SALT LAKE CITY — Two men's college basketball teams from Utah are heading to the NCAA Tournament this year.
On "Selection Sunday," The Utah State Aggies and BYU Cougars learned what seed they'll play as, where they'll play, and who they will face.
Making the March Madness tournament was no surprise for both schools. USU was guaranteed a spot after winning the Mountain West Conference tournament. BYU fell short in the Big 12 tournament, but was still expected to make the Big Dance based on their performance and rankings this season.
Utah State was given the #9 seed and will face 8-seeded Villanova in the West Region division. The game will take place on Friday in San Diego.
BYU got the 6th seed, also in the West Region. They will face the 11th seed, which is whoever wins the first round matchup between Texas and North Carolina State. They play on Thursday in Portland.
The Aggies dominated their conference this season, winning the regular season title AND the tournament. They were led in scoring by M.J. Collins Jr. and Mason Falslev, both guards.
The Cougars had a great start to their season, being consistently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, but struggled later in the stretch. They were led by A.J. Dybantsa and Robert Wright III in points. Standout guard Richie Saunders' season-ending injury was a major blow. They ended 10th in their conference, and although they won two games in the tournament, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
This will be BYU's third consecutive trip to the tournament and 33rd all-time. It's the Aggies' fourth in a row and 26th overall.
Last year, the Cougs won their first two games but fell short in the Sweet 16 round.
USU lost in the first round last year. In 2024, they won their first game in the tourney since 2001 but were eliminated in the next round by #1 seed Purdue.
