Busting Brackets
Fansided

2023 Bracketology: Kentucky, Indiana, and Texas Tech among week’s biggest winners

By Tristan Freeman

Feb 18, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) walks off the court after the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Oscar Tshiebwe (34) walks off the court after the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 11
Next
Bracketology Utah State Aggies head coach Ryan Odom and guard Steven Ashworth Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Bracketology Utah State Aggies head coach Ryan Odom and guard Steven Ashworth Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports /

Utah State Aggies

After back-to-back losses to San Diego State and San Jose State, the Aggies have seen their stock drop in Bracketology. The good news is that the attention in the Mountain West has been on New Mexico, which has fallen even further as of late. Utah State needed a sweep this past week to stay on the bubble but they had a pair of tricky opponents to deal with.

The first game was against Air Force, which has been a thorn in the side of several teams in the top half of the Mountain West. They were a problem for the Aggies too for a decent part of the game but the favorites were able to get the 80-65 win to avoid the Quad 3 setback. Max Shulga had a career-high 29 points on 8/16 shooting in the win.

It was a battle of bubble teams on the weekend, with Utah State hosting Nevada. It was all Wolf Pack early on, leading by 15 points at halftime. But the Aggies had one of its best defensive performances of the season, holding Nevada to just 19 points in the final 20 minutes to come back and get the 75-66 win. Steven Ashford had 20 points, one of five players in double figures.

Next. Top 10 resumes for a 1 seed. dark

It’s another Quad 2 win but they still lack any Quad 1 victories on the resume, which could keep them out on Selection Sunday. But they first have to avoid any bad losses going forward, including its lone game next week at Wyoming.

Home/Bracketology