2020-21 Men's Basketball
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® 2020-21 MEN’S BASKETBALL GATA22 NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1939, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2019, 2021 /// UTAH STATE QUICK FACTS /// /// UTAH STATE NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES /// • Location ................................................ Logan, Utah GETTING HERE • Founded ............................................................ 1888 • Utah State received its third at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament all-time, joining the 2006 and 2010 • Enrollment ...................................................... 27,810 teams, after losing to top-seeded and 19th-ranked San Diego State, 68-57, in the championship game of the 2021 Mountain West Tournament. USU began the tournament with a 74-53 win against seventh-seeded • President .......................................... Noelle Cockett UNLV in the quarterfinals and then posted a 62-50 win against third-seeded Colorado State in the semifinals. • Vice President/AD ............................. John Hartwell • Utah State had two players named to the Mountain West All-Tournament Team in junior center Neemias • Conference ...................................... Mountain West Queta and junior forward Justin Bean. Queta averaged 18.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per • Nickname ...................................................... Aggies game, while shooting 50.0 percent (17-of-34) from the field and 90.9 percent (20-of-22) at the free throw • Colors ................. Navy Blue, White & Pewter Gray line. Bean averaged 11.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting 60.0 • Arena .............. Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,270) percent (12-of-20) from the field, 50.0 percent (1-of-2) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (10-of-12) at the free throw line. /// BASKETBALL INFORMATION /// • In its win against Colorado State, Queta became just the second player in the past decade to record a • 2020-21 Record ................................................. 20-8 stat line of 18 points, 14 rebounds and nine blocked shots. • MW Record (Finish) ................................... 15-4/2nd • Utah State finished second in the Mountain West during the regular season with a 15-4 conference • MW Tournament ....................................................... record in its eighth year in the league. Those 15 league wins were the most in the MW this year and tied ......................... W, 74-53 vs. #7 UNLV (Quarterfinals) with the 2018-19 USU team for the third-most in school history. .............. W, 62-50 vs. #3 Colorado State (Semifinals) • Utah State has an NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Ranking of 39 and a 2-5 record against Quad 1 teams ....... L, 57-68 vs. #1 San Diego State (Championship) with two wins against San Diego State (57-45 & 64-59). • National Ranking (Coaches/AP) ................... NA/NA • With its 20-8 record this season, Utah State has won at least 20 games in each of its three seasons under • Overall Record ...... 1,657-1,131 (.594)/116 Seasons head coach Craig Smith, and for the 30th time in school history, including the 17th time this century. • NCAA Appearances ...................... 22nd (6-23, .207) • Utah State was riding a six-game winning streak prior to its loss in the Mountain West Tournament • Postseason Appearances ............ 31st (12-32, .273) Championship game, and the Aggies enter the NCAA Tournament winners of six of its last seven games. /// BASKETBALL STAFF /// MOUNTAIN WEST HONORS • Junior center Neemias Queta was named the 2021 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year for the • Head Coach ........................................... Craig Smith second time in his three years, also winning the award in 2019. Queta was also named to the league’s first Alma Mater ............................ North Dakota, 1996 team after garnering second-team honors as both a freshman and sophomore. And, Queta was named School Record .......... 74-23 (.763)/Three Seasons to the MW All-Defensive Team for the third-straight year. In a separate voting by the league’s media, Queta was named the Mountain West Player of the Year and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Overall Record ........... 225-107 (.678)/10 Seasons • Assistant Coach ................................ Austin Hansen • Junior forward Justin Bean was named to the Mountain West’s second-team after garnering third-team honors as a sophomore. • Assistant Coach .................................. Eric Peterson • Assistant Coach ................................ David Ragland • Redshirt junior guard Marco Anthony was named to the Mountain West’s All-Defensive Team. • Director of Operations .................. Steve Grabowski • Senior forward Alphonso Anderson was named the Mountain West’s Sixth Man of the Year. • Director of Player Development ....... Curran Walsh MORE HONORS FOR QUETA • Special Assistant ............................ Justin Johnson • Utah State junior center Neemias Queta was named the 2021 National Defensive Player of the Year by • Graduate Manager ............................ Brandon Ubel Bleacher Report and is one of 10 semifinalists for teh 2021 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award. • Queta is also one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given annually to the nation’s top /// MEDIA RELATIONS /// center in NCAA Division I basketball. • Assistant AD/MBB Contact .................. Kyle Cottam UTAH STATE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT • Office ................................................... 435.797.2066 • Utah State is making its 22nd appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including playing in back- • Cell ....................................................... 435.817.7702 to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since appearing in three-straight from 2009-11. Since the • Email .................................... [email protected] turn of the century, USU has appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, • Associate AD ..................................... Doug Hoffman 2010, 2011, 2019, 2020). • Office ................................................... 435.797.3714 • Utah State qualified for the 2020 NCAA Tournament after winning the Mountain West Tournament • Cell ....................................................... 435.881.8011 Championship, but the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the rest of the season. • Email ................................ [email protected] • Utah State’s last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019 saw the Aggies drop a 78-61 decision to ninth- • Address ........ 7400 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 seed Washington in the first round. That eighth seed for USU was its highest in school history. • Utah State has lost eight-straight NCAA Tournament games and its last win was in 2001, when it posted a 77-68 overtime win against fifth-seeded Ohio State in the first round. • Utah State played in the first-ever NCAA Tournament in 1939 and lost to Oklahoma in the first round, 50-39. • Utah State has played in the NCAA Tournament 13 previous times since seedings started in 1980. Overall, USU has been listed as an eighth seed once (2019), a 10th seed twice (1983, 1988), an 11th seed ® twice (1980, 2009), a 12th seed six times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2011), a 14th seed once (2005) and a 15th seed once (2003). @USUBASKETBALL /// @USUBASKETBALL /// @USUBASKETBALL /// UTAHSTATEAGGIES.COM /// NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY /// HEAD COACH CRAIG SMITH • Utah State head coach Craig Smith is 74-23 (.763) in his three seasons at Utah State and 1939 (18-6) First Round • Western Region has won 50 games faster than any coach in school history. Furthermore, Smith’s 28 wins in L, 39-50 Oklahoma, San Francisco, Calif. 2019 were the most by a first-year head coach in school history, and in the nation. W, 51-49 Texas, San Francisco, Calif. • Smith is the first coach in school history to win consecutive conference tournament champi- 1962 (22-7) Regional Semifinals • West Region onships and appear in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in each of his first two seasons. Smith W, 78-73 Arizona State, Corvallis, Ore. was also the second coach in USU history to lead his team to a conference championship L, 62-73 UCLA, Provo, Utah and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season, along with Rod Tueller (1979-80). L, 71-75 Pepperdine, Provo, Utah • In his 10 years as a collegiate head coach, Smith has led his team to the championship game of its conference tournament six times, winning four with two Mountain West titles 1963 (20-7) First Round • West Region at Utah State and two Dakota Athletic Conference titles at Mayville (N.D.) State. L, 75-79 (OT) Arizona State, Eugene, Ore. • Smith was named the 2018-19 Mountain West Coach of the Year and has earned conference 1964 (21-8) Regional Semifinals • West Region Coach of the Year honors four times (2006, 2007, 2017, 2019). Smith was just the second W, 92-90 Arizona State, Eugene, Ore. first-year coach in MW history to earn Coach of the Year honors. L, 58-64 San Francisco, Corvallis, Ore. • Smith is just the fourth head coach in school history to earn conference Coach of the Year L, 78-88 Seattle, Corvallis, Ore. honors, joining Rod Tueller (1980), Larry Eustachy (1995, 1998) and Stew Morrill (2000, 1970 (22-7) Regional Finals • West Region 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011). W, 91-81 Texas-El Paso, Provo, Utah HEAD COACH CRAIG SMITH SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION W, 69-68 Santa Clara, Seattle, Wash. • Utah State Vice President and Director of Athletics John Hartwell announced in February a L, 79-101 UCLA,