Logan • You have to give Tai Wesley credit on this one. Nobody has a dark sense of humor like the Utah State power forward.

And in the aftermath of what the Aggies felt was a monumental sign of disrespect after Sunday's NCAA Selection show, Wesley let it fly.

"Maybe we could've gotten three more wins," Wesley said, referring to Utah State's 30-3 record. "That means we probably would've gotten a number 10 seed."

Almost everyone associated with the USU hoops program thought the Aggies would receive at least a single-digit seed — an 8 or 9 — to the NCAA Tournament. Instead, Utah State received a No. 12 in the Southeast region, and will face Kansas State in Thursday's second-round matchup in Tucson, Ariz. This is the same Wildcats team that advanced to the Elite Eight last season, losing to Butler in Salt Lake City.

"It's a slap in the face," Wesley said. "The second we saw our name on the television screen, it told the story. We were confused by it. But it's fuel to the fire. We're looking to win and we're looking to take care of business."

It's certainly a shocking result for a team that finished one win from setting a school record. The Aggies have been nationally ranked for most of the season, with an RPI ranking of 15. But even with USU athletics director Scott Barnes serving on the Selection Committee — Barnes had to recuse himself when his team was discussed — a strong message was sent to the Aggies. They need to play a stronger schedule.

For USU, that means fortifying its nonconference schedule, even if it means doing so under unfavorable conditions in order to play quality teams. Even if it means not having a return game at the Spectrum. Even if it means playing at a neutral site.

Utah State had exactly two RPI top-100 wins on its résumé. One, Long Beach State, lost in the Big West Conference title game. The other, St. Mary's, found itself left out of the field. Translation: the Aggies played an entire schedule without beating an NCAA Tournament team.

And they were penalized for it. It seems unreal, but had the Aggies lost the Western Athletic Conference title game to Boise State, even with many "experts" predicting an at-large bid, USU would probably have fallen short — like it did in 2004.

One positive: the Aggies get to stay out west, in Tucson, where their fans will likely travel in bunches to see if USU can make it out of the first round for just the second time in a decade.

"We were all a little disappointed," senior shooting guard Tyler Newbold said. "We all thought we would be ranked a little higher. But we just have to go out and play."

tjones@sltrib.comTwitter: @tonyaggieville —

Kansas St. vs. Utah St.

P Thursday at Tucson, Ariz., 30 minutes after the 5:27 p.m. Wisconsin vs. Belmont game

TV • truTV