The frustration grew with each missed free throw. MJ Collins Jr. was Utah State’s best free throw shooter this season, but now, in the Aggies’ biggest game of the season, he was throwing up bricks like Shaquille O’Neal.
Through 36 minutes of the Aggies’ tense, taut thriller with Villanova on Friday at Viejas Arena, Collins clanked three of his five tries.
“The ball was a little too pumped up for me,” the senior guard would say later, laughing. “But I had to lock in. It was winning time.”
So it was. And Collins could afford to laugh off the misses after he made several plays — along with three of his final four throws — to key a game-ending 15-3 run and ensure Utah State would defeat Villanova 86-76 in an opening-round game of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 9-seeded Aggies (29-6) advance to face West Regional top seed Arizona, which cruised past Long Island 92-58 in the first of Friday’s four games at Viejas Arena. The game will be played Sunday.
“Coffee is going to be flowing tonight,” Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun said, referring to the short prep time for the Wildcats. “But there’s a lot of other coaches who would love to be in this position. And I want to do everything in our power to make sure our guys are prepared.”
Mason Falslev #12 of the Utah State celebrates after the Aggies defeated Villanova during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on Friday, March 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
They seemed prepared Friday, especially after a pregame talk from future NFL Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner. The only problem was they just couldn’t shoot very well from outside about 3 feet. Only two of their baskets in the first half came from farther out than that, and just six in the game, including 2 of 16 from 3-point range.
It was a big reason that a nine-point first-half lead turned into a 10-point deficit early in the second half.
“It was a struggle to get the ball to go in the basket,” said guard Mason Falslev, the Mountain West player of the year who led the Aggies with 22 points.
Enter defense, particularly in the final four minutes from Collins.
With Utah State leading 75-73, Collins grabbed a loose pass and dribbled down the right side of the court, taking the ball behind his back to get around a Villanova player outside the 3-point line and finishing with a layup.
“I’ve been playing 2K a lot lately,” he said, referencing the basketball video game and smiling. “Just natural instinct kind of took over.”
Following a five-second violation by Villanova, Collins cut down the lane and took a pass from Drake Allen (11 points, six assists) for another layup. Two possessions later, with the Aggies ahead 82-74, Collins stole another pass at the top of the key and this time threw down an emphatic one-handed dunk to ice only the second NCAA Tournament win for Utah State in its dozen years in the Mountain West.
“Just reading the game,” said Collins, who scored 20 points. “I know we had two on the ball. … So I just ran over. (There) was nowhere he could throw it except to me. So I ran, grabbed it and went and dunked it.”
Bryce Lindsay scored 25 points to lead Villanova (24-9), including 6 of 11 from long range. The Wildcats, making their first appearance in the tournament since going to the Final Four in 2022, actually shot better from 3-point range (14-30) than on 2-point attempts (14-33).
Kevin Willard of Villanova looks on during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament game against Utah State at Viejas Arena on Friday, March 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
It was a frustrating day for Kevin Willard, in his first year as Villanova coach. He said during an in-game interview on TV that he was “going to fire my staff” because Utah State had scored so many points in the paint. Then he made a similar comment during his postgame news conference.
Asked about the in-game comment going viral, Willard said, “I don’t care. Welcome to my life. It’s a joke.”