STOCKTON, Calif. — When they're hanging together on a day off, the subject of Utah State and a possible Top 25 ranking will come up. But on practice days, game days and travel days, these Aggie basketball players do a remarkable job of shutting out everything but the next game.
"Like tonight," said Aggie senior Curtis Bobb after Thursday's 62-51 win at University of the Pacific. "Coach said it was a real good game won, and we're going to enjoy it, so have fun (Thursday) night, and (Friday) we'll get back to preparation for Idaho (at USU Saturday night).
"But the days we don't have practice," admitted Bobb, "we all sit around the table and talk about it and joke and laugh about it. But we take it game by game. We're a veteran ballclub. We know what it takes to win down the stretch."
More than anything, that's focus on the opponent at hand.
But at 17-2, 6-0 in the Big West Conference, with a 25-game win streak against league opponents and an 11-game win streak overall, and with 4-13, 1-5 Idaho up next, the temptation is getting stronger. Dreams of a Top 25 ranking, which would be the first ranking in more than 20 years, would not be out of line these days.
The Aggies were tied for 26th with Fresno State on the ESPN Coaches' Poll this week and 30th on the AP poll.
"It would be nice," admits Bernard Rock, "but it don't mean nothing." Not if the Aggies don't keep their winning ways through the conference tournament next month, anyway. "It would be great to finally get some recognition and have everybody realize Utah State can play basketball," said the native New Yorker. But he says that would make the Ags an even bigger target for other teams.
Coach Stew Morrill doesn't like to talk about win streaks or rankings at all, but even he said such a thing would be "great for the kids and our university, but there's nothing I can do about it."
Except to coach one more win Saturday night, and let the votes fall where they may on Sunday and Monday.
E-MAIL: lham@desnews.com