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Missouri tips Friday afternoon in Boise, ID against the Big Red from Cornell. The winner of that game will meet the winner of Marquette and Utah State on Sunday afternoon. Over the days leading up to the tournament, PowerMizzou.com will give Tiger fans a look at each of the three teams in Missouri's pod. Today, we continue with a look at 11th-seeded Utah State.
Record: 30-4
Conference Record: 14-2, 1st in the WAC
Ranking: RV in AP, 25th in ESPN/USA Today
RPI: 23*
Schedule Strength: 135*
Coach: Stew Morrill, 267-90 in 11 years at Utah State
Top Players: Gary Wilkinson (17.1 pts, 6.9 rebs, 1.3 assists), Jared Quayle, 12.9 pts, 5.9 rebs, 3.7 assists), Tai Wesley (11.9 pts, 6.1 rebs, 2.7 assists)
Key Stat: The Aggies can really shoot the basketball. As a team, Utah State is shooting just a touch under 50% from the floor for the entire season. They also hit at a 39.8% clip from three-point range. The Aggies have five regular contributors hitting more than 38% of their three-pointers this season.
Why They're Dangerous: In addition to the shooting numbers, the Aggies play good defense (62 ppg) and take care of the ball (11.3 turnovers). This is a fundamentally sound team that is not going to beat itself. Utah State also has plenty of tournament experience, making its sixth NCAA tournament in Morrill's 11 years (the Aggies have also reached the NIT on four occasions). In addition, Utah State is the only team that is likely to have any sort of home court advantage in Boise. The Aggies campus is about four hours away.
Why They Could Exit Early: Yes, Utah State has rolled up 30 wins on the season, but they have played few teams the caliber of Marquette or Mizzou. The Aggies have a win over Utah and a loss to BYU, but did not play any other at-large NCAA tournament teams. In fact, the Utes and the Cougars are Utah State's only opponents ranked in the top 80 of the latest RPI.
*RPI and strength of schedule numbers were taken from RealTimeRPI.com.
Coming tomorrow: Cornell breakdown
No one covers the Tigers like PowerMizzou.com. To follow the Tigers on every step of their run through the NCAA tournament, sign up today to start your Free Seven-Day Trial.