The semifinal games on Friday were polar opposites. In the first semifinal the top seeded Utah State Aggies annihilated a depleted Louisiana Tech team winning 85-55. Louisiana Tech lost big man Magnum Rolle inside the first couple minutes of the game to an injured ankle. From there on out it was all Utah State as the Aggies held a comfortable 46-24 halftime lead. The big cushion allowed USU head coach Stew Morrill to rest his players as only Tyler Newbold played more than 30 minutes (31) while the rest of the starters played no more than 25 minutes each. Utah State shot 58.8 percent for the game and hit 11-of-22 three point attempts en route to the championship game.

The second semifinal was a semifinal game for the ages. Nevada jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead which would be their largest of the game. The Aggies answered and led by two, 42-40 at halftime. In the second half the Aggies opened up an eight point lead with just over 13 minutes left to play but five quick points from Nevada coming off an and-one and a technical foul put the Wolf Pack right back in it and the game was tight the rest of the way. The two teams traded the lead six times in the final three and a half minutes and there were two ties and five lead changes in the final 1:43 which was capped off by a Jahmar Young jumper from 15 feet out with 3.8 seconds left to win the game.

Championship Game  Continue Reading This Post >>

The quarterfinals of the WAC tournament saw form hold as all four top seeds advanced to the semifinal round. The only team that had any trouble with their opponent was Louisiana Tech. After jumping out to an early 17-4 lead, the Bulldogs were only up by one at halftime at 33-32. Fresno State actually took a lead on La. Tech with 13:37 left to play but in the end Louisiana Tech was just too much for Fresno State.

The other three quarterfinal matchups had no suspense as each higher seed won by at least 17 points. Utah State blew away Boise State 84-60 after a competitive first half which saw the Broncos only down by five. The host team Nevada made quick work of Idaho. The Pack led by 13 at the break and stretched their lead to as many as 21 points before settling for the 16-point 87-71 win. New Mexico State also had a competitive first half with San Jose State but a 10-0 run in the latter stages of the first half sent the Aggies into halftime with an eight point lead which would quickly swell to over 17 points. The Aggies would go on to win by 21 points, 80-69, and held the league's second best three point shooting team to a paltry 29.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Semifinals  Continue Reading This Post >>

It's finally here, do or die time. The WAC tournament will begin on Thursday, March 11 for the eight teams who earned their way in. All eight teams feel like they have a shot to win the whole enchilada but in reality there are probably only five teams that have a chance. History is also not on four teams' side as only once since the 1993-1994 season has a team seeded lower than 4th won the conference tournament as 5-seed Hawai'i pulled off the feat in the 2001 WAC Tournament. Utah State is the favorite as they ran roughshod over the WAC for a second straight season. Nevada is also a favorite but their lack of depth and needing to win three games in four days will be something to keep an eye on. New Mexico State is the league's second highest scoring team and perhaps most physically talented team, however, they are also the league's worst scoring defense having given up at least 80 points in seven of their 16 conference games. Louisiana Tech was strong in the first half of the season but faltered down the stretch. They could get hot and run the table as well as they have wins over every WAC team except New Mexico State (whom they would not potentially face until the championship game). San Jose State is the darkhorse in the equation. They boast the league's leading scorer in Adrian Oliver and they have the pieces in place to make a run. However, they too have fallen on tough times losing three of the final four conference games. Unfortunately for them their path to the title game goes through New Mexico State and potentially top seeded Utah State and that's even before playing in the title game.

There is one team missing from the conference tournament and that is the University of Hawai'i. Not only did Hawai'i not play its way into the WAC tournament last week losing twice on the road, they played their coach out of a job. The University of Hawai'i announced on Monday that head coach Bob Nash would not be returning next season. The Warriors have fallen on tough times since winning the conference tournament in back-to-back seasons to start the new century. The Warriors won in 2001 and again in 2002 earning the automatic bid and then were NIT bound in 2003 and 2004 but have gone 85-93 in their past five seasons combined after amassing an 85-45 record from the 2000-2001 season through the 2003-2004 season.

Final Standings (conference tournament seeding order)
1) Utah State, 25-6 (14-2)
2) Nevada 19-11 (11-5)
3) New Mexico State, 19-11 (11-5)
4) Louisiana Tech, 22-9 (9-7)
5) Fresno State, 15-17 (6-10)
6) San Jose State 14-16 (6-10)
7) Idaho, 15-15 (6-10)
8) Boise State, 15-16 (5-11)
OUT) Hawai'i, 10-18 (3-13)

Quarterfinal Matchups  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State men’s basketball junior guard Jahmar Young, senior guard Jonathan Gibson and junior forward Wendell McKines have earned All-WAC honors, which the nine conference coaches voted on, the league office announced, Sunday, March 7.

Young was named to the first team for the second consecutive year after leading the Aggies with 20.9 points per game. Gibson garnered second team accolades with 17.8 points per contest. McKines was an honorable mention selection with a WAC-high 9.8 rebounds per game in conference contests. This is the first year since the 2005-06 season that the Aggies have had multiple all-league honorees.  Continue Reading This Post >>

The New Mexico State men's basketball team fell 81-63 to Utah State and that loss combined with Nevada's victory over Louisiana Tech dropped the Aggies to the 3-seed in the upcoming WAC tournament in Reno. The Aggies finished 11-5 in WAC play this season while the Spartans finished 6-10. The Aggies will face 6-seed San Jose State on Thursday, March 11th at 9:30 p.m. MT. The Aggies and Spartans split the regular season series with each team winning on their own court. The Spartans defeated NM State 93-84 in San Jose on January 23 while the Aggies returned the favor beating San Jose State 94-82 on February 6. The Aggies lead the all-time series with San Jose State 28-11 but the two teams have never met in the WAC tournament.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Junior guard Jahmar Young has been named the Verizon Wireless WAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 1-7. The honor marks the third career WAC Player of the Week award for Young.

Young led New Mexico State to a 94-82 win over San Jose State, Feb. 6. He scored a team-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-6 mark from 3-point range. Young also connected on 5-of-5 shots from the free throw line. Additionally, he dished out five assists, pulled down three rebounds and recorded a blocked shot.

“I’m very happy for Jahmar,” head coach Marvin Menzies said. “He has been a steady force for us all season long and it’s nice when a player gets acknowledged for his accomplishments.”  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Sophomore forward Troy Gillenwater is set to return to the New Mexico State men’s basketball team for the remainder of the 2009-10 season. He will make his first appearance against San Jose State, Saturday, Feb. 6.

The NM State compliance office was notified, Tuesday, Feb. 2, that Gillenwater was granted his eligibility for the 2009-10 season after an appeal to the NCAA was ruled in his favor.

“After a lengthy process, we are pleased to announce that Troy has been granted his eligibility for the duration of the season by the NCAA,” head coach Marvin Menzies said. “Obviously, Troy is very excited about the outcome and is looking forward to getting back on the court with his teammates.”

“We are very happy for Troy that this process is over,” athletics director Dr. McKinley Boston said. “We are very sorry that this has taken so long but in situations like this the NCAA does its due diligence.”

The Aggies will face Pacific in the 2010 Bracketbusters matchup. The game will be televised on ESPNU at 8:00 p.m. MT. The Tigers are 14-6 overall and 7-1 in the Big West. The Tigers and Aggies share five common opponents with the Tigers holding a 3-2 record against the five opponents while the Aggies hold a 2-3 record against the same five opponents.

The Aggies and Tigers both defeated Pepperdine on the road, the Tigers beat Nevada while the Aggies lost to Nevada at home, both teams defeated Fresno State with the Aggies winning at home while Pacific won in Fresno. Both teams lost handily at the hands of Saint Mary's (CA) and both teams lost to San Jose State in San Jose.

The Aggies and Pacific have met 37 times with the Aggies holding a 29-8 advantage. The Aggies are 10-6 in Stockton and the two teams faced each other in the Bracketbusters in the 2005/2006 season as the Aggies defeated Pacific 79-69 in overtime. The following season the Aggies opened up at home against Pacific winning a tight game 76-74.