The University of Nevada men's basketball team will travel to Wichita State University on Wednesday, March 17 in the National Invitation Tournament.

WAC Tournament champion New Mexico State and WAC regular season title holder Utah State will both be participating in the year's NCAA Tournament as NM State received the WAC's automatic bid to the dance, while Utah State received an at-large bid to play in this year's event. Both teams will be playing first/second round games in Spokane, Wash.

Things are moving fast these days for New Mexico State and coach Marvin Menzies.

For the first time since 2006, the Louisiana Tech men's basketball team will play in the postseason when they host Southern Miss in the first round of the CIT on Thursday at 7 p.m.

LAS CRUCES, N.M.-After winning its second WAC Tournament Championship, the New Mexico State men's basketball team meets No. 11 Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 19 in Spokane, Wash.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - It was a grand slam day at Presley Askew Field, Sunday, March 14, as four grand slams were hit between New Mexico State and Georgia State. The Panther would defeat the Aggies 30-24. Georgia State smacked three grand slams on the day while NM State recorded one base clearing dinger. Twelve home runs in all were hit in the game, including three by the Aggies in the bottom of the ninth. The Aggies fall to 11-9 on the season, while Georgia State improves to 8-7 on the year. The Aggies were led by Ryan Aguayo at the plate, as he tallied six runs on six hits and seven RBI, including a grand slam and a solo home run. Ben Harty recorded one run on three hits and eight RBI, while Parker Hipp scored two runs on two hits and two RBI. The Panthers recorded six home runs in the game and 30 hits. Scott Coffman took the loss for the Aggies after going two-thirds of an inning, allowing seven runs on five hits, while striking out one batter. Coffman falls to 2-2 on the

Capable of is, of course, different from actually winning against another team but we'll type it here: New Mexico State can beat Michigan State.

Yes, Tom Izzo's bunch will be uber-physical and also playing defense with an intensity unseen in the WAC but this is not a Spartan squad loaded with players primed for NBA fame and riches. It's also a team that is not particularly efficient offensively. Plus, the MSU-ers committed more turnovers than they created this season.

However, Marvin Menzies' crew will not be able to afford any lapses that allow even a min-scoring run. The Aggie starters will each need to be 'on' his game, play major minutes and produce their typical output. What is particularly worrisome is that the Spartans out-boarded opponents by nine a game this season.


As for Texas A + M and Utah State, it's another Aggie - Aggie matchup and we just don't know enough about the Texans. Hey, maybe Coach Marl Turgeon will be distracted by the talk of him heading to Oregon to replace Ernie Kent. What actually jumps out at us the most is that the Lone Star Aggies earned 211 more free throw attempts than the collective opponents, 68 more in conference action. On the other hand, they shot just .296% in three-point attempts in Big 12 play.

TAM-er Donald Sloan is a big sized (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) guard who can score (18.2 ppg.) and pass. He was just named as a member of the All-Big 12 First Team. His backcourt teammate, Derrick Roland is a tremendous defender and checks in at 6-foot-4, 190. Continuing the trend, Bryan Davis (all 6-foot-9, 250 of him) can score, rebound and block shots (56 on the season). Turgeon's guys just battled Kansas in the league tourney but lost 79-66.

There is always more than one key but one jumps out: can the WAC Aggies perform with the needed (usual?) offensive efficiency against those from Big 12?

Oh yes, here's another of our silly suggestions: how about New Mexico State and Utah State play off-the-grid rubber match a day or so before the Big Dance begins since both WAC entries will be in Spokane getting ready? Yes, we're excluding the January second northern Aggie loss to the southern Aggies and are thinking of the recent two games between NMSU and USU that produced a win for each. We're s-u-r-e Stew Morrill and Marvin Menzies would be game.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The New Mexico State softball team earned a win and a loss on Sunday in the 2010 Under Armour Showcase at Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla., defeating Saint Joseph's 4-3 in eight innings and falling to Drake University 6-1. The Aggies are now 15-9 on the year after going 3-1 in thetournament. NM State tallied 12 hits against SJU crossing the plate five times for the win, before being held to only four hits in the second game of the day. "This was a good chance for us to face some good competition outside of our region," head coach Kathy Rodolphsaid. "We have lots of things to work on and we have eight days of practice after we play Minnesota to clean up some things." Game one seemed to be a defensive game as neither team was able to score until the top of the fifth when NM State crossed the plate on an Ashley Maroda single to centerfield. She brought in junior second baseman Kylie Randall, who reached base on a single down the

Utah State expands the bubble

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State men's basketball team along with the NM State Athletics Department will host an NCAA Selection Show Party, Sunday, March 14, beginning at 3:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Stan Fulton Athletics Center on the third floor. Doors open at 3:00 p.m., with the selection show beginning at 4:00 p.m. Appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be available. Fans are welcome to join the event and celebrate the Aggies' 2010 WAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth.

Tommy Conner tosses his hat threw the hoop for consideration as the next head coach at Boise State. Nick Jezierny has the details here.

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Some familiar and some new names are offered in the latest report offered by Ferd Lewis and Dayton Morinaga.

Dave Reardon checks in with much more on the same subject here.

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Is Utah State (among others) in the running for a Big 12 big who wants to be closer to home (which is Utah)? Go here.

Notes from the first half:

We don't get to witness each of the Utah State games but we've never seen Tai Wesley shoot a pair of no-contact-with-the-iron shots ever. It was almost like he was making off-the-backboard passes to himself to obtain better shooting position ... Good teams take advantage of opening and New Mexico State certainly did so in Wesley's nosebleed absences ... NMSU wasn't over-relying on outside jumpers ... Speaking of jumpers, Jared Quayler is burying some tough ones ... Maybe it's not being in attendance at the NMSU games but it seems Jahmar Young is seeing possibilities and making the pass -- creating for others -- like never before ... The southern Aggies are defending USU as well as any team has this season ... Tyler Newbold goes for a pump fake -- is that a first this season?

Notes from the second half:

Just when we thought Jonathan Gibson was in the 'en fuego' zone, he fires up too poorly thought out shot attempts ... NMSU is not being efficient -- getting good looks -- with its possessions ... Troy Gillenwater's blocked shot next to the rim on Pooh Williams layup attempt was NBA-like ... The Gillenwater dunk off Jahmar Young's pass was a feat probably not completed at all earlier this season against Stew Morrill's bunch ...

So much for our preview that rebounding would be one key for the southern Aggies to win -- New Mexico State was out-boarded 36-28 ... we certainly didn't forsee it but how can you win with two starters, each playing 31 minutes, going scoreless? Utah State had but nine turnovers but how did NMSU, playing its third game in three nights including a nailbiter the night before, commit but five errors? Amazing and a major credit to the southern Aggies.

Now wasn't that a game showing off the best of the WAC? Certain Beehive state fans may not feel this way but the outcome works. Two WAC teams will now enter the Big Dance, infusing greater respect and league attention, plus the dollar amounts earned will be higher. We say: what's not to like?

Hit the Bulletin in the Zone for all sort of game coverage.

Sam Wasson is here with his game report.

Jason Groves filed this coverage. Jason's blog is here.

You have to love Jared Eborn's one-word opening line here in his take on the matchup. Jared has this bubble-icious blog entry on the northern Aggies.

Here is Wade Dennison's sense of the contest. Shawn Harrison's can be found here. Jeff Hunter writes here that Tai Wesley's nose in his Achilles heel.

Tony Jones' views on the duel can be read here and here. His Selection Sunday blog entry is here.

Playing with a broken nose for the final 39 minutes of the Western Athletic Conference tournament championship game, Utah State's Tai Wesley was not himself.

Wendell McKines and Troy Gillenwater are two of the happiest players in the country right now.

SEASON RECAP
Much of the early season can be dismissed because the Aggies were short-handed as forwards Wendell McKines and Troy Gillenwater worked their way back from academic problems

--If any team should be playing its best basketball at this point of the season, it's New Mexico State.

RENO, Nev.-The New Mexico State men's basketball team won the 2010 WAC Tournament Championship after a 69-63 victory over Utah State, Saturday, March 13, at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev. The Aggies earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament and are making their 18th appearance in school history.

Fresno State softball sophomore pitcher Mackenzie Oakes threw the first perfect game of her career in a 3-0 win over Georgetown in the Bulldogs' final game of day three at the Bayer CropScience at Bulldog Diamond on Saturday night.