New Mexico State Aggies
WAC (24-10, 14-4)
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As the season progressed, New Mexico State started looking like a better team. Time did help a young backcourt grow up, but what once looked like early season losses also started looking much better. The Aggies lost to Bucknell and Niagara in November. Bucknell and Niagara both went on to win their regular season conference titles. A couple loses to UTEP and New Mexico have proven to be quality losses as well. New Mexico State could not compete with Louisiana Tech throughout the WAC season, but this is still a dangerous team.
Big Wins: 12/01 Southern Miss (68-60), 1/23 Denver (53-42), 3/07 Louisiana Tech (78-60)
Bad Losses: 11/18 at Niagara (83-86), 12/29 Texas-Arlington (47-68), 2/16 at Utah State (69-73)
Coach: Marvin Menzies (6 seasons at Denver)
Why They Can Surprise:
New Mexico State’s frontcourt is deep and talented. The team ranks in the top 20 in the nation in rebounding and blocked shots. Bandja Sy, a 6-8 senior, is a strong rebounder and tough matchup for opposing defense. Sy is not a great shooter, but he is capable of knocking down the occasional long ball and defenders must keep that in mind. Sy and Watson may be the staples of the frontcourt, but Sim Bhullar has stolen some of their luster. Bhullar, a 7-5 freshman, is averaging 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. He is a massive presence in the paint and has turned into a much better than expected scorer. An injury to Tshilidzi Nephawe paved the way for Bhullar’s increased playing time. With a player like Renaldo Dixon starting a handful of games this year as well, Coach Marvin Menzies’ frontcourt is absolutely loaded even without Nephawe.
Why They Can Disappoint:
When New Mexico State works through the frontcourt, they can be a pretty good team. However, the team as a whole commits way too many turnovers and they can quickly lose their rebounding advantage because of turnovers. Daniel Mullings is the guard who will take all of the big shots for the Aggies. The 6-2 sophomore is a fine all-around player who can do a bit of everything. Yet, what he does best is score. Mullings is a good shooter from long range, but he just does not step outside the arc very often. As long as he is scoring, Mullings is doing his job. Terrel de Rouen and K.C. Ross-Miller are not scoring threats, but they can help keep the turnovers under control…usually. The loss of Tyrone Watson, who started all 23 games in which he appeared, is a big blow to the team’s overall ability to handle the ball. Watson was a good senior leader on the floor and was leading the team in assists.
Probable Starters:
K.C. Ross-Miller, Sophomore, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 2.3 apg
Terrel de Rouen, Sophomore, Guard, 5.7 ppg, 1.8 apg
Daniel Mullings, Sophomore, Guard, 14.0 ppg, 2.6 apg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 spg
Bandja Sy, Senior, Forward, 11.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg
Sim Bhullar, Freshman, Center, 10.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.4 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Remi Barry, Sophomore, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Renaldo Dixon, Junior, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.0 (159th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.6 (73, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.8 (60, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.0 (54, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.0 (333, 10)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: n/a
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.6 (257, 7)
Rebound Margin: 6.6 (17, 2)
Assists Per Game: 12.0 (235, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.7 (275, 8)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Indiana
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan State
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Texas
2000 NIT First round loss to Arizona State
1999 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Kentucky
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
