. St. Mary’s chances may depend on Patrick Mills’ health, but if they continue to struggle in his absence, their only chance may be the auto bid.  Portland really needed a win against Gonzaga to bolster their slight hopes.

Conference Tournament: March 6-9 at Las Vegas

My Pick: Gonzaga. In the end, I don’t think St. Mary’s will do it, even if Mills returns, as he’ll have to shake off some rust. This is going to end up being a one-bid league.

I’ll continue to update these races as the season winds down.

What is the deal with Utah State?

Why is the program so good year in and year out, but never makes it anywhere?

Will this year be any different?

The Aggies are currently ranked No. 22 in the ESPN Poll with a record of 20-1. But, what's to say that this year will be any different from years in the past? Can the Aggies firmly believe that their 73 points-per-game average this season will produce more than their 69 points-per-game average did in 2003-04?

Utah State flaunted a very similar team in 2003-04 to the team that they have now, statistically at least. Also note that the Aggies have won 20-plus games in each of the past seven seasons. The 2003-04 crew may have posted fewer points per game than this year's squad, but both teams scored a similar amount of points per shot. This year's team puts 1.42 points on the board for every shot it takes. Compare that to the 1.44 points per shot that the 2003-04 team scored.

In comparison, rebounds, assists, turnovers, field-goal percentage, and free-throw percentage are all in the same vicinity. The 2003-04 squad was a better three-point shooting team, at 40.1 percent, compared to this year's 37.3 percent.

So, here's why Aggies fans are nervous.

The 2003-04 team went 25-2 in the regular season. Hmmm...sounds pretty similar to the 20-1 record that Utah State currently possesses. However, the 2003-04 team lost in the first round of the conference tournament and missed out on receiving an at-large bid from the NCAA Tournament committee.

Instead of playing in the NCAA Tournament, the Aggies played host to Hawaii in the first round of the NIT. The team that once looked like it had Sweet 16 potential disappointed the home crowd with an 85-74 loss to the Warriors.

This is not to say that Aggies fans should not have hope. That's not at all what I'm saying here.

Compared to 2003-04, Utah State is in a traditionally better conference. The Aggies proved that they were too much of a mid-major powerhouse to compete with the Cal-State Fullertons and Long Beach States of the Big West, so the NCAA moved them to the Western Athletic Conference—the conference that flaunted Nevada, a team that had also defined itself as a mid-major threat. Playing in a better conference means that the Aggies are beating better teams.

Even though the Aggies are playing in a better conference now, and are undefeated as of now, they lack any impressive wins.

They may be 20-1, with double-digit wins against Nevada and Boise State, the next best teams in the WAC, but, seriously, who have they beaten to prove that they are worth the rank?

OK, great, they beat Weber State by 26 points. Weber State happens to be the only team on the Aggies' schedule that is in sole possession of first place of its conference. Wow, they beat the best Big 12 team?!

Oops, typo. Yeah, Weber State is in the Big Sky.

Now that Utah is tied for first in the Mountain West Conference, the Aggies' two-point victory looks good.

The question may arise: Who beat the Aggies? The answer: Brigham Young.

The loss to the Cougars is the epitome of a game that a team like the Aggies really needed to win. BYU has a very small chance of receiving an at-large bid for the tourney and is most likely going to be an NIT team this year.

Utah State really needed the score of that game to be reversed in order to prove that it is really worthy of its rank.

The Aggies still have a chance to show the voters how good they really are during Feb. 22's bracket-buster game against St. Mary's.

With or without Patty Mills, the Gaels will be a tough match, especially on the road. Both teams will be trying to show their worth.

It's been a long time since the Aggies won fewer than 20 games in a season. However, the 20-win seasons have not turned into postseason success. Utah State has not won an NCAA Tournament game in the last seven seasons. They haven't even won an NIT game in that span either, despite winning 20-plus games in each year.

Maybe this year will be different, but the Aggies are not yet proven.

At 21-1, the Utah State Aggies join the Oklahoma Sooners as the teams with the records that the rest of the nation is looking up at. The Aggies boast the nation's longest winning streak at 16 games, are tied for the best record, but just barely managed to break into the top-25 in each of the two major weekly polls.

It's far too often these days that players, coaches, and teams complain about a lack of respect when they make some plays and win some games. Far too often these players and teams want respect to simply be handed to them. Far too often there are teams that let their perceived lack of respect become a distraction in trying to prove their doubters wrong.

In the case of the No. 22 ranked Aggies, the honor of being a top-25 team is one that was 100 percent earned.

After a 5-0 start the Aggies suffered their lone loss of the season in a neutral-site game against BYU in a game where the Aggies shot a lowly 5-22 from behind the 3-point line, were minus-eight in turnovers, yet still lost by just five points to a top-50 RPI team.

The Aggies bounced back from their loss with three straight road victories, a dramatic home win over a top-20 RPI team in the University of Utah, and have opened Western Athletic Conference play with a 9-0 record.

While USU's strength of schedule is far from top-notch, their record is a pair of missed 3-pointers away from perfection. There reaches a point, however, where a team's record is just too good to look away from, no matter how weak a schedule they may have played. For Utah State's strength of schedule, that point is apparently the 21-1 record where they stood when the Feb. 2 rankings were released and the Aggies made their season debut in the top-25.

Just one time out of 22 games thus far has Utah State found themselves on the wrong end of a final score. All the while, Utah State's players and coaches didn't demand they be given respect. The Aggies stood at 12-1 when their first top-25 votes came rolling in. Nobody on the team complained that they deserved more respect, they just kept working.

A week later at 15-1 there were more top-25 votes to go around, but still no complaints from the team. Two more weeks and two more road wins later the Aggies were at 19-1 and had spent an entire month as a fringe top-25 team. Ahead was a home match-up against preseason WAC favorite Nevada and a road game against Fresno State, a team who had given USU fits in their first meeting this season.

The Aggies took care of all business that they had to and then some, namely a 75-foot buzzer beater to send one game to overtime, in order to propel themselves to 21-1.

The critics will continue to bash USU's schedule this season, but there is always something that can be said for a team that passes every test placed in front of them. Outside of a single neutral venue hiccup, the Aggies have done just that.

You could say they earned their respect the old-fashioned way. They didn't do anything too flashy along the way. They simply shut-up and took care of business night-in and night-out until their record was just too good to ignore.

Make no mistake, the Aggies' respect has in no way been given to them this college basketball season. The Utah State Aggies have gotten respect just as any team should get their respect...They earned it.

Handicapper Craig Trapp has started to shift his focus to basketball now that the Super Bowl is only a few days away. Craig will take a handicapper's look at some of the Mid-Major Teams that can win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament. No doubt all of Craig's four mid-major bracket busters will be double-digit underdogs against the spread.

These bracket busters always occur, and it's never too early to start looking at these mid-major teams to study them before we have to pick our brackets.

This is a follow-up article to his last two March Madness articles: Ohio Teams to make the Big Dance and top Five Longshots that can win it all this March!

Virginia Commonwealth

Coming from the CAA, this conference historically has had teams that can be huge bracket busters. A few years ago we had George Mason get to the Final Four and also had VCU upset Duke in the first round.

This year's VCU team is cut in the same mold with a very tough, hard-nosed team that is led by point guard Eric Maynor. VCU plays tough man to man defense, and when they are hitting their three-point shots, they can play with any team in the country. Looks like they will be a very dangerous 11 or 12 seed that could definitely win one or two games.

Utah State

This is either an at-large team or an automatic entry from the WAC this year. This team has a very low strength of schedule but is a very experienced, well-coached team. Their only loss is to BYU by five earlier this year, and since then have won an NCAA-leading 14 games in a row.

Best win this year is versus rival Utah earlier this year where they showcased their great defense. Defensive points per game is one of the best in the country with less than 60 points per game.

Leading this team is senior forward/center Gary Wilkinson averaging 17 points per game. He is a tough matchup big man who is very good 13 feet and in. This team's defensive pressure and offensive efficiency could give some higher scoring teams trouble and definitely could win one game and bust a team's hopes come March Madness time.

Buffalo

Most people remember the scare this team gave UConn early in the year, only losing to the Huskies by four points. MAC teams have made some nice tournament runs in recent years, and this team is in the same mold of those teams. Great defense and rebounding will force their opponents to play very well to beat them. This team can be downright deadly when hitting their three-point shots.

The best player for Buffalo is Rodney Pierce, averaging over 15 points per game; he might be the most explosive scorer in the MAC. Come tournament time, this team will be able to depend on their defense, and if outside shots go in, we could see a couple big wins for Buffalo.

Western Kentucky

Everybody remembers last year's Western Kentucky team that won two games on their way to the Sweet 16. This team has a couple new players and a new coach but still are a very dangerous Mid-Major. Coming from the Sun Belt Conference, their strength of schedule is very weak, but they did beat Louisville earlier this year on a neutral floor.

Defensively this team can lock teams down and are not a great scoring team but seem to just do enough to get the job done. This team's key is outside shooting, and if they get hot, they could really give some teams trouble in the tournament.

Mid-Major bracket busters are what most fans live for in the NCAA tournament. Rest assured there will be one or two 12 or 13 seeds making it to the Sweet 16.

Craig loves these four teams, but there are even more Mid-Majors that could do the same and shock the world. Which double-digit underdog do you have winning against the spread, or even better, a money line winner? Can't wait for March Madness to get here.

Get all of Craig's sports articles and official sports picks daily at http://www.CTSportsPicks.com!!

High noon. Seven hours before the Utah State Aggies tip-off against the Boise State Broncos, and fans are already gathering outside the doors that lead into their basketball shrine: The Spectrum.

Fans clad in dark blue (Aggie Blue), along with their laptops, textbooks, homework, card games, and snack foods, are strewn out across the floor.

Seconds seem like days.  Minutes pass slower than finals week.  The excitement in the air is so thick it's like sharing an elevator with a woman wearing far too much perfume.

Lucky for Aggie fans, they will have a respite from their waiting—if only for a few hours.  There is a women's game at 3:00, which means the doors will open at 2:00—the customary one hour prior to tip-off. 

By 1:30 the students have put away their laptops, games, and textbooks and have lined up by the doors.  Each student—all well-seasoned veterans of the Aggie student section—has his or her student I.D. card ready to show to the usher at the door.

2:00 rolls around, and the students flood into the upper concourse of The Spectrum.  Once to their seats, the students sit back and enjoy the women's basketball game (in which the Aggies eventually come out on top).  The students, while supportive of their women's team, are careful to save their voices for the much anticipated men's game.

Following the women's game, ushers clear the house.  The students trudge up the steep and narrow steps, up to the concourse, and out into the small space in between two sets of doors.  One set leads into their beloved Spectrum; the other separates them from the cold winds of a Logan winter.

It's still only 4:00 pm.  Three hours until game time and two hours prior to the opening of the doors.

All of this waiting prior to each game has created a tight-knit family of Aggie students.  For the rookies in the room, the two-hour wait from 4:00 to 6:00 will be torture.  But the well-seasoned veterans mingle together in conversations that seem to discuss every topic under the sun.

A couple of students are sent to retrieve pizza from the local five-dollar pizza shop.  They are graciously received upon their return as the Aggie faithful consume their pre-game meal.

5:30 rolls around, and once again the students are on their feet in a formation as close to a line as one can hope for in such a tight space.  While many of the tight-knit community have an unwritten seating chart with each person occupying the same seat each game, the situation becomes stressful and full of suspense. 

The ushers are cheered as they arrive to set up the scanning machines used to swipe each student I.D. card.  To the hardcore Aggies, these ushers are just as well known as the star players on the court. 

The suspense continues to build as the clock ticks closer to 6:00.  With each passing second the crowd packs closer and closer while pushing more and more towards the front.

The first student I.D. card is already in the scanner, waiting to be swiped, as all eyes stare intently at the digital clock that reads 5:59.

The clock strikes 6:00 pm.  The mayhem that ensues is surpassed by the chaos of black Friday Christmas shopping only in the number of trampling deaths and gang shootings. 

Students fly down the steep stairs two, sometimes three at a time.  All this despite community consensus of who will occupy which seat.

Once at their seats, the students don't waste time to catch their breath, but instead immediately begin heckling Boise St. point guard Anthony Thomas, who is warming up on the opposite end of the court.

Despite having already made himself a target of ridicule at the previous year's WAC tournament, the fact that Thomas is wearing a white T-shirt instead of the team warmups is not helping to spare him from Aggie heckling. 

As the music blares from the sound system, the students watch their beloved Aggies warm up while sharing high fives and encouraging words.

An unfortunate incident occurs about 30 minutes before game time.  A student in the Aggie student section thinks he can get away with wearing a bright orange Boise State sweatshirt.

This poor misguided soul immediately has all 4,000 students screaming at him in rage and displeasure as if he is Satan himself (and let's face it, who else would be dumb enough to try that?).

Within moments, one of the faithful Aggie women comes storming up the steps with a blue shirt in hand.  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but a scorned Aggie woman? Well, she makes a regular scorned woman look like an angel.

The student—proving he has some shred of intelligence—consents to put on the Aggie Blue shirt, much to the roaring pleasure of the rest of the students.

About 20 minutes before tip-off, two of the most dedicated students begin distributing The Refraction—the unofficial game-day newsletter of The Spectrum—to the 4,000 raucous students.

Eventually the music is stopped and, after a drawn out and overly dramatic rendition of the national anthem, the students turn from facing the flag and shout "1,2,3...Welcome to Hell!" in direction of the Boise State bench. 

Music begins playing for the introduction of the opposing lineup, and the Aggie students stand and turn their backs to the court and boo each player as they are introduced.

Once finished, the students turn back around and start a slow clap: "Clap...Clap...Clap...Clap...CLAP. CLAP. CLAP CLAP" that culminates with the Aggie mascot named "Big Blue" descending from the ceiling and the introduction of the Utah State starting lineup.

After the starters are introduced, the PA announcer introduces the Aggies' head coach Stew Morrill, which is met with a loud and drawn out "Stewwwwwwwwww" from the crowd.

The students, in anticipation of the tip, begin jumping up and down with the classic "ohhhhhhhhh" heard at college basketball games around the country.

Play begins as the students begin chanting any of the number of cheers in their arsenal.

A whistle is blown. A foul on Boise State.  This is immediately met with coordinated pointing and yelling: "You, you, you, you, youuuuuu SUCK!" directed at the guilty player.

As play continues, boos rain down from the stands each time Anthony Thomas touches the ball.  Eventually, a Boise State player is sent to the free throw line.  The students chant, slowly at first and then speeding up: "You...will...miss...it." 

The foul shot clanks off the iron, and the crowd erupts in cheers.  As the player toes the line for his second attempt, he is met with chants of "We were right" lest he forget the students calling his miss on the previous shot.

As the Aggies head into the locker room with a halftime lead, the band begins playing the school fight song:

"Hail the Utah Aggies, we'll play the game with all our might! See the colors flying, the Aggie blue and fighting white. How they stir us onward, to win the victory alright! Hail the Utah Aggies, they're out to win so fight, fight, fight! Utah State hey Aggies all the way! Go Aggies, go Aggies, hey, hey, hey!" 

Immediately following the fight song, the band begins playing what has become, to some Aggie fans, more beloved than the fight song: The Scotsman.  With its coordination of song and arm movements, the students (and even some of the cute old grandmas) get involved.

Students spend halftime filling water bottles that will be used to aid their already fading voices.

After some halftime entertainment involving some very flexible dancing grannies, the students rise to their feet to welcome their team back out for warmups.  With the opposing team warming up on the basket near the students, each miss by a Broncos player is met with piercing screams of "Ice Cold!" 

As the teams huddle up prior to the start of the second half, "Crazy Train" begins to play over the sound system.  This sends the students into a frenzy, banging on the pads behind the hoop and clapping furiously.

The second half plays out much like the first, with the Aggies controlling the tempo on the court and the students giving Boise State all the hell they can muster from the stands.

As the Aggie players jog into the locker room following a 79-65 victory, the delighted students engage in another round of the fight song and The Scotsman before heading out to face the cold winter night.

As if these hardcore students haven't spent enough time together already, many decide to go out and celebrate the victory at one of the local restaurants that is more than willing to give these die-hards a discount for attending the game.

With this kind of dedication and passion, is it any wonder the Utah State Aggies are 19-1 (7-0 WAC) this season, with the nation's second longest home court winning streak, and a home record of 153-12 under head coach Stew Morrill? 

The combination of a loyal fanbase and on-court success has created a phenomenon that has come to be known simply as Spectrum Magic.

4,256.

23.

10,270.

Most avid sports fans will likely recognize 4,256 as the career hit total of Pete Rose and even the most casual of sports fans can associate the no. 23 with the jersey number made famous by Michael Jordan.

But 10,270?

That is a number known well among the faithful student section of the Utah State Aggies as the seating capacity of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (The Spectrum)—the Aggies' home venue.

This number, while not terribly significant, has become ingrained in the minds and hearts of the Aggie faithful.  In the early afternoon on game days, students begin assembling in the small space between the two sets of doors that separate the warm arena from the frigid Logan winter.

For critical rivalry games, the students can be found in their niche even earlier (much to the chagrin of their professors).  And mounted on the wall in this home away from home, there is a plaque that reads "Max. Capacity: 10,270".  It is no wonder these dedicated fans—who will spend hundreds of hours waiting for seats over the course of their college career—have memorized the seating capacity of their beloved arena.

The dedication of the student section is rewarded by an athletic department that gives them prime seats.  Over 4,000 rabid students pack The Spectrum from floor to ceiling. The design of the building ensures that opposing players feel as if every one of the 4,000 students are right on top of the court.

This dedication certainly has paid off for the Aggies who boast one of the best home court advantages in the nation.  Utah State currently owns the nation's third longest home winning streak of 28 games.  Further, the Aggies have a gaudy 153-12 record at home since Stew Morrill took over the program in the 1998-1999 season.

The Aggies (18-1, 6-0) will have their home court tested in their next home game January 29th when conference rival Nevada (12-7, 5-1) comes to town.  

A rivalry game with first place in the WAC potentially on the line? You can bet the students will be heading to The Spectrum bright and early.

Regardless of that outcome there is one word that describes Pete Rose's 4,256 hits, the career of no. 23 Michael Jordan, and the 10,270 fans of The Spectrum: Dominant. 

Can you name the two teams with the current longest consecutive winning streaks in NCAA basketball?

No? If you guessed the Saint Mary’s College Gaels (18-1, 5-0 WCC) with 15 straight wins and the Utah State University Aggies (18-1, 6-0 WAC) with 13 straight, you are correct. If not, don’t worry—you aren’t alone.

These two teams have more in common than you’d think. Both suffer from a little “East Coast bias,” as neither has gotten much love from the pollsters so far. Saint Mary’s broke into the coaches' at No. 22 this week, but Utah State has been shut out so far.

Both teams suffer from a lack of a quality schedule. Saint Mary’s boasts a strength of schedule (SOS) rating of 265, with their biggest win coming on the road against a pretty mediocre Oregon team.  Utah State isn’t far behind with a SOS of 235 and one big win against an inconsistent Utah team in Logan.

For all their flaws, these teams are doing what it takes to fill up the W column. In fact, both teams are undefeated at both home and on the road, losing their one game of the season on a neutral court (to UTEP and BYU respectively). 

Saint Mary’s should start turning heads after thrashing conference rival San Diego 65-42 last night in front of a national TV audience.  The Gaels are lead by Australian Olympian point guard Patrick Mills, who leads the team in points (18.9 per game), assists (4.1 per game), steals (2.6 per game), and minutes played (34 a game).

It’s not just a one-man show in Moraga though; junior center Omar Samhan and senior forward Diamon Simpson both average a double-double a game.

WCC bully Gonzaga looms large next Thursday. An upset against the ‘Zags should get the Gaels into the national conscious.

Utah State, on the other hand, is quietly taking care of business in the WAC with a new hero every night.  After taking out the second place Boise State Broncos 79-65 last week (behind sophomore forward Tai Wesley's stat-stuffing 26-point, eight-rebound, four-assist, five-steal night), the Aggies held on to beat San Jose 62-58 on the first leg of the dreaded Hawaii road trip.

A win on the islands on Saturday night (or Sunday morning, depending on your time zone) should equal a top 25 ranking for the Aggies when perennial conference foe Nevada comes to town next week.

If both teams can keep up their winning ways, you should see their names pop up on Selection Sunday regardless of how their conference tournament pans out, and they would make for an excellent head-to-head matchup for an ESPN Bracket Buster in February.

Free Pick: Utah State -4.5 (-110)—Mon., Dec. 22 2008 9:00p

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The Utah State Aggies are off to an excellent start this season, while the Utah Utes have stumbled a bit of late, so look for the Aggies to prevail at home in this in-state rivalry.

Utah State is now 8-1 after a 10-point road win at Idaho State on Saturday, with the only loss being by five points vs. BYU on a neutral court. The Aggies are always tough at home, and this year is no exception, as they are 4-0 straight up in this building with a whopping average winning margin of +26.0 points per game.

They have also been very friendly to their supporters thus far, going 4-1 against the spread, with the only non-cover coming as huge favorites in a game vs. UC Irvine that they still won by 12 points, a margin that would be more than good enough to cash this tickets.

Utah got off to a 5-1 start, but they have lost three of their last four games to fall to 6-4 SU. Yes, one of the losses was at Oklahoma, which is certainly forgivable, but the other two losses during this slump came as favorites vs. Idaho State and California, and we feel that this is a much tougher assignment than those two schools.

Utah is also shooting just 42.2 percent from the floor on the road this season while the Aggies are averaging an impressive 82.0 points here at home, so look for a rather comfortable Utah State victory.

NCAA Basketball Picks: Utah State -4.5 (-110)—Courtesy of LT Profits

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