SAN DIEGO (AP) — MJ Collins' steal and emphatic one-handed slam dunk with 1:13 left gave him 20 points and Utah State opened its fourth straight NCAA Tournament by beating Villanova 86-76 on Friday.
Mason Falslev, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, scored 22 and helped bring the Aggies back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half.
Utah State (29-6), the No. 9 seed in the West Region, will play No. 1 seed Arizona in the second
round on Sunday. The Wildcats beat No. 16 Long Island 92-58 on Friday.
Collins converted a three-point play with 2:53 left to give the Aggies a 78-73 lead. After No. 8 seed Villanova (24-9) committed a five-second inbound violation, Falslev fed Collins for a layup and an 80-73 lead. Collins intercepted a pass by Bryce Lindsay and went in for his slam for an 84-74 lead.
Lindsay made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points for Villanova. Duke Brennan and Tyler Perkins added 15 points apiece.
The Wildcats used a 9-1 run to open the second half and take a 48-38 lead.
Villanova made 14 of 30 3-pointers to counter Utah State's matchup zone. Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun picked up the structure of the Aggies' matchup zone from Ralph Willard, the veteran coach who also happens to the father of Villanova's first-year coach, Kevin Willard.
The Aggies countered with a strong inside game, where they outscored the Wildcats 42-26 in the paint.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
