Bandja Sy dunk via AggieVision

Here are a couple more of Bandja's greatest hits. I assume the reason Friday's dunk didn't show up on SportsCenter was that the game was nowhere to be found on TV. He was on Top 10 as a sophomore and a junior.

People are going to remember this dunk. Rightfully so. But hopefully Friday's game gets Sy going this season.

Sy was shooting 18 percent from 3 and 30 percent from the field before Friday's game. He was 6-8 from the floor and 2-2 from 3-point range. He's been good defensively and he will continue to be, but it was good to see him score. I think Sy needs to be in the 15-18 ppg neighborhood. When Sy gets going early, it's always seemed to get him going. He scored NMSU's first two points at the foul line and then tipped one in, all in the first three minutes.

"I know I can do it. It's not anything exceptional. It gets the team going and the crowd. Offensively I have to produce too. I have to get good shots early on  the clock, closer to the basket before I take the 3s. I just kept going to the gym. I was there late lastnight shooting. I just stay ready. I know it's going to fall eventually."

Marvin Menzies on Sy.
"He played within himself. He let the game come to him. The shot selection was good tonight. He did a good job in all aspects of the game."

Daniel Mullings took 8 stitches, diving for a loose ball, imagine that. Apparently he hit his head on the court, biting through his lip in the process. I was told that he could have returned to the game so he wasn't concussed.

"He took some stitches above the eye and on the lip," Menzies said. "I probably wouldn't have put him back in. Any other contact wouldn't have been good. He needs to heal up. We will see where it goes."

Tuesday hoops conference

Marvin Menzies said he's disappointed with the 1-3 start to the season, but there is a long way to go. Terrel de Rouen may or may not play on Wednesday against Northern New Mexico after an ankle sprain against Niagara on Sunday. Menzies also said he met with the point guards for over an hour.

"Sometimes we assume things as coaches that players know. I think I did that with KC. I think I did it with Terrel. It was clear and evident after talking to them that there were just some things about our system that needed to be cleared up on how we are going to play, how we have played in the past. I haven't had to do that. ... These guys  need more one on one tutelage to get them up to speed, quicker than later," Menzies said.

Despite the poor second half against Niagra, Daniel Mullings still had a shot at the rim that could have won the game. Bandja Sy also had a good look at a 3 to tie the game. NMSU has had seniors or experienced players taking those shots the past three years.

"I like him a lot because I drew that play up for him (Mullings)," Menzies said. "He's shooting a good percentage, he's playing well and playing hard. He was having a good night. There was an option out of it if he didn't like the shot selection, there was a drive and dish option to the wing. He deferred because he felt like he could get all the way to the basket and he did. Same play, we drew up for Kevin (Aronis) with Bandja as a second option. That one also went in and rimmed out. I thought we did a much better job of putting them in positions to be successful."

It takes some time to  learn how to close but Mullings and Sy are good options in that situation.

"These guys have a lot of confidence, but that's tough thing to replicate. It has to be real. It has to happen. There is nothing like the real thing. It takes guys some misses before they get their makes."

Defensively, NMSU has been OK this year. Oregon State was probably their best defensive game. The second half against Niagara was maybe the worst. Niagara shot 56 percent in the second half and scored 34 points in the paint, mostly on lay ups and dunks.

"I think we gave up 17 lay ups or dunks. That was the ball screen stuff and some gambling. ... A lot of times, when they got to the rim, there was nobody around and that was because of gambling and also the way we defended the ball screen. We have to get Sim and Chili, not just getting better at defending it, but also us understanding who they are and playing them to their strengths. That's on us as coaches, depending on who we are playing. We have to have a better game plan going into it."

Losing to Oregon State and Bucknell were both good opportunities, and while I can certainly understand the frustration from NMSU fans, the Aggies were competitive in both games. I think NMSU still has six chances this season for out of conference quality wins with four against rivals and at South Alabama and home to Southern Miss. It's not as if these games will determine NMSU's postseason future, but at some point the Aggies have to win one of these games against good teams to prove to themselves they can do it.

"UNM beat UConn last night which is a great win for a team that we are going to go against. This might be our toughest schedule. There was that year (Menzies' first year) there were four games that were really tough. This season, you have maybe six or seven where if you can get your share of those, you never know. We have done a good job in the past of taking early losses and learning from them."

WAC rankings

After two weeks of play, I wanted to take a stab at a weekly WAC ranking. I plan to do one every Monday so we will see how it goes. Utah State hasn't done anything to drop. USU has Weber State, Santa Clara and BYU in its next three games. New Mexico State's loss to Niagara was a bad loss, considering the Aggies had that game well in hand.  Aggies probably better than the fifth team, but they are 1-3. Perhaps UTSA is too high but we will learn about them this week. Louisiana Tech and UTSA each have three wins so hence the top 3 ranking.

Rank     Team (W-L)        Last week                                                     This week              

1. Utah State (2-1) L St. Mary’s, W Texas AM Corpus Chrisi Sat. vs. Weber State

2. Louisiana Tech (3-1) W Ark-Little Rock, W Troy, W SE Missou   Tues @Chattanooga, Sat.La.Monroe

3. UTSA (3-1) W SC Upstate Wed @ BYU

4. Denver (1-2) W Texas AM Corpus Christi, L California Wed. vs. Colorado State

5. NMSU  (1-3) W SE Louisiana, L Bucknell, L @Niagara Wed. vs NNM, Fri. vs. Lafayette

6. UT-Arlington (1-1) L Oklahoma Sat. at Samford

7. Texas State (2-1) W Texas-Tyler, L SMU Thurs. vs. Charlotte

8. Seattle (1-1) W Montana State, L Virginia Wed. Pacific Lutheran

9. San Jose State (1-2) L Houston, W Weber State Tues. Santa Cruz, Mon. @ Kansas

10. Idaho (0-2) L Montana Tues. vs. Green Bay, Fri. @ New Mexico                

Aggies collapse vs. Niagara

It's hard to get an accurate idea about what exactly went down in the Aggies' 86-83 loss at Niagara unless you actually watched it. I couldn't, so all I have is stats. 24 turnovers, nine in the second half to Niagara's zero kind of explains why the Aggies weren't able to score as easily as they did in the second half because NU took care of the ball. What I don't understand is the lack of offense in the half court and their inability to guard the pick and roll and deny NU some easy looks in the second half. Niagara outscored NMSU 54-35 in the second half and NU didn't make it look that hard either.

The result was the biggest collapse I can remember since a 75-72 loss at  home against North Texas in Marvin Menzies' first year. I could be wrong. NMSU led that game by 18 at halftime and by 21 with 14 minutes left.


Here is the box score from Sunday and following is the game recap.

New Mexico State led Niagara by as many as 22 and by 16 at halftime but the Aggies lost 86-83 on Sunday in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

The Aggies led by as many as 22 points in the first half, by 16 at halftime and by 11 with 8:31 to play. But a missed Bandja Sy 3-pointer as time expired couldn’t stop a second-half collapse that dropped the Aggies to 1-3 on the season.

Turnovers plagued the Aggies, who finished with 24 turnovers on Sunday.

“We had 15 turnovers in the first half but it didn’t hurt us because they had 15 in the first half,” Aggies coach Marvin Menzies said. “They didn’t have any in the second half and we had nine. That’s composure. Our goal is for 12 or fewer in a game and we had enough for two games.”

Niagara outscored NMSU 54-35 in the second half. NU outscored the Aggies 22-10 in the last eight minutes.

Trailing 84-78, NMSU senior Tyrone Watson hit a 3-pointer to close to within three with 2:05 left. Watson fed Tshilidzi Nephawe the next time down to make it 84-83 and then blocked a shot on Niagara’s next possession to give the Aggies the ball with 28 seconds left to play.

Menzies took two timeouts, and the Aggies got a good look, with sophomore guard Daniel Mullings missing at the rim.

“We had a guy in the corner if (Mullings) felt congested,” Menzies said. “He got right to the rim. He makes those 80 percent of the time. He’s really hurting right now but he will bounce back.”

After a pair of free throws from Niagara’s Antoine Mason with nine seconds left, the Aggies pushed the ball and got Sy an open look that didn’t drop.

“It hurts to lose but I was happy with the way we bounced back after a poor shooting performance (in Saturday’s loss to Bucknell),” Menzies said. “I was looking to see if we would bounce back. We just didn’t defend the 3 and the ball screen and that was our demise.”

NMSU shot 53 percent from the field for the game and 6-for-15 (40 percent) from 3-point range and 21-for-27 (78 percent) from the foul line. NMSU was 9-for-23 (39 percent) in the second half while Niagara went 18-for-32 (56 percent) in the second half to finish the game at 50 percent.

Nine turnovers in the second half and Niagara’s ease at getting quality shots got NU back into the game while NMSU’s offense went stagnant.

“We tried to get the ball inside but their bigs did a great job and they played tough,” Menzies said. “They bothered our big guys. We had eight turnovers just from our center spot.”

NMSU outscored Niagara 40-34 in the paint and NU scored 28 points off NMSU turnovers. NU made just four 3s in the second half.

“We knew they could shoot the 3, and we knew that was the only way they could get back into it,” Menzies said. “But it was more their pick and roll. We didn’t defend it well.”

The Aggies took a 48-32 lead into halftime on a 40-foot Mullings 3-pointer at the horn. Mullings finished with 26 points, going 9-for-14 from the field, 2-for-3 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 at the foul line. Nephawe had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Sy had 10 points.

The Aggies shot 63 percent in the first half while holding Niagara to 3-of-11 3-point shooting in the first half and outrebounding NU 18-11.

The Aggies took control of the game with a 16-4 run sparked by Terrel de Rouen 3-pointer. In his first appearance since the Aggies’ opener at Oregon State, de Rouen scored five of his nine points in the first half as he played 22 minutes before leaving the game with an ankle injury.

“He played really well and we were able to get him back on the floor tonight and we rode him really,” Menzies said. “Maybe too long because he had a couple turnovers but so did KC (Ross-Miller). We couldn’t get those guys in sync.”

Niagara: Three keys and a prediction

Niagara has lost to the same two teams the Aggies have this season. Sunday's game should be higher scoring. Niagara averages 80 ppg. It looks like they have four players who shoot the 3 as the team shoots over 39 percent from long range.

Perimeter defense: Niagara scores 43 percent of its points from long range. That's opposite of what the Aggies hope to do and should do against a smaller team. NMSU does a good job guarding the 3-point line so as long as the Aggies continue to do that, they should be fine. Niagara shot 30 3s against Bucknell. NMSU has to defend that and hope Niagara doesn't get hot.

Where is Bandja?: Bandja Sy has rebounded the ball well and played well defensively but I think a lot of the pressure would be taken off this team offensively if Sy was more assertive offensively. He took five shots against Bucknell. Sy is off to a 7-27 (25.9 percent) start from the field and 2-13 (15.3 percent) from 3-point range. Sy needs to be better. I think it could open things up for the Aggies.

Offensive Rebounding: If the 3 is Niagara's strength, NMSU could take advantage of some easy putbacks against a team that has two players listed at 6-8. NMSU should win this game on the offensive glass and the free throw line.

We saw better shooting from the Aggies on Saturday, but they weren't patient offensively. In a more up and down game, NMSU should get back to what they do best. NMSU wins 79-71

Bucknell shuts down the Aggies

Here is the box score from Saturday's 62-49 Bucknell victory over New Mexico State.

The Aggies seem to like the rims at the Pan Am.

NMSU was 21-26 at the line at home on Thursday but in two road games this year, the Aggies are 34-58 at the foul line 58.6 percent. Here are some other thoughts. 

New Mexico State couldn’t get the offense going against a very good Bucknell team on Saturday in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

The Aggies fell to 1-2 on the season after a 62-49 loss to Bucknell.

“Like the Oregon State game, it was another opportunity for us,” said Aggies coach Marvin Menzies. “You have to be more efficient to hang with a team like that and that means better shot selection.”

The Aggies play host Niagara at 2 p.m., on Sunday.

Saturday was NMSU’s lowest point total since scoring 49 points at Utah State in 2011. The Aggies shot 29.2 percent on Saturday — the lowest percentage since shooting 28.6 percent in 2009 against UTEP.

The Aggies shot 14-for-48 (29 percent) from the field and 15-of-26 (58 percent) from the foul line. The Bison (4-0) were more efficient offensively, shooting 49 percent from the floor and 79 percent from the foul line (11-of-14).

Bucknell shot 59 percent in the second half.

“Defensively we were very good in the first half, and they got hot in the second half,” Menzies said. “They made some tough shots. The defense was good, but it just wasn’t enough tonight.”

Trailing 28-22 at halftime, NMSU closed to within two on a pair of Daniel Mullings free throws with 14:19 to play. Mullings scored the Aggies first eight points of the second half. He finished with 22 points on 7-for-16 shooting with six rebounds, three assists and a steal. Tyrone Watson had 13 points.

Mullings made both of his 3-point attempts, but the Aggies fell in love with the perimeter shot against the Bison, who played sagging man-to-man to close off the paint.

The Aggies were 6-for-17 (35.3 percent) from 3-point range, but it wasn’t what Menzies was looking for offensively.

“They sagged off and instead of being patient and reversing it and playing inside-out, we ended up settling for the 3,” Menzies said. “That’s OK if you are making them. We didn’t shoot it bad but when you shoot that many, you have to shoot upwards of 40 percent otherwise it’s 11 missed opportunities or bad shots.”

Bucknell pulled away, led by senior center Mike Muscala, who had a field day against NMSU’s center duo of Tshilidzi Nephawe and freshman Sim Bhullar.

Muscala scored eight consecutive points at one point, giving the Bison a 51-39 with a dunk with 5:49 to play. Muscala finished with 24 points and nine rebounds.

“(Nephawe and Bhullar) didn’t do a very good job with (Muscala),” Menzies said. “He is very athletic, very savvy and very skilled.”

Menzies was clearly disappointed with the result, failing to play a complete game on the road against a quality opponent that could help the Aggies down the line.

“They (Bucknell) are definitely a NCAA Tournament team and the type of team that you have be beat when you get to the Dance,” Menzies said. “We knew when we scheduled them that it would be a good opportunity for us. We are eagerly anticipating getting a win under our belt before we  head home.”

I asked Menzies about the small lineup that he used for a couple minutes with Dixon, Watson, Mullings Aronis and Sy. Sounds like it's not something we can expect to see on a regular basis.

"It was out of necessity and grasping for straws because nothing was clicking," Menzies said. "We were trying to shake it up defensively but we fouled in it too much."

Bucknell keys and a prediction

Another big test for the Aggies on the road for a "quality win" NMSU needs to get one of these.  Bucknell is 3-0 after a 88-71 victory over Niagara on Friday with an early RPI of 36.

Meet their match on the boards: Bucknell led the Patriot League in rebounding last year. Senior center Mike Muscala averaged 12.5 rpg through two games this year. The 6-11 240-pound Muscala led the Patriot league in rebounding last year. Chili Nephawe had zero rebounds in 20 minutes against an inferior opponent Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday. Senior Joe Willman (6-7) starts at power forward and junior guard Cameron Ayers averaged 4.5 rebounds per game through the first two games. NMSU is obviously a good rebounding team and offensive rebounds could be key, since the Bison play a slower pace.

Pace of play: Bucknell has averages 65 possessions per 40 minutes and the Aggies have nearly 70 per 40 minutes. Which team can play their pace? I'm not sure if the Aggies can turn Bucknell over enough to get that many possessions. But it won't matter as much if the Aggies also take care of the ball. Aggies point guard KC Ross-Miller had a better game on Thursday but he didn't face a great point guard across from him. Hopefully he carries the confidence from a 6 assist, 2 TO outing on Thursday into Saturday's game against Bucknell's Ayers. The Aggies want a faster game than the Bison. The point guard starts the pace of the game and Ross-Miller did a better job pushing the ball initially and backing it out if nothing was there and waiting for the center to get down the court.

Experience: The Bison are solid. Bucknell has seven returners from a team that went 25-10 last year. They have five seniors and appear to be a decent shooting team, shooting 40 percent from 3-point land and 78 percent at the foul line. I think if the Aggies can get one of the Bison starting bigs in foul trouble, they could be in business because it seems like their depth is in the backcourt.

I think the Aggies can outrebound Bucknell, but not enough offensive rebounds to really swing the game into their favor. I just don't know what we will get with the Aggies yet and Bucknell appears to be pretty solid. It should be another close game, but Bucknell's experience pulls it out 68-62.