Larry Eustachy won a Big Sky title when he coached at Idaho. "Yeah, in front of about 12 people," he said.
"This was big," Eustachy said moments after making the last cut to bring down the West net in the Spectrum. There, a sellout Saturday-night crowd of 10,270 watched the Aggies go way ahead, lose the lead and then ride the seniors to USU's first Big West Conference championship since 1980 and only its second since it joined the league. (USU won four in the Rocky Mountain Conference, the last in 1936.) Utah State defeated University of the Pacific 74-64 to finish league play at 14-4. The Aggies are 21-6 overall. Pacific, picked preseason to be eighth, finished 14-12, 9-9.After New Mexico State defeated Long Beach Thursday, USU had only to win its final home game Saturday to assure itself of at least a share of the title and the No. 1 seed to the Big West Tournament that starts Thursday (Friday at 7:30 p.m. MST for the Aggies) in UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center.
Long Beach lost again at UNLV Saturday, 92-75, to give the Aggies the title outright.
"I've never experienced anything like this, cutting down the nets before more than 10,000 screaming fans," Eustachy said. "I'm really proud of the way our guys responded in the second half," he said. "It feels great. The kids have worked so hard they deserve it."
It was appropriately the seniors - Roddie Anderson (15 points, 12 in the second half), Covington Cormier (13 points, six assists, four steals, five rebounds) and Corwin Woodard (16 points) - who brought the Aggies through in their time of doubt.
USU led 36-19 at the half, having held Pacific nearly scoreless for the final eight minutes, but the Tigers bared their teeth to open the second. They outrebounded the Aggies, one of the best-rebounding clubs in the country, and drove to a 48-44 lead when Anderson, whose home is also near Sacramento, took charge.
Anderson had passed up some three-point shots earlier, and the crowd got on him, but he said he had to let the shot come to him. "Thank goodness it did," said the point guard/small forward who's a huge part of USU's march to success. "I can't believe my two years went so fast."
After UOP went on its 26-7 run, Anderson said Eustachy yelled during a timeout. "He said, `Let it slip away if you want.' We got the picture."
The Ags aren't a three-point team. The Tigers are. But Anderson made a 10-foot leaner at 9:30 of the second half and followed with a three that put USU up 49-48. The Tigers went up 50-49, but Woodard made a three at 7:11. The Tigers tied it at 52-52, but Anderson's second three gave USU the lead for good. He said UOP's defense backed off and let him have his rare threes. "I went to Smith's and got the 2-for-1 sale again," he said, referring to what he said the last time his treys won a game.
USU began to draw away when Woodard threw an alley-oop to Cormier at 5:50 to bring the crowd to a boil. Cormier then made a three. "I knew we were going to win then," said Anderson.
Cormier, transfer from UConn who sat out last season to get one year, said standing atop the ladder taking his cut at the net-strings was, "The greatest feeling I've ever had. That's why I left. I wanted to be part of something special, and this is special. It's just a dream you can think about the rest of your life."
"Cupp (Cormier) saved his best for last," said Eustachy.
"All the seniors stepped up," said Woodard. "This is the best feeling in a long time." He said simply looking at senior Nate Wickizer on the bench nearly brought tears to his eyes. Wickizer got in with :11 left after a frustrating year of injuries. He's been an Aggie the longest, having signed, redshirted a year, gone on an LDS mission and then come back to lead the team in scoring last season. He brushed off tears as he was announced before the game. The chanting crowd forced Eustachy to play him with cries of "Nate, Nate."
It was strange, UOP outrebounding USU 35-33 but USU making fewer turnovers than the league's No. 2 turnover-margin team thanks to 10 steals - four by Silas Mills (his fifth straight double-double, 11 points, 12 boards) and four by Cormier.
It was the way USU played the passing lanes for eight steals in the first half that keyed its big first half.
Pacific outrebounded USU 7-2 to start the game, then slacked until early in the second half when the Tigers grabbed their big lead with second-chance baskets - USU's trademark.
Anderson screamed at teammate Eric Franson (11 points, six rebounds), "Rebounds, we're giving up a lot of rebounds. He screamed right back at me, `You get down here and help me.' " Anderson said he was happy at how USU players communicate to work to a common goal.
"We're going to enjoy it; that's what we're going to do," said Eustachy.
"We feel we deserve to celebrate," said Cormier, "but we want to try to make it to the NCAAs."
Winning the tourney next week would do that, and the players were already thinking about that Saturday night.
NOTES - In 16 home games, USU averaged 8,283 spectators, second-highest in the 25 years of play Spectrum, behind only the inaugural year.