INDIANAPOLIS — Utah State's hopes of returning to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over five decades came crashing down Sunday after falling to Purdue 106-67.
The Aggies season ends with a 28-7 record and a Mountain West Conference regular season championship.
With a close game tied at 23-23 with 9 minutes left in the first half, the No. 1 seeded Boilermakers went on a 26-10 run to end the half, and the dominance only continued after the break.
Eighth-seed Utah State had no answer for Zach Edey, with the Big Ten Player of the Year finishing with 23 points and 14 rebounds despite leaving the game when it got out of reach midway through the second half.
In Danny Sprinkle's first season as Utah State head coach, the Aggies were a game away from heading to their first Sweet Sixteen since 1970, but a focused Purdue team playing in their backyard was too much to handle.
Great Osobor led the Aggies with 14 points, while Ian Martinez added 11.
Purdue now heads to Detroit for a matchup against Gonzaga, which rolled over Kansas in their second-round game against the University of Kansas Saturday in Salt Lake City.
