The Mountain West Conference is losing both Utah and Brigham Young next season and is looking at Utah State in hopes of maintaining their presence in the state.

The league will vote on expansion later this week and Utah State is expected to be voted into the Mountain West.

The Aggies have made 11 consecutive postseason appearances, including four NCAA berths in the last six years.

The defections of the Aggies would further deplete the WAC which already will lose Boise State, Nevada and Fresno State to the Mountain West.

Utah State has broken into the Top 25 after weeks of being in the "others receiving votes" group.

The Aggie checked in at No. 25 on the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll released Monday morning. In the other national poll, The Associated Press, the Aggies did not crack the Top 25 but had enough votes to be No. 30.

"We appreciate the recognition that a top 25 ranking gives to Utah State University and the basketball program," coach Stew Morrill said Monday afternoon. "Our focus remains on trying to prepare ourselves for our next opponent and trying to get better day by day."

USU (18-2 overall, 7-0 Western Athletic Conference) enters this week with a 13-game winning streak, which is the fourth longest in the nation right now.

The last time the Aggies were ranked in the ESPN/USA Today poll was during the 2008-09 season, as it spent three straight weeks in the top 25 during the month of February.

Fresno State's comeback against Hawaii was a prime example of how the team can play when it's focused, energetic and hitting shots.

"That is the game we need to play: opportunistic running team if it's there, if not, take it out and play inside-out," coach Steve Cleveland said. "I really believe that 20 minutes is really going to help us."

NCAA legislation that passed this week will ensure that the WAC will retain its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in basketball.

It was in danger of being stripped after the many defections from the WAC to the Mountain West because of a lack of "continuity of membership."

The new rules that were passed this week relax those restrictions.  A conference must now have at least seven active members that sponsor men's basketball, as well as six that sponsor at least five other men's sports.