NMSU Defeats I-10 Rival UTEP

   Las Cruces, NM- Every New Mexico State Aggies fan remembers how they felt on November 28th when UTEP defeated NMSU 55-54 on a controversial call made by the official with 5 seconds left. It was truly a heart breaker.

Saturday brought sweet redemption to Las Cruces as the Aggies (19-9) were, this time, victorious 55-51 over I-10 Rival UTEP (14-12) in front of 10,729 people in the Pan American Center. That is the highest attendance for a game in the PanAm since the 2008 WAC Tournament Championship.

It was also a Whiteout. The Southside Student Section was amazing.

Junior guard Kevin Aronis scored 11 points on 4-6 shooting (3-5 3-PT) to lead the Crimson and White. Every time he shot, it seemed to be clutch. Senior Bandja Sy had 10 points with 5 rebounds. Sim Bhullar added 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks while Renaldo Dixon had 8 points and 8 rebounds.

An overlooked accomplishment... Freshman Sim Bhullar broke the New Mexico State single-season blocked shots record. He now has 60 this season. Another note: he played 37 minutes tonight. This is not a typo.

With 7:06 left to play, UTEP was up 48-39. NMSU then scored the next eight points to cut the deficit to 48-47 with 2:47 left to play.

Another 3-pointer for the Miners made the score 51-47 with 2:22 remaining... the last points of the night for them.

The play of the game happened with 2:05 left on the clock when Kevin Aronis made his third triple of the game to make the score 51-50. He then followed that shot with the go-ahead jumper from the wing to give the Aggies a 52-50 lead. A pair of free throws from Terrel de Rouen put NMSU up 54-51 with 24 seconds left.

UTEP had one last chance with 8 seconds left as C.J. Cooper hoisted up a three that didn't go in. Bandja Sy went to the free-throw line and made 1-of-2 with 1.7 seconds left to ice the victory.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Panamaniacs stormed the court to celebrate the victory.

In a very defensive first half, NMSU only led 17-14 at halftime.

For the game, the Aggies shot 18-47 (38.3%) and missed 9 free-throws (13-22; 59%)

Player of the Game: Kevin Aronis (11 pts, 3-5 3Pt)

Next Game: Saturday, March 2 @ Denver (18-8, 13-2) at 4:00 MT

WAC Coming Down to the Wire

With their loss to Utah State on Saturday, it has become pretty-much impossible for New Mexico State to win a regular season WAC title.

Current Standings:                                 GB

1. Louisiana Tech           14-0     22-3      -

2. Denver                        13-2     17-8    1.5

3. New Mexico State     12-3     18-9    2.5

4. Utah State                     9-5     18-6    5.0 

5. UT-Arlington               9-5      14-9    5.0

Lets take a look at what teams have  left:

It's too early to come up with scenarios.

Louisiana Tech (14-0, 22-3); 1st Place in WAC

Louisiana Tech has almost wrapped up the Western Athletic Conference.

They have 5 games remaining this year, 4 WAC games.

The Bulldogs host Central Baptist on Wednesday- a game that should be a blowout. 

They then host Utah State (9-5, 18-6) and San Jose State (3-11, 9-16). The UtAgs will be tough, but I still don't see LaTech losing. The Bulldogs will close out the year by traveling to the LC to take on New Mexico State (12-3, 18-9) and to Colorado to face Denver (13-2, 17-8). 

Denver (13-2, 17-8); 2nd Place in WAC (1.5 GB)

The Denver Pioneers have quietly had a very good first season in the WAC. 

They have 4 games remaining, 3 WAC games.

They travel to face Northern Iowa next Saturday- a game that is a toss-up.

To conclude the season, they will host New Mexico State (12-3, 18-9), UT-Arlington (9-5, 14-9), and first-pace Louisiana Tech (14-0, 22-3).

New Mexico State (12-3, 18-9); 3rd Place in WAC (2.5 GB)

NMSU really helped themselves out by defeating Denver early in the year.

They have 4 games remaining, 3 WAC games.

The I-10 Rivalry takes place on Saturday as they will host UTEP.

They travel to Denver on March 2- which could be a HUGE game. That is followed up by a home stand against Louisiana Tech (14-0, 22-3) and UT-Arlington (9-5, 14-9).

Utah State (9-5, 18-6); 4th Place in WAC (5 GB)

The Utah State Aggies have the most games remaining to be played.

They have 6 games remaining, 4 WAC games.

If they win out, and with the help of other teams, they could MAYBE, just maybe, win a WAC title. 

They play BYU and Illinois St in non-WAC play, before traveling to face LaTech and UT-Arlington and hosting the bottom-feeding Texas teams- UTSA and Texas State.

UT-Arlington

The biggest surprise team in the WAC this season.

They have 6 games remaining, 4 WAC games.

They have the toughest remaining WAC schedule left as they host SJSU and Utah State before traveling to face Denver and NMSU.

Expect crazy things to happen as this season is coming down to the wire in the Western Athletic Conference.

NMSU Wins 11th Straight

   Las Cruces, NM- The New Mexico State Aggies (17-8, 11-2) won their eleventh consecutive game on Saturday after defeating the Seattle Redhawks 60-57 to secure the season series sweep. For the second straight game, the Aggies had to fight off late rallies, the other being vs. Idaho on Thursday.

In the Lou Henson Classic, sophomore guard Daniel Mullings put his poor effort against Idaho behind him as he was responsible for 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Freshman Sim Bhullar had 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks while Senior Bandja Sy only had 9 points. Renaldo Dixon had a near double-double with 8 points and 7 boards.

The Aggies continue to go with their 7-man rotation and were supplied with 5 points off the bench, all from Remi Barry, who played 17 minutes.

The Redhawks (7-16, 2-10) were led by Deshaun Sunderhaus who had 14 points. They also out-rebounded NMSU 42-30.

Bandja Sy had one of the MOST RIDICULOUS dunks that anybody will ever see, jumping over a Seattle defender.

Player of the Game: Daniel Mullings (18 pts, 4 reb, 3 stl)

Next Game: Thursday, February 14, @ San Jose State (9-14, 3-9) at 8:00 MT

Follow on Twitter: @JoeTheWigBoy

Renaldo Dixon

MBB: NMSU 76, Idaho 74

   Las Cruces, NM- The New Mexico State Aggies won their tenth consecutive game on Thursday after defeating Idaho 76-74 in what was a very interesting game.

With 6:14 left in the game, guard Kevin Aronis hit a three-pointer to give the Aggies a 67-56 lead, their largest of the night. Idaho then responded going on an 18-7 run to eventually tie the game up at 74. With 26 seconds remaining, Bandja Sy went to the line after he was fouled coming down with a rebound. He missed the one-and-one opportunity giving the Vandals the ball to hold for a last-second shot. As Idaho guard Mike McChristian was going up court, freshman Terrel de Rouen stole the ball and found Mullings cutting to the basket only to get fouled while shooting. Mullings hit the two free throws to sink the Vandals and give NMSU their 10th straight win.

New Mexico State (16-8, 10-2) was lead by freshman Sim Bhullar, who had a perfect night going 8-8 from the field for 20 points and 5 rebounds. The two usual stars, Bandja Sy and Daniel Mullings, struggled from the floor but were picked up by teammates. Sy, who had been on a major hot streak the previous couple of games, had 9 points (4-11 fg) and a career-high 15 rebounds while Mullings shot 2-10 for 7 points. 

Terrel de Rouen and Renaldo Dixon really stepped it up for NMSU as they each accounted for 12 points. Off the bench, Kevin Aronis scored 9 points in six minutes of action while Remi Barry had 7 points. This seven-man rotation is looking really good.

Idaho (9-13, 5-7) was paced by All-WAC performer Kyle Barone who dropped in a game-high 26 points and collected 7 rebounds. Connor Hill had 21 points including some very clutch three's. 

Oh yeah, did I mention, only 5,675 people showed up to the game last night. That's awful. Especially for a team that is on a 10-game winning streak. Come on Las Cruces!

All in all, we won. Ten straight wins. 11-1 in the PanAm Center.

Player of the Game: Sim Bhullar (20 pts, 5 reb)

Next Game: Saturday, February 9 vs. Seattle (7-15, 2-10) at 7:00

GO AGGIES

Tyrone Watson Arrested

   Las Cruces, NM- New Mexico State senior forward Tyrone Watson has been arrested and charged for allegedly attacking another student during a party on January 26. Police say that Watson, 22, picked up a 19-year old NMSU student by the neck, slammed him to the ground, and punched him "at least once."

The fifth-year basketball player from Canada has been charged with aggravated battery- a third degree felony.

Head coach Marvin Menzies announced an indefinite suspension for Watson on January 31.

Tyrone Watson will be represented by Las Cruces attorney Joe Coronado.

McKinley Boston: "One mistake could conceivably end his career."

If Watson has played his last game for the Aggies, he would finish having played in 116 career games- ninth all-time in NMSU history.

WAC Player of the Week: Bandja Sy

New Mexico State senior forward Bandja Sy has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of January 28 - February 3.

This is the first NMSU WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week recipient since Wendell McKines did it last year during the week of February 27-March 4.

In the 86-72 victory over Texas State on Thursday, Sy posted his third double-double of the season scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. This was also his first game without fellow senior forward Tyrone Watson, who was suspended indefinitely.

In the UTSA game, Sy scored 17 points to go with 7 rebounds en route to a 75-62 win.

Bandja Sy averaged 20.5 points and 10 rebounds for the week. He shot 73.9% (17-23) from the field and didn't miss a three-pointer going 2-2.

To see how Bandja's recent performance has NMSU on a 9-game winning streak, check out this blog entry:

http://nmstate.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-blog-effect.html

Follow me on Twitter: @JoeTheWigBoy

GO AGGIES!

The Blog Effect

Ok, so MAYBE I came down a little hard on New Mexico State senior forward Bandja Sy regarding his struggles from November 28's loss to UTEP to December 31's loss to Louisiana Tech on my blog.

To read that blog, follow this link: http://nmstate.blogspot.com/2013/01/whats-wrong-with-bandja.html

However, since I published that blog on January 1st, he has turned it up a little (sarcasm).

The Aggies haven't lost since that LaTech game on December 31 going 9-0.

In those 9 games, Bandja Sy has averaged 17.8 PPG including scoring outputs of 25, 24, and 23.

He has shot 63-105 from the field, good for 60%.

Including... 6-14 from behind the arc- 42.8%.

The more Bandja Sy cuts down on the three-point attempts, the better he does.

POWER OF THE BLOG (Wishful thinking by me)

Anyway, the Aggies have won 9 games in a row- mostly thanks to Sy's fantastic play.

He is going to have to keep playing at this pace with fellow senior forward Tyrone Watson suspended indefinitely.

(Photo Credit: Tim Barnet-Queen)

Bhullar's Career Night Lifts Aggies to Sweep

   San Antonio, TX- The New Mexico State Aggies (15-8, 9-2) capped off their road trip with a 75-62 victory over UT-San Antonio Saturday. This was the 9th consecutive victory for the Crimson and White, who haven't lost since the calender flipped to 2013.

Freshman center Sim Bhullar led the way for NMSU with 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with his 5 blocks. Bandja Sy dropped in 17 and Renaldo Dixon joined them in double digits with 12.

Daniel Mullings scored 8 points with 5 boards. Remi Barry continues to slowly slide into the 'missing' small forward role scoring 8 points, after starter Tyrone Watson was suspended indefinitely by the team on Thursday.

Once again, only seven guys suited up for NMSU- de Rouen, Mullings, Sy, Dixon, Bhullar, Aronis, and Barry.

The Roadrunners (5-16, 1-10) were led by guard Michael Hale III with 20 points while the WAC's leading scorer Kannon Burrage had 18.

Multiple signs and chants were made by UTSA fans towards New Mexico State due to the Tyrone Watson incident including a sign that read: "New Mexico State Penitentiary" and a "Criminals" chant during Aggie free throws.

This was the ninth consecutive victory for NMSU- the longest for them since the Reggie Theus-led team in the 2006-2007 season pulled off 13 in a row.

JUST A SIDE NOTE: If you thought NMSU's attendance was bad- only 1,469 people attended the UTSA game on Saturday... Thats not a typo.

The Aggies return home on Thursday and Saturday to host WAC foes Idaho and Seattle.

Player of the Game: Sim Bhullar (17 pts, 18 reb, 5 blk)- Did I mention, on a bad foot? (;

Next Game: Thursday, February 7, vs Idaho (9-12, 5-6) at 7:00 MT

Follow me on Twitter: @JoeTheWigBoy