7) 2004 Utah State Aggies
The Utah State Aggies from 2004 has been one of the most discussed snubs of all-time. If you google, biggest Selection Sunday snubs of all-time, the 2004 Aggies team shows up on every list.
The 2004 season came after a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Utah State was 12-6 in the Big West. The two years following also had trips to the Tournament, with a 13-5 Big West record and an 11-5 WAC record. The 2004 team had just one loss in conference play and the Aggies missed the big dance all together.
Utah State went 8-1 in non-conference play. They played two Tournament teams, a road loss against the Utah Utes and a home win over the BYU Cougars. After the loss to the Utes, the Aggies started a 17-game winning streak that went from early December until the middle of February.
The loss came to the Pacific Tigers, who also ended the season with just one Big West defeat. Utah State had just defeated the Tigers almost a month ago to the date. They basically split a home-and-home with them.
The Tigers and the Aggies would end up sharing the Big West title at 17-1. Utah State was 25-2. They were ranked five out of the last six weeks leading up to Selection Sunday. The Aggies peaked at No. 19, dropped out and then hung around in the 20s to close out the season.
Utah State jumped all the way to the semifinals of the Big West Tournament. They needed just two wins to automatically secure a bid. But a 7-11 Big West team in the Cal State Northridge Matadors did them in by two.
Pacific would end up winning the title over the Matadors. The Aggies lost in the semifinals two days before Selection Sunday. Their first non-NCAA Tournament loss didn’t come until the Big West Tournament.
But it was the first and only game that they played. Utah State had an RPI inside the top-50, lost just four games all season, one in conference and was snubbed from making the Tournament.