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LOGAN — After qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive seasons, Utah State basketball won't dance in 2022.
But they will play postseason basketball.
For the first time since 2008, Utah State is in the National Invitation Tournament. The fourth-seeded Aggies, which was announced Sunday evening, will host fifth-seeded Oregon in the Spectrum on Tuesday evening.
The Aggies finished the year 18-15, with Quad 1 wins over San Diego State and Oklahoma. Despite its 15 losses, Utah State is ranked favorably in several computer polls, where they finished 44th in the KenPom rankings and 60th in the NCAA NET rankings.
Aspirations of winning the Mountain West Tournament and receiving an auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament were crushed Thursday when Utah State fell to Colorado State 53-51 on a last-second shot in the quarterfinals.
The heartbreaking defeat was a microcosm of the season, where the Aggies had several late-game struggles and narrow losses.
In 13 Quad 1 games, the Aggies lost 11 of them, and five of those — two against Wyoming, one against Boise State, one against Colorado State and one against Saint Mary's — were decided by one possession.
In three additional games — two against Colorado State and one against Boise State — it was a one-possession game with at least three minutes remaining. As a result of the unfavorable margins, Utah State is ranked last out of 358 teams in the nation in KenPom's luck rating.
NOT. DONE. YET!
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 14, 2022
We are NIT Bound with another game in The Spectrum!
Date and Time ➡️ TBA#AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/0v7O8mOOWi
The Aggies will face an Oregon team ranked 76th in the NET rankings. The Ducks are 19-14 on the year with four Quad 1 wins, including two wins over UCLA.
"See you next week Aggie nation!" Utah State forward Justin Bean said after finding out his season was not over.
MOOD… SEE YOU THIS WEEK AGGIE NATION! pic.twitter.com/pmjAtgTzOJ
— Justin Bean (@justinbean34) March 14, 2022
In the bottom right bracket, the winner of the Aggies and Ducks matchup will face the winner of No. 1 seed Texas A&M and No. 8 seed Alcorn State.
4-bid Mountain West
Four teams from the Mountain West made the NCAA Tournament, which is the most since five qualified in 2013.
Colorado State leads the way as a No. 6 seed and will face No. 11 Michigan on Thursday. Mountain West regular season and conference champions Boise State is an eighth seed and will take on Memphis Thursday.
San Diego State is an eighth seed facing Creighton on Thursday, while Wyoming was one of the "Last Four In" to the tournament, and will play fellow 12-seeded Indiana in a play-in game Tuesday.
