Aggies ranked in AP Top 25 for first time since 1971

By Tyler Riggs

For the first time in 33 years, the Utah State men's basketball team is ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

The Aggies are No. 24 in the poll after receiving 152 votes.

While the team is happy with the honor, Head Coach Stew Morrill is quick to point out that there is still a lot of basketball to play.

"Top 25 can be a distraction if you let it be," Morrill said.

"It can be a very positive thing if you look at it in the right way."

During past weeks, Morrill's team has received more and more attention from state and national media outlets. With a 17-1 record and 14-game win streak, the secret is out about the Aggies.

"The thing I said to [the team] is to enjoy it because as soon as we lose a game, we're out of there," Morrill said. "That's the way it works when you're a Big West team."

Morrill said he told his team to not feel any pressure because of it. He said he spoke earlier this week with Stanford University Head Coach and longtime friend Mike Montgomery.

"He actually called before I knew we were in the Top 25; he was talking about that and how that would be a good thing," Morrill said. "[He told us] to enjoy it while it lasts."

The first hurdles Utah State will have to overcome as a ranked team are this week against Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. Both teams, Morrill said, will be tough for the Aggies to play.

"Cal Poly, you know, they're dangerous," he said. "They've had some ups and downs, certainly on the road, the ups are beating two Pac-10 teams."

The Mustangs had road victories at USC and California. Morrill said Cal Poly (8-9, 3-6) presents a unique challenge by having three "big-time" players in Kameron Gray, Shane Schilling and Varnie Dennis.

The three players combined are averaging 49.4 of Cal Poly's 72.4 points per game. The Aggies won the first meeting with Cal Poly, 69-63, in San Luis Obispo.

"I thought we did a pretty good job on Varnie down there and he got 20 [points], Morrill said. "If you double him, you're leaving another good player to shoot the ball."

At 4 p.m. Saturday, the Aggies face a Santa Barbara Gauchos team that was picked to win the Big West Conference at the start of the season.

"They'll come in with a little chip on their shoulder, burr under their saddle, whatever you want to say," Morrill said. "When you're favored to win the league like they are, you want to show people you're capable of winning the league."

The Gauchos fell to the Aggies 74-67 in their January game in Santa Barbara.

Now that the Aggies have faced each conference foe once, Morrill said, some facets of the team's offense will change.

"We add things every week and throw things out," he said. "You can't totally change your offense but you can show them something that they haven't seen.

"We try as we go along to be a little more unpredictable."

MS
MS