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Logan • The first reaction was confusion. Then came shock, and then anger for Utah State.
A closer look at USU's surprisingly low No. 12 seed in the Southeast region of the NCAA Tournament, however, reveals at least the possibility of a nice run for the Aggies.
Kansas State will be a difficult matchup, no doubt. But the Wildcats are good, not great like they were last season when Denis Clemente was around to the be the Robin to Jacob Pullen's Batman.
And should Utah State get past the first round, both Wisconsin and Belmont are beatable teams. So while the Selection Committee obviously did USU no favors in its seeding, at least the Aggies aren't guaranteed a swift first-round exit.
That is, if Utah State actually plays well in Tucson, Ariz.
"You know, take out the seed, and look at the matchup and I think we'll be OK," Tai Wesley said. "We're playing a good Kansas State team and that makes us excited. They've been kind of up and down all year. We have guys that can defend on the perimeter and they're guard-heavy. We have to play extremely well, but if we do, I think we'll be OK."
It's another game in which the Aggies will face a premier backcourt talent this season. USU's already seen the likes of BYU's Jimmer Fredette, Georgetown's Austin Freeman, Weber State's Damian Lillard, San Jose State's Adrian Oliver and Saint Mary's Mickey McConnell, some of the best guards in the country.
Pullen just adds to the list with his ability to shoot the ball and his athleticism off the dribble. Guarding him effectively may be the key to the game for the Aggies. Pullen tore the NCAA Tournament up last season, BYU included. And if he's allowed to run free this year, he'll do the same to Utah State.
"When the matchup came up, I saw that and I was excited," Tyler Newbold said. "You want to play against guys who are that athletic and have that type of reputation. He's a great player. I've seen him play and I'm excited for the challenge. Hopefully I'll be able to guard him a little bit and slow him down some."
One by one, the USU players said that the seeding gives them a bit of incentive to go out and prove the committee wrong. They also showed a great respect for what Kansas State's accomplished in the past two seasons.
"No matter where we were seeded, we figured that we were going to draw a really good team," Stew Morrill said. "And Kansas State is a very good team. We have to play well to have a chance. They're physical, and they have great size and length in the post. It's going to be a challenge."
Twitter: @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