McKines up for France league honor

Former Aggie standout Wendell McKines is one of three players up for player of the month for his French club team.

Here is the link to vote for McKines and this is the last weekend to vote.

NMSU pulling for rival Utah State

More on New Mexico State/Denver tomorrow.

Saturday's game seems like it will be for the No. 2 WAC Tournament seed. But if Utah State can end Louisiana Tech's 16-game win streak in Ruston on Thursday, the Aggies could have an inside track to a regular season title if they beat Denver on Saturday with La. Tech coming to the Pan American Center next week.

Marvin Menzies was very complimentary of second year Louisiana Tech coach Michael White, who got his team into the WAC Tournament final last year and came back with an unbeaten run through league play and a No. 25 ranking in this week's AP Poll.

Yet Menzies will still pull for Utah State, he said.

"You are still intrigued," Menzies said. "I'll watch that game for pure entertainment purposes. I'm not going to sit there and try to break down plays. I'm just going to be pulling for Utah State. It's one of those deals where you just watch and see what happens."

The chance of the Aggies (12-3) catching La. Tech are slim anyway. The Bulldogs would have to lose three of their final four games with home games this weekend against Utah State and San Jose State. NMSU obviously needs La. Tech to at least split that home stand and then lose both road games next weekend at Denver and NMSU.

La Tech beat UTah State 51-48 in Logan right after the Aggies were trying to figure things out. Thursday should be another close one but the NMSU Aggies need the opposite result.

Tyrone Watson's role moving forward

This post has to do with Tyrone Watson in a basketball only role with the Aggies now that he has been re-instated to play starting March 1. First a quick note, I spoke with Jack Thomas, who was the chairman of the NMSU committee that Watson appealed his suspension. 30 days seemed arbitrary to me and I thought it was convenient that the suspension was lifted just prior to the WAC Tournament. Thomas said that it wasn't about the amount of days, but rather the amount of contests (7) that he missed, which is about 22 percent of the season and that it was retroactive to consider the time he has already been suspended.

Watson is able to rejoin the team for practice this week and will be able to play on March 2 at Denver. Whether or not Marvin Menzies plays him and how much he plays him is yet to be seen.

"We werer 6-1 without Tyrone so that says a lot about the supporting staff," Menzies said. "We are really excited to have him back. He gave us a real zip there in the end (of Saturday's UTEP win) because I mentioned his name in one of the timeouts. I said we have to dig a little deeper for our boy right now."

I believe Watson will return to the starting lineup upon his return.

I have changed my mind several times regarding the simple question of should Watson start should he return. I can see both sides. Here is how I see it on both sides. First of all, Menzies has said in the past and backed it up by the way he coaches that just because you start doesn't mean you finish a game. But also consider Tyrone Watson has gobbled up minutes throughout his career so if he starts a game, there is a pretty good chance he will finish it.

Reasons to start Watson:
Experience, versatility

Watson has been part of two NCAA Tournament teams at NMSU and has started every game for the better part of the past three years. It's late in this season, but Las Vegas will be the first conference tournament where several players are playing big minutes whereas Watson has been there and done that. He was a team leader and I'm fairly certain by players on Twitter and marking on their shoes, that the team still regards him as a leader.

Say what  you will about his shooting form, Watson is more valuable offensively than Renaldo Dixon. He's an unselfish playmaker on offense who can also relieve pressure with his ball handling. Defensively, in the WAC at least, Watson can guard all five positions on the court.

Reasons not to start Watson:
Reduced  minutes for Dixon, Barry at four, chemistry on court, fitness?, perception at Pan Am?

Dixon figures to get prominent minutes backing up Bhullar at the center position. Dixon is big doing the little things off the ball, blocking 37 shots, setting screens and drawing charges. He's also a better free throw shooter (73 percent to 66 percent) than Watson. Remi Barry has come in to provide a scoring punch at the position in recent games and he seems to be the player who could lose minutes unless Dixon returns to strictly backing up Bhullar at center, which you would think would be a tough call. Of course, Bandja Sy has been struggling offensively and Menzies said he would undergo a MRI on the injured knee this week, so perhaps Watson could steal some of Sy's minutes.

This year's team has great chemistry and I doubt there would be grumblings in the lockerroom with whatever roles guys have. But on the court, the Aggies are in a groove and you wonder what adding another dynamic can do to that. Also, Watson has not been able to practice for a month so his conditioning could drop off although I'm sure he hasn't been sitting around playing video games.

It will be interesting to see the reaction at the Pan American Center when the Aggies play La. tech March 7. I think it will be a mixed reaction in the stands to be honest. Blocking things out on the road is one thing, but can Watson block it out with all those eyes on him at home without affecting his performance.

NMSU Harlem Shake

New Mexico State's Panamaniacs did their version of the Harlem Shake on Saturday. I was on the other end but here is my view.

Kevin Aronis game ball

Some people think Kevin Aronis should play more. Perhaps, but when you are playing behind Daniel Mullings, minutes can be sparse. On Saturday, Aronis came on for the struggling and slightly injured Bandja Sy, scoring eight of his 11 points in the last 6 minutes as NMSU outscored UTEP 16-3 to pull out a 51-55 victory over the Miners.

Daniel Mullings

"We just made sure we locked up on defense and make sure they weren't get anything easy because near the end they were starting to make a couple shots. We switched it up a little bit and went to a little zone. EVerybody defensively was committed. Renaldo Dixon and Sim set great screens for Kevin to get open. ...

Kevin Aronis

"It could have been anybody. I hit a few shots that kind of got rolling. We got stops. I think that got the crowd into it a little bit. Just used the momentum to carry us on. ... With a rivalry game as big as this was, there is a lot of adrenaline and it takes a couple minutes to get going. Both halves started off slow. ...Daniel is our guy and I know I'm backing him up. I just have to stay ready. I know that he can get tired or godown hurt. I knew that coming into the season so I have been prepared every night for that. ... We didnt play our best at Utah. We thought we should have won that one. We had to forget it and get some momentum going into the WAC Tournament."

Marvin Menzies

"Every timeout, was what's another way we can get Kevin a shot. He kept answering the call. He has earned it. Coming from a junior college and playing a limited role is tought to do. Kevin has always stayed the courtse. You just have to be ready when the opporuntiy comes and he was."

Watson returns to practice Monday, reinstated by March 2 at Denver

I wrote that NMSU senior forward Tyrone Watson would return, but as the season shrinks, I had my doubts. NMSU announced on Friday he will be reinstated and able to play on March 2 at Denver. Somewhat surprised since he still faces a felony and he still hasn't appeared in front of a Grand Jury, but like I thought earlier, perhaps there was belief that the felony would be reduced or perhaps even dropped. We don't know that yet. All we know is what follows.

New Mexico State Athletics Director Dr. McKinley Boston announced today that he has accepted the recommendation of the Student-Athlete Misconduct Appeals Committee to suspend senior forward Tyrone Watson for 30 days. The 30-day suspension will begin from the date of his initial suspension by head coach Marvin Menzies, Jan. 30.  Watson will be eligible to participate in competition with the team on March 2.

“I appreciate the due diligence of the social misconduct committee and will reinstate Tyrone to the team per the recommendation,” Boston said.

“The social misconduct committee met on Feb. 12, to hear Tyrone Watson’s appeal of his suspension,” said Dr. Jack Thomas, Chair of the Student-Athlete Misconduct Appeals Committee. “The committee was composed of two faculty members, five staff members and one NM State student. Based on the information available and after interviewing Tyrone, the committee deliberated on the appeal and recommended a 30-day suspension from competition, beginning with the date when coach Menzies originally suspended Tyrone, and ending on March 1 was appropriate.  This amounts to him missing seven games. We also agreed to allow him to return to practice on Feb. 25.  We also recommended counseling for Tyrone.  The committee reserved the right to reevaluate the suspension if new information becomes available.”

"I am very, very sorry to the young man and his family who have been caught up in this,” Watson said. “I offered my apologies to him through mutual friends and the police. I want people to know that at the time I felt he was acting inappropriately toward my girlfriend. I did not inflict the horrific eye injury that has been displayed in the media. I did not go out looking for a fight or get into fights as has been portrayed in the media. It was an incident I should have avoided and I have no excuse for my actions. I called the police the next morning to admit what I did. I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart to my teammates, coaches, the University, and all the Aggie fans who I have disappointed.”

“Tyrone has been a student-athlete in our program for five years now,” Menzies said. “He is set to graduate in the spring and has been an exceptional student and person in our program for his entire time here. I have always felt great about his contributions to New Mexico State University. He was a unanimous vote for our team captain this season by both players and staff.  We support the action by the social misconduct committee and look forward to Tyrone rejoining the team.”

Five storylines for UTEP

These aren't to be confused with the keys to the game. Just things to consider for Saturday night.

LAS CRUCES — After having its 12-game win streak snapped over the weekend at Utah State, New Mexico State returns to a rivalry atmosphere on Saturday.

The Aggies hope for a split on the season against UTEP when the Miners visit the Pan American Center on Saturday. The Miners beat the Aggies in El Paso in November.

“We feel like we have to win that game,” Aggies senior Bandja Sy said. “The first game was a bad game for us. We have to win that game on Saturday.”

Here are five storylines entering Saturday’s I-10 rivalry game:

Two vastly different teams: Other than the Aggies system vs. UTEP’s system, it’s hard to imagine either coaching staff spending much time viewing the video from UTEP’s 55-54 victory at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso. Consider that Saturday’s game could feature up to five starters between the teams will be different than the first meeting. For NMSU, Tyrone Watson (suspended) and Tshilidzi Nephawe (injury) won’t be available and Daniel Mullings won’t have his jaw wired shut. UTEP guards Konner Tucker and McKenzie Moore are two of the Miners’ top two scorers in Conference USA play. Neither were available in the first meeting.

“We look at (the first game) but both teams’ identity has kind of changed,” Aggies sophomore guard Daniel Mullings said. “They have a couple guys who are eligible back and playing. For us, a couple guys are injured and starting roles changed due to incidents. We are just looking forward to bringing whoever we have suited up and going 100 percent.”

Lost opportunity in El Paso: NMSU led the first game 54-50 with 1:34 to play in El Paso, but a pair of NMSU turnovers cost the Aggies. NMSU had 20 turnovers in El Paso, including a Watson double-dribble call at midcourt that gave the Miners the ball back down one. Chris Washburn stepped tot he foul line and converted a one-and-one opportunity with 5.9 seconds left to deny the Aggies their first win in El Paso since 2009.

Fatigued factor?: UTEP lost a 45-39 C-USA game at Southern Mississippi on Wednesday night. The Miners are 2-9 away from the Don Haskins Center this season while NMSU is 12.1 at the Pan American Center.

Aggies coach Marvin Menzies also gave his players three days off following last weekend’s road loss at Utah State.

“They will have a quick turnaround,” Menzies said. “They are all healing up. It was good to have a few extra days.”

Turnovers: NMSU’s 20 turnovers led to 22 UTEP points in the first game, but the Aggies have done a better job taking care of the ball with 12.6 turnovers per game in WAC play. UTEP turns the ball over 12.2 times per game for the season so ball security could decide the outcome on Saturday just as it did in November.

Two struggling leagues: The WAC and C-USA are middle-tier leagues in terms of RPI, but both have significant separation between contenders and the rest of the league. Memphis and Southern Miss are three games clear of the rest of the conference at the top of the standings. The WAC also appears to be a two-team race between unbeaten Louisiana Tech and Denver with NMSU needing some help to get back into the Top 2. C-USA is ranked No. 11 in the RPI and the WAC is ranked No. 13.

“Every game is a grind for every team,” Mullings said. “You can’t take any team lightly.  (Louisiana Tech) is playing well and they are getting away with a lot of close games. You have to tip your hat to them.”