Following their 92-58 NCAA Tournament first-round win over Long Island on Friday, Arizona will play Utah State in the second round on Sunday. Utah State overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to beat Villanova 86-76 in their first-round game on Friday.
The Aggies closed the game on a 15-3 run to prevent an all-Wildcat second-round game. Arizona has one win and three losses all-time against Utah State. The Aggies won three consecutive games in Tucson between 1958 and 1963. Arizona beat Utah State 66-53 in the 2005 NCAA Tournament in Boise.
Utah State led Villanova 18-10 before the Wildcats rallied to take a 39-37 lead at halftime. Villanova started the second half with a 9-1 run to extend its lead to 48-38 with 17:58 remaining in the game. Utah State eventually tied the game at 54 and the score was close until the late run by the Aggies.
Villanova made one field goal in the last 6:04. The Wildcats went over five minutes without making a shot from the field in the second half. Utah State used the Villanova drought to turn a 73-71 deficit into an 80-73 lead with a 10-0 run inside the 15-3 spurt to end the game.
Players to watch on Utah State
Four players scored in double figures in the win over Villanova for Utah State. Mason Falslev scored 22 points on nine out of 16 from the field with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. M.J. Collins scored 20 points on seven out of 12 from the field with four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Both teams were exceptional offensively. Utah State shot 54.9 percent from the field and Villanova was at 44.4 percent. Utah State made two of its 16 three-point shots, while Villanova was 14 for 30. The difference in the game was Utah State making 28 out of 36 from the free-throw line and Villanova going six for 13.