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It's easy to build powerhouse teams and basketball legacies in towns like Lawrence, Kansas, Lexington, Kentucky and Durham, North Carolina. But, in a town nestled in northern Utah with a population hovering below 50,000, Stew Morrill made it look just as easy. The Aggies head coach, set to retire at season's end, turned the Spectrum into a factory of wins and talent, winning nearly 90 percent of his home games, twice winning 30 games in one season and getting the Aggies to either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT in 12 different seasons. Here's Morrill's top five seasons of all-time at Utah State:

5. 2003-2004

The Aggies were conference juggernauts that season, rolling to a 17-1 conference record and a 25-4 overall record. Guard Cardell Butler starred for Utah State, scoring 14 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field, while sophomore Nate Harris emerged as a threat in the post, scoring nearly 12 points and grabbing six rebounds per game. After a 56-45 loss to Utah in early December, the Aggies won 22 of their next 24 games before falling to Hawaii 85-75 in the NIT.

4. 2009-2010

The Aggies were less dominant in the regular season, losing six out of conference games to teams like Northeastern, but still rolled to a 14-2 conference record. Junior Tai Wesley averaged nearly 14 points and six boards per game, while multi-faceted guard Jared Quayle scored 12, rebounded six and dished four assists per night. The Aggies won 17 of their last 18 games to make the NCAA Tournament as a 12th seed. Despite Wesley's, 14 point and six rebound effort, USU was bounced by Texas A&M in the first round 69-53.

3. 2008-2009

The 2008-2009 Aggies brought the first 30 win season to Logan and finished 14-2 in conference, while the season also made Morrill the winningest coach in school history. Utah State won a ridiculous 24 of their first 25 games behind Gary Wilkinson, who dominated to the tune of 17 points and seven rebounds per game. Entering the NCAA tournament as an 11th seed, the Aggies took 6th seeded Marquette to the wire, falling 58-57 after charging back from a 14-point deficit at one point in the game.

2. 2010-2011

Out of the 2010 NCAA loss emerged one of Morrill's best teams ever in the 2010-2011 season. Wesley grew into a force of nature in the front court, averaging almost 15 points and eight rebounds per game as a senior leader. Two of the team's three losses that season came against ranked teams in BYU and Georgetown while the Aggies rolled to 30 wins and a 15-1 conference record. Wesley again turned in a great performance in the tournament, scoring 18 points and grabbing four boards, giving 5th seed Kansas State all they could handle. But the 12th seeded Aggies fell again, 73-68.

1. 2000-2001

This regular season wasn't particularly better than any other, with the Aggies reeling off a 28-6 overall and 13-3 in conference record. However, this season marked Morrill's one and only victory in the NCAA Tournament. Tony Brown and Bernard Rock were a lethal guard combo all season and scored a combined 35 points in 12th seeded Utah State's 77-68 upset of 6th seed Ohio State in the tournament. The Aggies would have better regular season success in later seasons, but no victories as sweet as this one over a powerhouse like the Buckeyes.

bsmith@sltrib.com

Twitter: @BrennanJSmith