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Show Aggie Basketball Special • Fall 2011 • PG )(X 2010-11 Season Reca : Did not disanboint Mission Accomplished! Entering the 2010-11 season, Utah State's men's basketball team had just one mission, to win its fourth-straight Western Athletic Conference regular season championship and advance to its third-straight NCAA Tournament. And with four starters, six seniors and eight lettermen returning for the previous year, anything short of another WAC title and NCAA Tournament appearance would have been considered a disappointment. By season's end, Utah State did not disappoint as it accomplished everything it set out to do and more, steamrolling its way to a school-record tying 30 wins, including a dominating 15-1 performance in conference play as it won its fourth-straight WAC title and advanced to the Big Dance for the third year in a row. Along the way, Utah State set a school and WAC record by winning Back to school Stylish. 25 straight conference games over a two-year period and produced the third-longest winning streak in school history with 17 straight victories. Utah State also entered the top 25 during the season and was nationally ranked for nine-straight weeks, ending the year No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll. Leading the way for Utah State heading into the 2010-11 season was the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year in senior forward Tai Wesley. Along with Wesley, Utah State returned three other proven starters in senior forward Nate Bendall and senior guards Tyler Newbold and Pooh Williams. USU also had an experienced bench returning in senior forward Matt Formisano, senior guard Brian Green, junior forward Brady Jardine and sophomore guard Preston Medlin. Needless to say, Utah State was everyone's preseason favorite to win the WAC once again in 2010-11 with all its experience and talent returning, and that's just what they did. Utah State began the 2010-11 season by winning five of its first seven games, which included in-state victories against Weber State and Utah at home along with a home win against Northeastern, and road wins at Southern Utah and Denver. USU also played two nationally ranked teams on the road during the first month of the season in BYU and Georgetown in the nation's capital. Following home wins against Long Beach State and Cal State Bakersfield, and a road win at Utah Valley, Utah State won its own World Vision Invitational with victories against Idaho State, Western Michigan and Troy to end its preseason with an 11-2 record. Utah State began defense of its back-to-back-to-back WAC Championships with home wins against Hawai'i Take another look. Stylish? Now, that's Stylish! Eyes no longer balanced with the earth's horizon indicate neurological problems. Uneven shoulders indicate subluxation in the cervical area. inched waist owing subluxation i the thoracic area. Uneven hips denote incorrect curvature in lumbar area. There are two straps for a reason! The American Academy of Orthopedics stated that backpack injury is a significant problem for students: and that most carry as much as 40 lbs regularly when the recommended maximum should be no more than 10-15% of body weight. (AAO, April 2001) BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL! Make an appointment today for a New Patient Health Assessment including comprehensive neurological, orthopedic, physical, and chiropractic evaluations (a $200 value) and pay only... $49* Back to school means 'back' to health at Contact us today to learn more! 112 East 100 North, Logan • *New patients only. Not valid in combination with any other offers. Expires November 15, 2011 435-753-4744 and San Jose State. USU then began the New Year with road wins at Nevada, Boise State and Fresno State, followed by home wins against Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State, and two more road wins at San Jose State and Hawai'i to push its winning streak to 15 straight games heading into the month of February. With its winning streak, Utah State entered the national polls in January, coming in at No. 25 in the ESPN/ USA Today Coaches' Poll for the week of January 24, marking the third time in the last eight seasons that USU has been nationally ranked. With plenty of national exposure, Utah State began the month of February just like it ended January as it defeated Nevada and Boise State at home to push its winning streak to 17 straight games, which was tied for the third-longest winning streak in school history. USU also set a school and WAC record in February by winning 25 straight WAC games over a two-year period. Following its only loss during conference play at Idaho in early February, Utah State responded by winning its final six games of the regular season to run away with the WAC title and became just the seventh team in the 49-year history of the league to lose one or fewer conference games as it finished with a 15-1 league record. During the final month of the season, Utah State posted home wins against Fresno State, MontanaWestern and Idaho on Senior Night, a convincing road win at No. 23 Saint Mary's in the annual ESPNU BracketBusters, and a pair of league road wins at New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech to conclude the regular season with an impressive 28-3 record. For the fourth year in a row, Utah State entered the WAC Tournament as the top seed, and for the second time in the last three years, Utah State came away as the tournament champion as it defeated San Jose State (5854) in the semifinals and Boise State (77-69) in the championship game to advance to its 20th NCAA Tournament all-time, including its eighth in the last 12 years under Coach Morrill. With a 30-3 record and No. 17 national ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, Utah State was given a 12-seed in the Southeast Region and sent to Tucson, Ariz., to face fifthseeded Kansas State in the second round, where it lost to the Wildcats, 73-68. Despite its heartbreaking loss in the NCAA Tournament, the 2010-11 season was one of the most successful campaigns in school history under Morrill as USU advanced to its 12th straight postseason tournament (8-NCAA, 4-NIT) and posted its 12th straight 23-win season, extending (RECAP ON PG 3 |