Four things to know about TCU’s NCAA Tournament opponent, No. 8 seed Utah State

No. 9 seed TCU has an intriguing matchup in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 8 seed Utah State.

The Aggies will go into Friday’s matchup in Indianapolis with confidence having won six of their final seven games in the Mountain West Conference, which set a league record with six teams in the Big Dance.

Utah State was a pleasant surprise in Danny Sprinkle’s first season after arriving from Montana State to replace Ryan Odom. TCU coach Jamie Dixon said he and Sprinkle go back to his days as an assistant at Northern Arizona in the mid-1990s.

“Utah State, very familiar with the school and very familiar with their coach,” Dixon said. “He was a freshman at Montana State when I was coaching in Arizona when they won the league so we go way back. I know his family, I know him. He can shoot, so I’m guessing their team can shoot.”

Dixon said he recently spent time with Sprinkle on the recruiting trail in December, but come Friday the pleasantries will be put aside for 40 minutes as both teams try to advance, where they would likely face No. 1 seed Purdue.

Here’s four things to know about the Aggies:

Brand new era for Aggies

Utah State made the tournament last year, but all but one player from its roster was gone shortly after the season ended. That’s right, Sprinkle had to start from scratch.

How was Sprinkle able to quickly assemble a team that compiled a 27-6 record, which is better than last year’s squad (26-9). Sprinkle wisely tapped into the transfer portal taking players from all over the country that had smaller roles at schools like Maryland, Wyoming and Coastal Carolina.

The Aggies went from being picked ninth in the preseason to winning the regular season league title of the MWC. Utah State is a great story and a formidable opponent.

Dynamic duo from Montana State

Sprinkle brought two players with him from Montana State and both have taken their game to the next level against better competition. Forward Great Osobor was voted the top reserve in the Big Sky last season and now was selected first team all-Mountain West this season.

At 6-foot-8 Osobor averages 18 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. That’s more than eight points more than he averaged a season ago and Osobor is also a two-way player as he leads Utah State with 1.5 blocks per game. Osobor is shooting nearly 60% from the field and is a throwback big man who gets most of his points in the paint. Sprinkle also brought in Darius Brown from Montana State, who was Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Sky last season.

Brown was voted first team All-MWC this season as he averaged 12.4 points per game and 6.5 assists. Brown will likely guard TCU’s top ballhandler and he’s a knockdown 3-point shooter at 40%.

Expect a battle inside

Points in the paint will likely be a key stat in determining the victor on Friday. The Aggies don’t have a strong outside shooting game — theyrank 291st nationally in 3-point attempts — but they do get to the rim as good anyone, averaging over 22 field goals per game inside the 3-point line, which is among the top 15 in the country. Utah State is shooting 57% on those attempts and is sure to test Ernest Udeh and Xavier Cork inside.

On the flipside, the Aggies struggle at times to not let teams do the same to them. Utah State has an elite 3-point defense as teams are only shooting 29% from the arc, however opponents are shooting 52% from the rest of the court. In its last two losses the Aggies allowed more than 70 points combined in the paint to San Diego State and Colorado State. Whether it’s in transition or using players like Emanuel Miller and Jameer Nelson to slash to the basket, TCU has a clear area it can try to attack against Utah State.

Martinez an X-factor

Another player to watch for the Aggies is senior guard Ian Martinez. Another transfer Martinez spent time at Maryland and Utah before landing at Utah State. Like Brown, Martinez is a knockdown shooter at 38% from 3 and is second on the team with 13.1 points per game. If TCU is able to limit Brown, Martinez is more than capable of stepping up in his place.

Mason Falslev is one of the few holdouts from last year’s team and has flourished in his new role. The redshirt freshman is the fourth double digit scorer for the Aggies at 11.4 points per game and over four rebounds a game. The Aggies don’t have great depth outside of their top six, but Sprinkle knows what to expect from his top guys on a nightly basis.