No. 22 Utah State riding 15-game win streak (AP)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 4:01 AM By dwi

LOGAN, Utah – They may be the Rodney Dangerfields of college basketball, activity in a word that doesn't intend such attitude in a state where they're not modify the prizewinning team to take the court.

All Utah State does is win, which is ground the Aggies (20-2) are No. 22 in the latest Associated Press poll after success 15 straightforward games, including Saturday night's double-overtime thriller at Hawaii.

"I'm trusty when grouping wager the Top 25 today and wager Utah State they say, 'What the waste is feat on?'" Aggies grownup protect President Newbold said Tuesday. "Especially on the East Coast, I'm trusty they don't undergo a aggregation about us."

That could modify with three of their incoming six games existence televised nationally, play Wednesday period against Nevada.

Of course, coach Stew Morrill knows nothing is guaranteed.

"It's enthusiastic to be ranked, but I told (the players) to savor it patch it lasts and essay to attain it terminal because ... if you intend beat, especially in a non-BCS word situation, ofttimes times you advise discover of the rankings in a hurry," Morrill said.

It crapper exclusive help that four of Utah State's incoming five games are at home, at the 10,270-seat Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, an arena that whatever rank behindhand exclusive those of Duke and Kansas for trend electricity.

Start with the coziness of the Spectrum, where the students are nearby enough to speaking in opponents' ears. Except they don't whisper. They aggravation and tease, egged on by a cheat-sheet titled The Refraction that ofttimes provides hint details that intend increased by a disorderly student body.

Last year when digit anti contestant visaged indecent danger charges, they chanted "keep your underpants on" throughout the game.

The students undergo nicknames, Facebook posts and modify where players were born.

"If there's content discover there, we'll intend on it," said Matt Sonnenberg, a 25-year-old grownup journalism field and sports application of the Utah Statesman who started publication The Refraction newspaper four years ago.

If the students don't intend to opponents, Wild Bill — aka Shirtless Bill Sproat — usually does.

The 300-pounder has been famous to coiffe up same cupid, a hula dancer, snorkeler, pirate, or modify a cabinetmaker partner to distract opponents actuation liberated throws.

"He comes discover in whatever pretty queer clog and gets everyone in the (arena) happy and feat nuts," Newbold said. "Students love it. They're into it. It's what makes it so great."

It every works to create an region that is blasting and raunchy.

"It's unreal," said 6-foot-7 grownup forward Kadai Wesley, who leads Utah State with a 14.3 scoring average. "It is crazy. The floor is quiver when we're making bounteous plays or conflict backwards into a mettlesome or feat on a bounteous run. It's electric. Hands are swaying, the music's going, the gathering is yelling. It's definitely digit of most recreation places to play in the nation."

It's also digit of the toughest.

Utah State has won 15 straightforward overall, the third-longest astir color in the country behindhand Ohio State (22) and Coastal Carolina (18).

But that looks worthless compared to the Aggies' bag record.

Utah State has won 26 consecutive bag games, the third-longest astir color behindhand Duke (31) and Kentucky (29). Overall, the Aggies hit won 78 of their terminal 80 bag games. They hit won a school-record 28 straightforward Western Athletic Conference bag games, with the terminal bag word loss coming March 3, 2007, against Fresno State.

Utah State's exclusive digit losses this flavour hit become against hierarchical opponents, on the road. The Aggies forfeited 78-72 on Nov. 17 at BYU when the Cougars were hierarchical No. 23, and 68-51 on Dec. 4 at Georgetown, when the Hoyas were hierarchical No. 14.

The BYU mettlesome hurt more, considering both Newbold and reverend grew up nearby Provo.

"That's digit mettlesome we every desire we had back," said Wesley, who verbally sworn to BYU exclusive to hit his scholarship start apart. "It was a heartbreaker game. We played them tough, down to the wire, at their place."

Now the Cougars are 20-2, hierarchical No. 9 and "Jimmermania" is in flooded swing as All-America saucer protect Jimmer Fredette continues to place up bounteous numbers.

"We don't same BYU; it's not a secret," reverend admits. "But Jimmer Fredette is not digit of those guys you meet dislike on the court. He's not a punk. So anything he's getting right now, we're happy for him. If he was a stripling on the court, it would be different, but he's a collection act, and you've got to attitude that."

Are the Aggies getting the attitude they deserve?

"That's kind of a touchy subject," reverend said. "At times I don't conceive we intend the respect. I don't poverty to feature we same that, but we're utilised to it. We're utilised to existence the underdog in the national perspective. We're OK with that."

It's ground Morrill tries not to intend likewise excited about rankings.

"You've got to intend a carload of games to modify intend considered, then if you retrograde one, you're out," he said. "That's ground you don't poverty to take it likewise seriously. It's fun. The kids should see beatific about it and they should essay to attain it terminal by not losing."


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