A decade of basketball to remember

By Tim Olsen

February 28, 2008 | The Utah State men's basketball team has had a decade to remember. Over the past ten seasons the Aggies have been one of the winningest programs in the country, trailing only Duke, Gonzaga, Arizona, and Illinois in Division I. Utah State has been particularly good at home winning an amazing 92% of their games in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

The Aggies have always had a good program, but it was the addition of head coach Stew Morrill before the 1998-99 season that propelled the Aggies to the next level. Morrill arrived via Colorado State, and following a sub-par first season the Aggies took off. Utah State became the premier team in the Big West Conference, and in the state of Utah.

According to ESPN.com, the Aggies are one of the most underrated teams of the past decade. During this 10-year stretch, many team and individual records have been set, including: Most wins in a season (28, twice), eight straight years of 23 wins or more, three Big West titles, five Big West Conference championship games, and six NCAA tournament appearances.

Other records that have been set more recently include those of All-American guard Jaycee Carroll and Morrill. Earlier in the season Morrill became the winningest coach in Utah State history with 226th victory, and Carroll broke Utah State's all-time scoring record with his 2,129th point against Idaho. Carroll has broken many records during his four year stretch at Utah State, including most minutes played and most three pointers made just to name a few.

One of the greatest things about the Aggies, however, is watching them play at "The Spectrum." The Spectrum has been sold out many a cold Cache Valley night as residents gather to cheer on their Aggies. With that 92% winning percentage over the past decade (140-12), it's a pretty sure bet the outcome will be good. In what has come to be known as "Spectrum magic," the Aggies have pulled off upsets over ranked teams such as Utah and Nevada, made amazing comebacks, and built an aura that's hard to ignore.

Rivals.com, a prominent athletic website recently posted an article naming the 16 toughest places to play college basketball. The Spectrum was not on that list, but no doubt should have been. With not only the amazing home winning percentage, but the great overall winning percentage of the past decade the Aggies have established themselves as one of the premier mid-major programs in the country. In fact, the Aggies have a hard time scheduling opponents to come to the Spectrum due to the environment opposing teams will face there.

It's been a great decade for Aggie basketball, and we look forward to another great one.

MS
MS