The Utah State Aggies had a tough game on Thursday night, falling to No. 7 seed UCLA with a 72-47 loss the third-largest defeat on the opening day of the NCAA Tournament. Only SIU Edwardsville’s 38-point loss to Houston and Omaha’s 30-point loss to St. John’s were worse.
Utah State struggled offensively throughout the game, especially in the second half. They managed just 18 of 60 (30%) from the field and a dismal 4 of 31 (12.9%) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, UCLA capitalized on their shooting, hitting 41% from three-point range, leading to the lopsided final score.
While it wasn’t the ending Utah State had hoped for, the loss does open the door for head coach Jerrod Calhoun to explore other opportunities most notably, a potential head coaching position at West Virginia. With the Aggies’ season over, Calhoun is expected to meet with the Mountaineers in the coming days, likely over the weekend, according to a source from ‘West Virginia On SI’.
West Virginia is considering multiple candidates, including Drake’s Ben McCollum, who led his team to an upset over No. 6 Missouri. However, discussions with McCollum will have to wait since Drake is still competing.
Calhoun is no stranger to West Virginia, having previously worked under Bob Huggins before taking on his first head coaching role at Fairmont State. He later revitalized a struggling Youngstown State program, which helped him land the Utah State job.
Despite interest from West Virginia, Utah State is eager to keep Calhoun and has already offered him a new contract. Following the loss, he acknowledged the situation but expressed gratitude for Utah State’s trust in him. “I will talk about it,” Calhoun said. “First of all, I have a ton of respect for our athletic director. Diana (Sabau) took a gamble on me… We didn’t know each other at all. The first time I flew out to Utah State was in April. I remember getting off the plane, seeing those mountains, it was just hard to describe. Instantly, we had a connection. There was a really good plan. I met with every single player. This year has been unbelievable.”
Be the first to comment