Utah State ends NCAA Tournament losing streak behind Isaac Johnson's career night

INDIANAPOLIS -- It will be Aggies vs. Boilermakers Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

No. 8-seed Utah State snapped a 10-game losing streak in the NCAA Tournament early Saturday morning, pulling away for an 88-72 win over ninth-seeded Texas Christian University. It’s the Aggies’ first tournament win since 2001 when it upset fifth-seeded Ohio State.

The Utah State (28-6) win was spurred by a rather unlikely source with redshirt sophomore Isaac Johnson erupting for a career-high 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half. He was averaging 6.4 points and had cleared double figures just seven times entering the tournament.

More: Utah State's Isaac Johnson built confidence with career night. Now Zach Edey, Purdue await

TCU (21-13) didn’t have an answer in the post for Johnson, who hit 5-of-7 shots in the second half with a pair of 3s and three blocks.

Johnson was joined in double figures by Ian Martinez, who netted a game-high 21 points (5-of-9 shooting, 8-of-8 free throws), Great Osobor (13) and Darius Brown II (10 points, 10 assists).

USU shot 55% as a team, with an impressive 57% mark (5-for-10 from 3) in the second half.

Of note: The Aggies committed just nine turnovers against a TCU defense that arrived in Indy averaging 15 takeaways per game.

Jacob Coles led the Horned Frogs with 19 points, while Emanuel Miller notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds per game.

March Madness: These teams will be in Indianapolis for NCAA tournament first, second rounds

TCU strung together six straight points between halves to cut the margin to 43-41 around 90 seconds into the second half and did not allow the deficit to extend beyond two possessions through the first five minutes. But Johnson ensured the Aggies maintained control, accounting for 14 of their next 16 points as the margin grew to 10 with 13:04 remaining.

Avery Anderson III strung together four straight points, but his efforts were negated by a Brown triple.

USU led by as many as 18 late in the half.

3:40, 2H — Utah State 84, TCU 68

The Horned Frogs have attempted 10 more free throws (13-for-16) than USU (6-for-6) this half. But they’re 8-for-23 from the field and allowing their opponent to shoot 57.7% (5-for-10 from 3).

Martinez and Johnson both have 19 points, Osobor has 13 and Brown II has 10 plus 10 assists.

Barring something wild, it’ll be Utah State vs. Purdue on Sunday. (If something wild happens, we're blaming this blog entry.)

7:46, 2H — Utah State 71, TCU 58

TCU has not hit a field goal in the last 4:41.

11:41, 2H — Utah State 62, TCU 53

TCU doing its best to hang in there, but stops have been real hard to come by.

12:54, 2H — Utah State 59, TCU 49

Isaac Johnson has taken off. He’s scored the last 12 and 14 of the last 16 for Utah State. Career-high 19 points.

The 7-0 redshirt sophomore arrived averaging 6.4 points, but the Horned Frogs haven't had anyone capable of matching up with him.

15:53, 2H — Utah State 51, TCU 46

Horned Frogs have drawn within three twice, but 7-0 redshirt sophomore Isaac Johnson has answered both times, first with a pull-up jumper, then with a layup. He’s up to 11 points, six of which have come in the second half.

17:28, 2H — Utah State 47, TCU 41

TCU opened the half with back-to-back dunks, but USU has converted back-to-back layups to push the margin back to six. The Horned Frogs have missed a couple right around the rim.

The second half is...

...underway at 11:43 p.m. EST. The crowd's thinned out considerably.

HALF — Utah State 43, TCU 37

USU trailed by as many as eight, but ripped off a stretch of seven consecutive makes (hit eight of last 10) to build a six-point lead at the break. Osobor and Martinez both have nine points; the Aggies are shooting 53.1% from the field and, perhaps most importantly, have committed just three turnovers against a TCU defense that forces 14.9 turnovers per game (9.1 steals per game).

Conversely, TCU has endured shooting droughts of six and five straight following a 9-for-16 start and has been limited to just six fast break points (averages 18.1). Utah State did a much better job of getting back and forcing the Horned Frogs into their half-court sets as the half progressed.

Miller has a game-high 11 points.

2:38, 1H — Utah State 37, TCU 35

USU has hit seven straight field goals and will head to the line for three free throws out of the timeout. Osobor and Martinez have nine points apiece for the Aggies, who’ve had eight different players score tonight.

Miller leads TCU with 11 points. Nine different Horned Frogs have scored thus far.

5:30, 1H — Utah State 30, TCU 28

7:56, 1H — TCU 23, Utah State 22

Things have slowed considerably: TCU hasn’t scored in 3:05; Utah State hasn’t scored in 2:37. Both teams are 9-of-21 from the field.

12 straight USU points involving Osobor, who connected with Kalifa Sakho on back-to-back alley-oops out of the U-12 media timeout.

TCU found success getting out in transition earlier in the half, but the Aggies have done a nice job limiting those opportunities as the half has progressed.

11:22, 1H — TCU 20, Utah State 18

TCU twice got its lead out to eight, but Great Osobor has pulled the Aggies back into this thing. Five straight points, then sets up Javon Jackson for an open 3. He’s up to seven points for USU, which is on an 8-2 run.

15:12, 1H — TCU 11, Utah State 8

Emanuel Miller leads all scorers with six points for the Horned Frogs, who’ve picked up their other five points from the bench. They’re 4-for-8 from the field with a pair of 3s.

Utah State is 3-for-9, with all three makes coming via layup. It's forced three turnovers (two steals), but only has two points to show for it.

20:00, 1H — Game start

Good crowd on hand for this one. A healthy number of Purdue fans have stuck around and the upper deck is filled in quite nicely.

Starters

Utah State (27-6, 14-4 Mountain West): Great Osobor, Ian Martinez, Darius Brown II, Mason Falslev, Isaac Johnson

TCU (21-12, 9-9 Big 12): Micah Peavy, Emanuel Miller, Chuck O'Bannon Jr., Xavier Cork, Jakobe Coles

Fun fact: TCU’s Chuck O’Bannon, 25, is the 6th-oldest player in D-I. He also has a dog who accompanies him most everywhere he goes. Unfortunately, it does not appear said good boy made it to Gainbridge for tonight's festivities.

What time does Utah State basketball play TCU in 2024 NCAA Tournament?

The game is set to begin at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 22.

What channel is USU basketball vs. TCU in March Madness?

TV: TBS. Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy (analysts) will call the game. Andy Katz is the sideline reporter.

Stream: You can stream the game through the March Madness App, on your television or streaming carrier, or through Max.

TCU basketball vs. Utah State betting odds

TCU is a 3.5-point favorite against Utah State, according to BetMGM.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Utah State vs TCU live March Madness updates, score, stats, highlights