I'm sure Underwood was suited up just in case we needed a player in an emergency situation just like you said. Glad we didn't have to use him and burn a year of eligibility. It was getting worrisome with the way the fouls were piling up early though.

I'm excited about all the new players we already have committed for next year. We have some good size with Underwood, Neufeld and Strom added to John, Goode and Russell returning. I'm hoping that our new bigs will be mobile and bring a variety of skills to the floor for us. We could use some help with our perimeter shooting also and maybe Gio Nelson will be a nice addition to Schneider and Mooney. I'd like to see more offensive consistency from Siler and Joe next year too.

If we could land Shane Gatling it would be huge. I've watched several videos on him and he is a talented player with a deadly shot from beyond the arc. He has the ability to create off the dribble and can catch and shoot from distance with lightening quickness. He reminds me of shooters like Fullerton's Kyle Allman Jr and Kahlil Amad. He has at least 14 other offers including us though and some are from major schools. I hope Les can convince him to be an Aggie.

Les has turned the corner with this program at the D1 level in the past couple of years and now it's time to continue to raise the bar and compete against even better D1 talent. We knocked off WSU convincingly this year and were competitive with Washington, Nevada and Utah. These are exciting times for Aggie basketball.

I'm hoping the Aggie women make a long run in the WNIT starting tonight so I don't go into basketball withdrawal. Go Ags!

It was awful, DrMike. Seriously, I'm not one of those fans who always thinks the calls go against my team and believe the officials are somehow biased but, man, I absolutely hate it when officials are calling silly, touch fouls that heavily influence the game. The crew last night did that early and often and it severely affected the Aggies with John and Shorts having to sit for long stretches. At one point, the tv commentators said, "If Les can manage this foul situation he'll be might Coach of the Year in all of college basketball."

Most officiating crews let the teams play in the post-season but the crew last night called the game overly tight from the get go and were inconsistent at the same time by letting some obvious hard fouls go. The players have no idea what to expect when officials are that inconsistent. It also disrupts the flow of the game, penalizes the players and the teams and cheats the fans from seeing a good, consistent basketball game.

Utah's coach, Larry Krystkowiak, went ballistic on that horrible call against his big man. The official was right on top of the play when he called that bogus foul. I haven't seen a coach that out of control since some of Bobby Knight's tirades at Indiana. Krystkowiak ran onto the court while the Ags were bringing the ball up and then knocked over a chair on the sideline as he left the court and then threw a chair down the tunnel as well. It was wild. Maybe he's a hot head but he was obviously making a statement about just how badly this crew was calling the game.

On the subject of basketball withdrawl, you're all welcome to join me on the SDSU bandwagon. Last CA school left in the field other than Fullerton already (yikes!). #3 Trey Kell reminds me very much of a certain other #3 who played for the Aggies, and has been a joy to watch.

Ags will have a very strong lineup next year. I agree Mooney needs to gain consistency but if he can elevate his game and fill Michael's starting spot then TJ, Siler, and Joe will make for a devastating 3-headed attack in the backcourt. Hopefully some of the new guys or redshirts step up too because only 7 guys who currently suit up are coming back.

I was yelling at the TV during some of the fouls. Hopefully my roommate isn't scared.

Here's some game photos including shots of the Utah coach going bonkers:

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2018/03/15/utah-rallies-after-krystkowiaks-ejection-to-beat-uc-davis-in-nit/#gallery-carousel-2131566

The west coast got robbed this year by the selection committee. Both St. Mary's and USC should have been in the tournament.

Also, I agree about the officiating, but I do not think it cost us the game. Not being a follower of women's basketball or even football, I'll be back on this site in November when the Aggie B-ball team gets back on the court. I'm really glad I found this sports talk site. Thanks to whomever created it and for all the great information, opinions and reactions from all of you guys (and gals?).

C'mon back during the off season and we'll keep the discussion going!

Regarding Mooney, he did show that he is more than just a spot up shooter. He can get into the lane and has a nice little floater. But, I'm just not sure he can fill that 3rd starting guard role. Over the years, from Avery Johnson, to Lawrence White, to Michael Onyebalu, Les seems to fill that spot with his best athlete who can defend the other teams best non-big offensive player. Is Mooney quick enough to fill that role, or will it be Jackson or Nelson or someone we don't even know about yet. Les will definitely sacrifice offense, if needed, to get his best defensive team out there.

At the beginning of this season I would have guessed Printup was being groomed to inherit the role due to his size and experience but as the year progressed Mooney got the most reps.

I didn't realize Nelson was 6'4" though and Jackson seems like a prototypical 3 in addition to getting reps this season so it's a good point, either one could progress enough to earn the role.

FWIW, Utah will be playing in the Championship game vs Miss St/Penn St

I think that says a lot about the Ags. We led Utah going into the 4th quarter and just ran out of gas with our short bench. AJ John picked up two fouls in less than a minute into the game and TJ Shorts picked up his 3rd foul in the 2nd quarter. Both of them had to sit for long periods of time. I think we were every bit as good as Utah so who knows how far we may have gotten if we had won that game.

They will be playing Penn State.

I was at the St Mary's Utah game last week, Krystkowiak had to be restrained by assistants and refs from going after a fan, the dude seems unstable.

He's right out of the mold of Bobby Knight...

Didn’t we lose to Stanford in the first round of the nit a few years ago and they went on to win the whole thing?

2015 we lost by 13 and the Cardinal went on to win it all.

It might be nice to go to this tournament and not play the best team in round one.

Penn State defeated Utah for NIT championship.

Any news about what happened to Chima?

I believe that HIPPA rules will govern this. So no disclosure for now. So sad for Chima! Maybe we shouldn’t even care at this point except for the future of this great player and Aggie!!

(HIPPA, or to be an attorney, er, jerk, about it, HIPAA, has to do with privacy of medical information. Not sure if medical issues ever came up, but there are probably some rules or regulations providing for confidentiality of student disciplinary matters.)

Didn't Chima graduate at the end of the winter quarter? If he has graduated, does that put an unceremonious, and unresolved end to the matter?

I think 69 might have been referring to FERPA, which does cover the release of many education-related pieces of information. It's been a while since I had to deal with it but Wikipedia has a relevant comment (emphasis mine):

Examples of situations affected by FERPA include school employees divulging information to anyone other than the student about the student's grades or behavior, and school work posted on a bulletin board with a grade — Wikipedia

So we maybe won't ever know unless someone from the school leaks it or there are actual criminal charges.

I frequently tried to invoke something like that when it came to divulging my grades to my parents.

I actually looked at Chima's twitter (I was not looking for it, but it came up when I googled his name) and he says nothing, but is clearly sad about the whole thing. He is not denying anything. In one tweet he wrote this: "Dear God, please help me protect my peace. Give me the strength and courage to remove all things that are negative and are draining my life." Everything else is pretty positive and forward looking, such as shout outs to Jim Les and TJ Shorts.

Wow, that's a very sad statement and obviously struggling deeply. I feel for him and hope he finds the peace he is looking for.

Never get tired of watching TJ with the game winning 3!

10 Best mid-major games from 2017-18

Ranked only behind the greatest tournament upset of all time and a 3OT game. That's some high praise.