All-WAC Selections

The 2012-2013 WAC Awards have been released. Here you go:

Player of the Year    Kyle Barone, Idaho    The Senior center put together another dominant season leading the WAC in scoring and rebounding (16.8 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game). He also hits 59% of his shots. I am happy to see him win this award even though he plays on a bad team. I thought this award was Appleby's just because he played for the best team. Anyway, Kyle Barone is very deserving of this award and finally, the WAC got it right.

My Player of the Year    Kyle Barone, Idaho
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Coach of the Year    Michael White, Louisiana Tech    In his second season as head coach, White has established himself as a fantastic one. He has led a team of 2 Seniors, 5 Juniors, 5 Sophomores, and 3 freshmen to a 26-5 record en route to a first place WAC finish. He completely deserves this award and has changed the Louisiana Tech program around.

My Coach of the Year    Michael White, Louisiana Tech
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Freshman of the Year    Sim Bhullar, New Mexico State    Completely deserved. Bhullar took over the NMSU starting center role after junior Tshilidzi Nephawe was out for the season. Big Sim finished his freshman year leading the WAC in FG% (61.5%) and was second in blocks (2.4). He tallied 73 blocks this year- an NMSU single-season record.

My Newcomer of the Year    Sim Bhullar, New Mexico State
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All-WAC 1st Team
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech
Kenneth Smith, Louisiana Tech
Bandja Sy, New Mexico State
Chris Udofia, Denver
Kyle Barone, Idaho

My All-WAC 1st Team
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech    Deserved. 14.5 points per game. My
                                                                   pre-season Player of the Year
Spencer Butterfield, Utah State    Carried the UtAgs after Medlin & Reed went
                                                            down.
Daniel Mullings, NMSU    Lead WAC in steals (2.2), 8th in scoring (14.0), just
                                                 a flat-out dynamic player. Should be on 1st team.
Chris Udofia, Denver    An all-around force, 10th in scoring (12.7), helped
                                          Denver to 2nd place finish.
Kyle Barone, Idaho    Refer to above.
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All-WAC 2nd Team
Chase Hallam, Denver
Daniel Mullings, New Mexico State
Joel Wright, Texas State
Spencer Butterfield, Utah State
Jarred Shaw, Utah State

My All-WAC 2nd Team
Michael Hale III, UT-San Antonio    4th in scoring (16.1), 3rd in assists (3.8). All
                                                                 on an awful team.
Kenneth Smith, Louisiana Tech    Lead WAC in assists (5.3), 3rd in steals (1.7),
                                                             barely missed MY 1st team cut.
Bandja Sy, NMSU    Averaged 11.8 points per game and was sixth in rebounding
                                      (7.3). Led NMSU after a slow start.
Joel Wright, Texas State    Tied for lead in WAC for scoring (17.1), 2-time player
                                                of week.
Sim Bhullar, NMSU    Lead WAC in FG% (61.5), 3rd in blocks (2.4), took over
                                         as starter after Nephawe's injury.
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All-WAC 3rd Team
Michael Hale III, UT-San Antonio
Brett Olson, Denver
Kevin Butler, UT-Arlington
Royce O'Neale, Denver
Sim Bhullar, New Mexico State

My All-WAC 3rd Team
Kannon Burrage, UT-San Antonio
Brett Olson, Denver
Kevin Butler, UT-Arlington
Royce O'Neale, Denver
Jarred Shaw, Utah State
______________________________________________________________

All-WAC Defense Team
Chase Hallam, Denver
Daniel Mullings, New Mexico State
Kenneth Smith, Louisiana Tech
Michale Kyser, Louisiana Tech
Chris Udofia, Denver

My All-WAC Defense Team
Chase Hallam, Denver    2nd in steals (2.1)
Daniel Mullings, NMSU    Lead WAC in steals (2.2)
Kenneth Smith, Louisiana Tech    3rd in steals (1.7)
Michale Kyser, Louisiana Tech    Lead WAC in blocks (2.7)
Sim Bhullar, NMSU    3rd in blocks (2.4)
______________________________________________________________

All-WAC Newcomer Team
Alex Hamilton, Louisiana Tech
Spencer Butterfield, Utah State
Jarred Shaw, Utah State
Joel Wright, Texas State
Sim Bhullar, New Mexico State

My All-WAC Newcomer Team
Alex Hamilton, Louisiana Tech    Freshman. 34th in scoring (7.8)
Spencer Butterfield, Utah State    Refer to above.
Jarred Shaw, Utah State    Jr. Transfer. 7th in scoring (14), 4th in rebounds (8.4).
Joel Wright, Texas State    Jr. Transfer. Tied for 1st in scoring (17.1)
Sim Bhullar, NMSU    Refer to above.
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What do you think?

Let me know in the comments below...

Or, Tweet me! @JoeTheWigBoy..... #AskTheWig























To see my pre-season selections... CLICK HERE

This Day in NMSU History: March 10, 2012

March 10, 2012

The New Mexico State Aggies were looking to secure their third WAC title in five years as they faced the young, upstart Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the 2012 WAC Championship game.

#2 NMSU defeated #7 Fresno State and #6 Hawaii to get to the title game, while #5 LaTech defeated #4 Utah State and defeated the heavily-favored #1 Nevada Wolfpack in the semi-finals, who went 28-7 in the regular season.

It was over from the very beginning in Las Vegas as the Aggies took a demanding 38-20 lead into the locker room and led by as many as 28 in the second half.

When the final buzzer sounded, the New Mexico State Aggies (26-9) defeated the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (18-16) by a score of 82-57 to win the WAC Tournament Title.

Senior Wendell McKines went out on top as he poured in 27 points and 14 rebounds. McKines was named the Tournament MVP while teammates Tyrone Watson and Hernst Laroche also made first-team.

The Aggies then advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Indiana in the first round.

It was an incredible season for New Mexico State.

And yes... Here are some pics from the 2012 WAC Championship game:

Panamaniacs Rush the Floor

Wendell McKines, Tournament MVP

WAC Champs

McKines Cutting Down the Net

NMSU Hands LaTech First WAC Defeat

   Las Cruces, NM- Fans saw the nation's longest winning streak come to an end Thursday as New Mexico State (20-10, 13-4) defeated Louisiana Tech (26-4, 16-1) by a score of 78-60. LaTech entered the game with an 18 game winning streak.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-10 lead through the first nine minutes of action, but never really held it together again.

NMSU then used an 18-2 run to take the 28-23 lead with 6:19 left. The Aggies entered the locker rooms up 43-34.

LaTech pulled within four points, 46-50, with 13 minutes left, but that was the closest they ever were for the remainder of the game. This was a very impressive win.

New Mexico State was led by guard Daniel Mullings who had 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. Tyrone Watson recorded his first double-double since 2011 with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Sim Bhullar had 5 blocks. Bandja Sy and Terrel de Rouen each pitched in with double-figure scoring as well (12 & 10).

LaTech was led by Raheem Appleby, who had 13 points.

With Denver's victory over UT-Arlington, NMSU has been locked in at the 3-seed in the WAC Tournament and will take on #6 Idaho on Thursday.

Just an off note: Various students were constantly booing Tyrone Watson, who played in his first game in the PanAm since his suspension... This bothered me. Not because of what he did, but the fact that he is a member of the Aggies' basketball team and is a 5th year Senior. Another thing I noticed was the Las Cruces crowd's attitude toward K.C. Ross-Miler. I know de Rouen is from LC, but come on...

The Aggies finish off the regular season on Saturday as they take on UT-Arlington on Senior Night! The last game in the PanAm for Bandja Sy and Tyrone Watson.

Player of the Game: Daniel Mullings (23 pts, 8 reb, 4 stl)

Next Game: Saturday, March 9 vs UT-Arlington (17-11, 11-6) at 7:00 MST

GO AGGIES

NMSU falls to Denver

   Denver, CO- The Denver Pioneers (19-8, 14-2) simply out-played New Mexico State (19-10, 12-4) in the second half to defeat the Aggies 66-60 on Saturday. The win put Denver all alone in second place in the WAC, trailing only LaTech. The loss knocked NMSU down to third place and out of WAC regular-season title contention (they were out anyway before the loss).

NMSU took a 28-27 lead into the locker room and quickly jumped out to a 34-27 lead with 16:26 left in the second half. At the under 12 minute timeout, the Aggies had a slight 42-40 lead.

Cue the Denver run.

The Pioneers went on a 14-1 run that lasted just over 7 minutes to take a commanding 54-43 lead with 5:08 left.

But just like they have done all season long, the Aggies rallied back. Sophomore Daniel Mullings sparked NMSU by scoring 6 points and recording a steal in a span of 50 seconds to make the deficit 55-51 with 3:16 left.

Out of a timeout with 1:51 remaining, Bandja Sy nailed a three-pointer to make it a one-point game. After a pair of Denver free throws, NMSU was down by three looking for a basket. But, a turnover by Sy led to a wide-open three by Pioneer Chase Hallam to put Denver up by six with 49 seconds left. Sy answered that three with another one of his own to make the score 60-57.

Kevin Aronis came into the game and missed two 3's as Denver converted on six straight free throws to put the game out of reach 66-57. For style points, Bandja Sy nailed his third three-pointer of the game with four seconds left to play. That made the final outcome 66-60.

Statistically, NMSU played a great game- EXCEPT turnovers.

As a team, they shot 20-41 FG (48.8%) and 3-6 on threes (50%- Sy went 3-3).

One of the best things the Aggies executed was free throw shooting. They shot 17-21, good for 81%. Sim Bhullar went 5-9... resulting in NMSU's only misses from the charity strike.

Senior Tyrone Watson returned to the court after his 30-day/7-game suspension to play 38 minutes, score 10 points, and record 5 assists. Bandja Sy had a great game scoring 21 points with 11 rebounds. Sim Bhullar had 17 points on 6-7 shooting and 4 blocks.

The Aggies committed 18 turnovers- seven by Daniel Mullings.

One of the interesting things I noticed was the Aggies have gone away from the seven-man rotation that helped win 12 games in a row. Nine guys saw playing time today.

Also, I was SHOCKED, yes, SHOCKED, that Renaldo Dixon only saw seven minutes of playing time. This is the guy who has arguably been the New Mexico State MVP of the season.

The Aggies look ahead as ranked Louisiana Tech comes to the PanAm with an insane 26-3 record on Thursday.

Player of the Game: Bandja Sy (21 pts, 11 reb)

Next Game: Thursday, March 7 vs LaTech (26-3, 16-0) at 7:00 MST

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

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Renaldo Dixon