Sam Merrill’s 3-pointer gives Utah State MW tournament title

Sam Merrill knew what was riding on his shot as he rose up behind the 3-point line with San Diego State’s KJ Feagin closely guarding him.

Making that shot could be the difference between Utah State going to the NCAA Tournament or playing in the National Invitation Tournament.

“When we lost at New Mexico last week, I know Coach (Craig Smith) said he doesn’t pay attention to bracketology, but I do, and I knew that the cards were stacked against us,” Merrill said. “I did not want to play in the NIT. I didn’t know what was going to happen if we lost.”

Merrill doesn’t have to wonder anymore. The senior’s 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left beat the Aztecs 59-56 on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center and gave Utah State the Mountain West tournament title for the second consecutive year.

And it gave the second-seeded Aggies (26-8) the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

No. 1 seed and fifth-ranked San Diego State (30-2) might have lost its shot at a No. 1 seed in the tournament, but the Aztecs at worst figure to be a No. 2.

Merrill, last season’s Mountain West Player of the Year, missed five of his first six shots, but finished 10 of 22 for 27 points while playing all 40 minutes. He was named the tournament’s MVP.

Smith became emotional in talking about Merrill’s impact on his team by setting the tone with his work ethic.

“Doesn’t matter, 45-minute workout, hour and a half practice, three-hour practice,” Smith said. “His team loses, he’s so PO’d without taking it out on anyone. When we lose, we run sprints and he wins that sprint every time. Wins it every time.

“He’s everything that a college athlete is all about.”

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. The end of the first half was key

Utah State went almost 13 minutes without a field goal in the first half, and against a team such as San Diego State, it should have been too much to overcome.

The Aztecs led 27-13 when Merrill hit a shot with 2:07 left that broke the cold spell, and Smith knew his team was in a fortunate position.

“We felt like if we could stay the course we’re getting good looks,” Smith said.

Utah State closed to within 29-21 at halftime when Diogo Brito made a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Aggies then scored the first seven points of the second half, and it was a tight game the rest of the way.

2. Aztecs might have won for losing

It could be argued the Aztecs would be better off being a No. 2 in the West Regional rather than a No. 1 in the East if the NCAA selection committee drops them down a line.

Coach Brian Dutcher didn’t want to hear that, saying he still hoped to be a top seed.

“I think at the end of the year we’ll have the best record in the country,” Dutcher said.

3. Aggies are still plenty motivated

Utah State hopes for a more extended run in the NCAA Tournament this season. The Aggies entered last year’s tournament as a No. 8 seed, but were routed by No. 9 Washington 78-61.

Merrill said knowing what to expect with media obligations and other events will help his team.

“We can just focus on trying to win our first one and then hopefully go from there,” he said.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.