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AP Top 25: Here’s where Utah teams finished in the final rankings before March Madness

Utah, Utah State and BYU teams all currently rank in the top 20.

Utah State guard Javon Jackson, left, guard Darius Brown II (10) and guard Mason Falslev (12) celebrate with fans after defeating Colorado State in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Logan, Utah. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal)

Darius Brown II had his own March Madness moment over the weekend.

With the Utah State Aggies and New Mexico Lobos tied in the final seconds, the graduate guard made a 3-pointer to not only win the game but secure the Mountain West Conference regular season title outright.

That shot likely also helped the Aggies secure their final Associated Press Top 25 ranking of the regular season.

The Utah State men finished with the highest ranking of any Utah school at No. 18, up four spots compared to last week. They narrowly beat New Mexico and pummelled San Jose State last week to finish the season 26-5 overall.

The Aggies start their conference tournament run Thursday in Las Vegas.

Utah schools were well-represented in the latest rankings released Monday as the world prepares for upsets, buzzer-beaters and keeping their NCAA Tournament brackets intact for as long as possible.

The Utah women and BYU men both finished ranked No. 20. The Utes went up two spots compared to last week, while the Cougars remained at their spot.

Utah lost to UCLA in the second round of the Pac-12 after beating Arizona State in the first round.

BYU, meanwhile, lost a close game to Iowa State before beating Oklahoma State to finish out the regular season. The Cougars start their Big 12 Tournament journey Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri.