LOGAN — Reggie Theus' first trip to Logan was everything he had anticipated, and then some. A 100-plus decibel crowd, as advertised.
Dozens of USU students holding up pictures of a shirtless Theus in his modeling/acting days, accompanied by a sign that said, "Coaches Gone Wild!"
A down-to-the-wire game, as anticipated.
But the best part for Theus?
As any Vegas guy can tell you, nothing beats a jackpot.
"I haven't felt this good about a win in a long, long time," said Theus.
Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, the first-year New Mexico State coach got a win in Logan, 83-77. How much fun was it? There weren't any gaming tables (Theus played at UNLV), but playing in the Spectrum is a gamble in itself. Heading into Saturday's game, the Aggies were 109-10 at home under coach Stew Morrill.
"I love it. Great atmosphere. There's a reason they've won 109 games here," said Theus when reminded of USU's success at home under Morrill. Then he added, "Ten (losses), tonight, by the way."
If he'd known it was this much fun, he may have gotten into coaching a long time ago.
"I love the (USU) student section. It makes me want to play, because I remember what it was like," continued Theus. "And they're funny.
"They brought one of my modeling pictures. I just don't want any of the guys to pin them up in their house."
The win pulled NMSU to 6-5 in the WAC, while the Aggies fell to 7-4, one game behind leaders Nevada and Louisiana Tech. It didn't end USU'S hopes of a conference title, but it was certainly a kick in the pants. The Aggies aren't used to this treatment. USU was on a 14-game win streak at home. Moreover, Saturday's game completed a NMSU sweep this season. Last year, Pacific pulled off a rare regular-season double on USU, but it took two overtimes in one game and a one-point win in the other.
Before that, the last team to sweep USU in a season was Cal-Irvine, which in 2003 beat the Aggies by one and two — the second in overtime.
"That makes this one of the bigger wins of my career," continued Theus. "Only 10 teams have done it in this building."
Loss aside, the 16-6 Aggies are quietly — unless you're sitting in the Spectrum — putting together another strong season. That's how they usually do it at Utah State. BYU has the TV ratings, Utah has the post-season history and Utah State just has a whole bunch of wins. Planets orbit, seasons change, armies assemble, nations rise and fall — and the Aggies keep chalking up victories. With six games remaining, plus the conference tournament, they still stand a good chance of 20 wins, which would be their ninth in the past 10 seasons. When you win as much as the Aggies, it's not so much a challenge as a habit. Since Morrill took over in the 1998-99 season, USU has produced just one sub-20-win season. In the Morrill era, USU has more wins and a better percentage (183-60) than either Utah (180-68) or BYU (143-95).
Throw in USU's boisterous student section and you have the makings of a bona fide snake pit.
"Looking around the country, you can probably put this (crowd) up with anyplace," said Theus.
In spite of USU's relative success in its first WAC season, it hasn't been without its quirks. For instance, how do you shoot 61 percent in a game and lose? That's what happened a little over a week ago. Utah State ventured to New Mexico State and put on a shooting clinic. But thanks to 18 turnovers and an inability to defend the other Aggies — who, by the way, shot 62 percent for the game — NMSU won 93-86.
Which brings up a wise old proverb: When shooting 61 percent for the game, one must not allow the other team to shoot 62 percent.
Saturday, USU actually shot better than NMSU (53 percent to 48) and had fewer turnovers (13-14). But the southern Aggies got more rebounds (35-29), including 17 on offense. Still, USU was within three with 42 seconds left. It could have been another brick in the wall.
So things are getting dicey. There is some doubt whether the WAC will get two NCAA bids this year, so winning the regular season and/or conference tournament title are imperative. Will USU return to the NCAA Tournament? It's the state of Utah's best hope right now. With four of its remaining six games at home, things are still looking decent.
But is it time to start lobbying for a post-season bid? Naw.
Still too many games remaining.
The best plan for the Aggies now is to just keep doing what they've been doing — winning — until there are no more games left on the schedule. Then let the NCAA sort it out.
E-mail: rock@desnews.com