March Madness received its latest upset out in San Diego Friday. Utah State basketball rose as the latest mid-major to topple a higher seed, beating Villanova off an impressive late scoring run. But USU guard MJ Collins boldly believed his Aggies would wear down ‘Nova.

Collins and USU engaged in a exciting back-and-forth featuring both teams trading baskets. ‘Nova out of the Big East led 73-71 with under seven minutes left inside Viejas Arena at San Diego State.

But one critical moment changed the tide of the game as Collins described to ClutchPoints: When USU ignited the Mountain West Conference's best fast break offense.

“When we came into the huddle, coach told us ‘They're wearing down,'” Collins said to ClutchPoints.

How Utah State transition attack gashed Villanova

Utah State Aggies forward Karson Templin (22) and guard Mj Collins (2) celebrate in the second half against the Villanova Wildcats during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena.
Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Utah State led the MWC with 14.1 points per game in transition. USU hit that exact mark but again, they lit up the attack during the final two minutes as USU saw how gassed Wildcat players became.

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Collins revealed the other advantage the MWC champs have when they flow in transition: When teams rotate less than 10 players.

“We strive off our depth and they played like 7-8 guys. We knew at some point they were going to wear down,” Collins said.

Utah State prefers to launch the fast break approach late in games. But this emerged as the element of surprise for ‘Nova.

The Aggies exploded to a 15-3 run in closing out the victory. The slashing guard drove past the taller Wildcats in hitting two layups during that USU scoring tear. He threw down the exclamation point dunk at the 1:13 mark that assured the win.

Collins ended with 20 points. Fellow guard Mason Falslev led the way with 22. Drake Allen chipped in 11 as the leaders of the fast-paced Aggies attack.

USU has never surpassed the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 1969-70 before the MWC formed. Now they must shock the college basketball world by beating top-seeded Arizona on Sunday.