BRACKET BUSTER: UTAH STATE
Record: 30-3
Coach: Stew Morrill
How they got in the tourney: Won Western Athletic Conference tournament.
Best victories/quality losses: Beat Long Beach State, St. Mary's, lost to BYU by six points.
Worst losses: Lost to Idaho.
Why they can contend: The Aggies don't always win impressively – they beat an average San Jose State team in the WAC semifinals by four points – but they've won 25 of their last 26 games. How about this: Utah State has won its last 49 games when leading at halftime. The Aggies' top seven players are juniors or seniors, including forward Tai Wesley, the WAC's player of the year. This group has been to the tournament the past two years, losing in the first round both times. First-round opponent Kansas State can bang on the boards, but doesn't take care of the ball well and is a poor at the free-throw line. Fun fact: Wesley has broken his nose in each of the past two seasons.
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