Crazy day in the WAC

We have a 9 seed and a 7 seed in the semifinals on Friday.

UTSA's victory over top-seeded Louisiana Tech was just the second time the No. 9 seed beat the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament and the first since Air Force beat Colorado State in 1990. It was only the third time the top two seeds went down in the quarterfinals.

It will be interesting to see how Texas State and UTSA play in their third game in three days while No. 3 NMSU and No. 4 Arlington are playing their second game of the week.

It's too bad that UTSA, La. Tech, teams that are up and coming, are leaving the WAC. Even Texas State and Arlington have players and good coaches.

Daniel Mullings postgame

Spoke with Daniel Mullings on Thursday after the Aggies beat Idaho 65-49. Two things that stood out to me. You have to give Marvin Menzies credit where it's due and he out coached Verlin Thursday. Idaho never adjusted to the press. Also, Mullings showed that the experience he gathered last year was more than enough to carry over into another postseason.

Aggies take on upstart Texas State in WAC semis

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - It didn't take long for an upset in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.
A night after winning a play-in game, seventh-seeded Texas State beat No. 2 Denver 72-68 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Thursday.
Texas State advanced to play No. 3 New Mexico State in Friday's 7 p.m., semifinal. Texas State beat Seattle 68-56 on Wednesday to advance to take on the rested Pioneers.
"We are playing the better team because they are the team that won," said Aggies coach Marvin Menzies, whose Aggies beat No. 6 Idaho 65-49 in the first game of the day. "Denver didn't shoot the 3 but Texas State is the reason they struggled so we have to be ready for their intensity."
Denver was 10-for-28 from 3-point range against Texas State, forced to play from behind for the whole game.
"It's a tough pill after the way we have been playing for the past three months," Denver coach Joe Scott said. "They (Texas State) played the best they have all year. That happens this time of year."
Texas State wing Joel Wright scored 32 points on 9-for-10 shooting and was 14-of-16 from the foul line.
"I had so many coaches and people giving me condolences the last couple of days because (Denver) is such a good team," said Texas State coach Doug Davalos, whose team improved to 11-21 on the season. "The thing about the team I am coaching is we are a good team too."
New Mexico State beat Texas State 78-67 in Las Cruces and 86-72 in San Marcos, Texas. Wright scored 14 points on 3-of-18 shooting in San Marcos and he scored 17 in Las Cruces.
"We have been a great defensive team in conference the last three games," Davalos said. "Nothing is going to change (Friday). We know how talented (the Aggies) are."
The Aggies have been remarkably focused throughout the course of the season. It's unlikely the Aggies will look past Texas State. After all, the Aggies beat last year's upstart team, Louisiana Tech, in the final after the Bulldogs advanced past Utah State and Nevada.
"There have been a lot of close games," Menzies said. "You have to be able to bring your 'A' game on any given night. That's what we did today and hopefully we do it tomorrow."

Postseason keys and prediction: Idaho

Limit Hill and Madison: Idaho center Kyle Barone has proven to be difficult for the Aggies this year, scoring 18 and 26 points against NMSU this year. The Aggies can't let Stephen Madison and Connor Hill get going. Hill kept Idaho close in Las Cruces. Barone, Hill and and Madison have scored 43.7 of Idaho's 69 points per game this season.

Stop penetration: Barone gets a lot of points off penetration as guards get into the paint and find him for dunks. Mullings, Sy and the point guard have to try to keep Idaho's guards in front of them.

Keep Bhullar involved offensively: Sim Bhullar was 8-8 in the last game against Idaho. Idaho center Kyle Barone has only fouled out once this season, but making him work on both ends could rob his legs on those jump shots later in the game. It will be interesting to see if perhaps Idaho throws a different defense at the Aggies since nothing they have done this year has seemed to work.


NMSU hasn't failed to make the WAC semis. I don't think that ends today, although it looks like Watson will not play. Aggies win 69-66

Idaho seeking breakthrough win at expense of Aggies

Idaho has improved as a basketball program under fifth-year coach Don Verlin.

But Verlin is missing an essential piece of the puzzle before the Vandals can move on as a program. Verlin has yet to win a Western Athletic Conference Tournament game as the No. 6 Vandals take on No. 3 New Mexico State in a 1 p.m., quarterfinal today at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

“It’s important for the program,” Verlin said. “We have been the three seed twice and haven’t got it done. What is important is to go out and play our best basketball. New Mexico State is as good as anyone in the conference right now. We know it’s going to be a tough game.”

Idaho is 1-7 all-time in the WAC Tournament and 0-1 against NMSU. The Vandals haven’t won a tournament game since the 2006-07 season under George Pfeifer. Pfeifer lost the next year to NMSU in the only WAC Tournament meeting between the schools.

The Vandals have been a No. 3 seed twice under Verlin and a No. 4 seed once with two appearances in the CIT, but success in the conference tournament has eluded the Vandals.

“This may be the toughest first-round draw we have had in my five years,” Verlin said. “You see so many upsets throughout the country this time of year. It’s a new lease on life.”

Today’s game could be the last game for WAC Player of the Year Kyle Barone, who is also seeking his first WAC Tournament win.

“I really want to be around on the weekend,” Barone said. “Last year we were a No. 3 seed and we lost in the first round.”

Barone has been among the top players in the WAC for the past three years, but the Vandals have ran their offense through him this year and Barone averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.

“Last year we had some seniors that could run the offense,” Barone said. “This year they look at me to make plays. Our guards are good at getting to the rim and dishing it off or I clean up offensive rebounds. I expected the offense to run more through me and late in the year, it has been.”

Barone is a tough match up for the Aggies. He had 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 71-70 Aggies victory in Moscow, Idaho. Barone scored 26 points in a 76-74 NMSU win in Las Cruces.

“It was a one-possession game and they won it at the free throw line,” Barone said. “We have lost two games by three points so we have a good idea of what the game is going to be like.”

Aggies guard Daniel Mullings hit critical free throws in the last minute in both NMSU wins over Idaho this year.

“They are going to remember that,” Mullings said. “They know we beat them twice already and they are going to go with the mentality that it’s time for revenge. We know it’s one-and-done and we don’t want to go home.”

Barone will be a handful for the Aggies today, but NMSU can’t let wings Stephen Madison and Connor Hill get going. Barone, Madison and Hill account for 43.7 of Idaho’s 69 points per game. Hill was 3-for-4 from 3-point range for 21 points in the Vandals’ loss in Las Cruces.

“Connor Hill brings a lot of 3s so we have to run him off the line and make sure he does not get good looks at the basket,” Mullings said. “I played pretty good defense on him but he made a lot of great shots. I have to look at what I can do even better to try to shut him down.”

Conventional wisdom says that it’s difficult to beat a team three times in the same season. Verlin is hoping that trend holds.

Jason Groves can be reached at (575) 541-5459. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

NMSU beats Utah State in WAC Final (Am I crazy?)

 COMMENTARY: Defense, experience will lift Aggies to back-to-back WAC titles

There hasn’t been a back-to-back Western Athletic Conference Tournament champion since Hawaii did it in 2000-02.

It’s a different league now and it will be vastly different next year, but New Mexico State’s experience and commitment to defense will carry them through the conference tournament this week at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

The Aggies will open the tournament against an Idaho team on Thursday that is 1-7 in the WAC Tournament with head coach Don Verlin still looking for a victory. NMSU beat the Vandals twice in the regular season by a combined three points thanks to some late Daniel Mullings free throws in each  game.

Conventional wisdom says that it’s hard to beat a team three times. History says it’s easy to beat Idaho in the WAC Tournament.

Thursday won’t be a cakewalk. Idaho has the WAC’s best player in center Kyle Barone and capable shooters, but the Aggies will advance to face No. 2 Denver in Friday’s 7 p.m., semifinal.

The Aggies are the only team to beat both top-seeded Louisiana Tech and the Pioneers this season. NMSU handled the Pioneers quite easily in Las Cruces and Denver returned the favor in Colorado two weeks ago. Denver enters the postseason on a 10-game win streak with the last three coming at home. Denver is first in WAC play in 3s made and 3-point percentage (39.8) and fourth in 3s attempted. If the Pioneers are off, which they were in Las Cruces, the Aggies use their size and physicality to eliminate the Pioneers. NMSU played well enough to win at Denver, but 18 turnovers cost the Aggies any chance and Denver eventually picked the Aggies apart. We have seen the Aggies shut down each of the top two seeds offensively, and in a tournament setting, NMSU does it again to advance to the final, where head coach Marvin Menzies is 2-1 in WAC title games.

Louisiana Tech was the No. 5 seed last year and reached the final. I’m going with this year’s No. 5 seed to also reach the final.

Utah State was swept by both Louisiana Tech and No. 4 Texas-Arlington this year but the Utah State Aggies were not healthy in both games against Arlington. I suppose my Utah State pick is predicated more in a lack of confidence in Louisiana Tech than belief that Utah State is the second best team in the conference. First Utah State needs to get past a good Arlington team in what is perhaps the most intriguing WAC quarterfinal on Thursday. If Utah State does advance, can the new kid on the block Bulldogs take down a WAC heavyweight? I’m not so sure considering the Bulldogs coming back down to earth over the weekend with convincing losses at NMSU and Denver. The Bulldogs are a good team, but a team that relies on jump shots falling — not a tried and true recipe for postseason success. 

Perhaps it’s the fact that I picked NMSU and Utah State atop the league standings in the preseason or the idea of the two rivals meeting one last time for an automatic bid on the line. I know it’s the final I want to see.

I think NMSU wins rather easily given Utah State’s lack of depth after back-to-back games against pressing teams.

NMSU’s road through the WAC won’t be easy. I believe the Aggies could just as easily be eliminated on Thursday night. If they face Denver, it’s the true WAC championship game to me. NMSU has played defense each night this year with few exceptions. 

Defense, in this case, wins championships.

Senior night speeches

The angle isn't great and it's far away, but Tyrone Watson and Bandja Sy were recognized on Senior Night Saturday. Watson talks about his career, his ankle injury and his legal situation.