SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Utah State had Mizzou on the ropes, but couldn't finish as the Aggies fell in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament for the 10th straight time, losing 76-65 to the Tigers.
After trailing at half, the 10th seeded Aggies took a small second half lead before Missouri caught fire from beyond the 3-point line and pulled away. Meanwhile, Utah State was ice cold from long distance, going 4-24 on their three-point attempts.
Forward Taylor Funk led the Aggies with 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Missouri had four players in double figures.
“It’s really, really, really, really, really hard to win in college basketball,” Aggies coach Ryan Odom said. “These guys did it. They won enough to get an at-large bid here. Even though we didn’t get what we wanted in terms of advancing in the tournament, the guys did what they have done all year and that’s continue to fight regardless of the circumstances.”
The win was the first tourney victory for Missouri since 2010.
The loss extends Utah State's tournament losing streak that dates back to 2001. That year, the Aggies beat Ohio State in overtime before falling to UCLA in the second round.
Utah State, which was an at-large tournament invite out of the Mountain West Conference, finishes their season at 26-9
