Anticipated ends to long droughts

Utah State and Washington didn’t think it would take so long to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Both schools are making their first appearances since 2011, and they happen to be playing each other in a first-round game Friday night. It’s not as if they’re strangers to March Madness, they’ve just had extended droughts.

Utah State (28-6) made it for the 21st time going all the way back to 1939, but it hasn’t won a tournament game since 2001.

The Aggies’ No. 8 seed this year is the highest in school history, a prize for sweeping the Mountain West regular season and conference tournament. Washington (26-8), the No. 9 seed, has been here 17 times, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2006 and 2010.

But it’s been a long eight years. The current players were in middle school or getting ready for it then.

“They had some really good years in the past where the fan base was really behind it, selling out almost every single game,” Aggies sophomore guard Abel Porter said. “And I think we all wanted to be a part of bringing it back. And I think that’s what brought a lot of us to Utah State.”

Any time, anywhere: The journey to the NCAAs has been such a whirlwind that Iowa forward Nicholas Baer confused where he was with who he was playing.

Baer said he and the Hawkeyes were “really looking forward to this opportunity to play in Cincinnati, and hope we’ll be here for a while.”

A reporter said: “It’s Columbus, you knew that?” Baer recovered: “I did know that.” The Hawkeyes do play Cincinnati in the first round, though, at Nationwide Arena in Ohio’s capital city.

Layups: Kentucky coach John Calipari said in a tweet that leading scorer and rebounder PJ Washington has a sprained foot and will miss the second-seeded Wildcats’ opener against No. 15 seed Abilene Christian. Calipari said the 6-foot-8 Washington is in a hard cast after wearing a walking boot since Sunday for precautionary reasons. The coach added that specialists confirmed the original diagnosis of a sprain . ... Top-seeded Duke will have 6-foot-11 center Marques Bolden back for its opener against North Dakota State but will be minus forward Jack White. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Bolden, who missed the ACC Tournament with a sprained ankle, should be ready to go against 16th-seeded North Dakota State. However, the coach said White hurt a hamstring in the ACC title game and will not play.